PHILADELPHIA — The Iowa men’s wrestling team walked into Wells Fargo Center on Thursday morning with nine NCAA-qualified wrestlers and will walk into the evening session with seven individual victors and a fifth place finish through the first round of the 2025 NCAA Championships.
Drake Ayala and Stephen Buchanan put on strong performances to keep the Hawkeyes up in the team standings, while Joey Cruz and Jacori Teemer saw early falls that landed them in the consolation brackets.
The Hawkeyes did not have any qualifiers at 141 pounds.
125 pounds — In his first NCAA championship appearance, Iowa’s 29-seeded Joey Cruz suffered an 11-1 loss to NC State’s Vincent Robinson, the No. 4 seed, by major decision. Robinson logged a near fall in all three periods, while Cruz’s escape in the second period was his lone point of the match.
133 pounds — Second-seeded Hawkeye Drake Ayala had no problems securing his first victory of the tournament with a 21-5 tech fall victory over Mizzouri’s Kade Moore, the No. 31 seed. The returning All-American will continue his quest for the 133 title against 18-seeded Julian Farber of Northern Iowa.
Farber, a redshirt third-year, took third in the 2025 Big 12 championships and fifth in the 2025 Soldier Salute meet. He came into the championships with a 17-6 record on the season.
149 pounds — In his first national stint with Iowa, fifth-seeded Kyle Parco took a 7-2 first-round win over Michigan’s Dylan Gilcher, the No. 28 seed. The four-time All-American and Arizona State transfer advances to the next round, where he will face 12-seeded Ethan Stiles of Oregon State.
The 15-5 Stiles was the runner-up in the 2025 Pac-12 championships and was the first Beaver to clinch an NCAA championship spot.
157 pounds — Iowa’s Jacori Teemer, the 2024 National runner-up and the 18-seed in this year’s championship, was upset in his first match by Central Michigan’s Johnny Lovett, 10-3. Teemer fell to a 7-1 deficit in the second period after Lovett’s two near falls. He was limited to just 12 matches this year due to a hamstring injury and finished fourth place in the 2025 Big Ten championships.
165 pounds — Third-seeded Hawkeye Michael Caliendo took the 11-3 major decision victory over Iowa State’s No. 30 seed and former Hawkeye Aiden Riggins. Caliendo’s three near falls, one coming just 17 seconds into the match, gave him a significant lead that Riggins couldn’t overcome. He will face in-state rival Jack Thomsen, the No. 19 seed, of Northern Iowa in the next round.
Thomson boasted a 19-10 record heading into the championships, with four of those wins coming as an unattached wrestler.
174 pounds — In his third run in the NCAA championships with the Hawkeyes, 11-seeded Patrick Kennedy secured the first-round victory over Penn’s Nick Incontrera by a 4-2 decision. Kennedy’s near fall in the first period pushed him ahead and he was able to hold Incontrera under three points for the rest of the match. He moves on to Binghamton’s, Brevin Cassella, the No. 6 seed, where he aims to pass the second-round for the first time in his career.
Cassella won 25 of 29 matches this year after winning 30 matches last season. This is his fourth appearance at the NCAA championships.
184 pounds — Iowa’s 11-seeded Gabe Arnold secured his first NCAA championship victory with the 4-1 decision over Indiana’s Donnell Washington. Arnold, an Iowa City native, logged a period one near fall that carried him to the end, while Washington didn’t record a point until late in the third. Arnold will face Cornell’s Chris Foca, the No. 6 seed, in the second-round.
Roca finished third at the 2023 NCAA championships at 174 pounds after posting a 30-2 record this season. He entered this year’s championships with a record of 16-1.
197-pounds — Second-seeded Hawkeye Stephen Buchanan held off an attempted comeback by Michigan State’s 31-seed Remy Cotton for a 22-9 victory. Cotton bounced back in the second period before Buchanan’s three tech falls in the third. He moves on to the second round, where he will face Joseph Novak , the No. 15 seed, of Wyoming.
Novak, only in his second collegiate season, owns a 22-5 record this season and is 44-18 overall in his young career.
285-pounds — Fifth-seeded Ben Kueter shut out Iowa State’s Daniel Herrera, the No. 28 seed, for the 6-0 win in an anticipated in-state battle. After skipping the 2024 season to play for the Iowa football team, Kueter returns to the Hawkeye wrestling program and secures the first round victory. He will face Ohio State’s Nick Feldman, the No. 12 seed, in the next round.
A Pennsylvania native, Feldman came into the championships with a 17-8 record and finished fourth at the 2025 Big Ten championships. He placed second in last year’s conference tournament and ninth at the 2024 NCAA championships.