UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania — After dropping six bouts in a row, the No. 2 Iowa mens’ wrestling squad found itself in a deep, inescapable hole to No. 1 Penn State. But top-ranked 197-pounder was a consistent bright spot as he proves his contention for a national title.
The Hawkeyes were down 21 points in team score to the Nittany Lions inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, and it looked like the No. 2 team in the country may drop a disappointing nine bouts on the night in front of 15,988 fans.
That was until Buchanan stepped out onto the mat.
The graduate student kept his usual calm demeanor while the almost-16,000 Nittany Lion fans were anxiously waiting for more high-level wrestling in his match against No. 4 Josh Barr. Buchanan and Barr were slow to start the first period, though, with fans restless for some action on the mat as the it came to an end with the score at 0–0.
Barr would be the first to strike on the scoreboard with a one-point escape in the second period to take a narrow 1-0 lead. But the Hawkeye responded to the escape by scoring one of his own in the early moments of the third period — setting himself up in the neutral position for a shot and a win.
The top-five match was coming down to the final seconds of the third period, Buchanan holding onto just over a minute of riding time advantage. And During the final 20 seconds of the third period, Buchanan made his move. The Hawkeye recorded a swift three-point takedown to end Iowa’s drought and take a 5-1 win.
“Buchanan won a tough match,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “He won it with tough riding.”
Indeed, a win is a win.
“I’m usually a ‘techer,'” Buchanan said after a dual meet with Wisconsin in early January, referring to his preference to win by technical fall.
But on Friday night, when wins — and points in general — against the loaded Penn State squad were nearly impossible to come by, three team points on a decision victory mean something. That’s especially against top-four opponents.
Buchanan was not the lone bright spot on the night, though, as No. 3 Drake Ayala defeated his opponent, Kurt McHenry, 19-4, by technical fall. Another bright spot after Iowa’s dismal team performance came from Angelo Ferrari as the 184-pounder replaced Gabe Arnold and faced off against No. 1 veteran Carter Starocci.
While Ferrari was not expected to win, the first-year wrestler took the opportunity with poise and was within one-point of Starocci the entirety of the match.
“Our process is in place,” Brands said. “You get five dates [before burning a redshirt] — we’re going to use them for Ferrari. We’re going to use them. And we’re not going to use them against cupcakes.”
Following Ferrari’s gritty loss, Buchanan’s victory against top-ranked Barr was a distinct outlier on the evening and helped slow Iowa’s bleeding.