PHILADELPHIA — Three Iowa men’s wrestlers — 133-pounder Drake Ayala, 165-pounder Michael Caliendo, and 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan — have won their respective quarterfinal matchups and will advance to the semifinals on Friday evening.
While 174-pounder Patrick Kennedy and 285-pounder Ben Kueter fell in session three, they can still compete for a spot on the podium. Gabe Arnold lost his second-round matchup on Thursday night, but a victory in his consolation match keeps him alive for another match.
Kyle Parco has medically forfeited out of the 149-pound bracket after Thursday’s second-round loss.
The Hawkeyes remain at the fourth spot with 42 team points after session three. Penn State has jumped to a massive lead at the top with 90.5 points, followed by Nebraska, 62.5, and Oklahoma State, 61.
133 pounds — Drake Ayala earned his second All-American honor as the second-seeded Hawkeye took down seventh-seeded Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State, 23-10. Ayala recorded seven near-falls — three in the first minute of the match — as he dominated his way into the semifinals. He will face Wisconsin’s 14-seeded Zan Fugitt.
Fugitt went into 2025 Nationals after piling a 20-7 regular season record and a ninth place finish in the 2025 Big Ten championships after falling to Bouzakis early in the conference tournament.
149 pounds — Kyle Parco, who lost in the second round to Oregon State’s Ethan Stiles, has medically forfeited and will be out for the remainder of the tournament.
165 pounds — Third-seeded Michael Caliendo took down Michigan’s Beau Mantanona, the No. 6 seed, by a 7-2 decision, securing his third All-American bid and a spot in the semifinals. Caliendo’s near fall in the second period gave him the 3-1 lead and recorded another one in the third to secure the victory. His semifinal matchup will be against No. 2-seeded Peyton Hall of West Virginia.
Hall became the Mountaineers’ all-time wrestling wins leader on his way to the 2025 Big 12 title. He’s only lost two matches this year.
174 pounds — No. 11 Patrick Kennedy suffered an 8-6 quarterfinal loss to Oklahoma State’s and three-time All-American Dean Hamiti, the No. 3 seed. Kennedy tied the match at 4 apiece with a near-fall in the second period before Hamiti’s near-fall in the third carried him out to the win. Kennedy remains in contention for a third place medal.
184 pounds — Gabe Arnold has moved on to the next round of the consolation bracket with the 8-4 decision over George Mason’s Malachi DuVall. After falling to a 4-1 deficit early, Arnold went on a 7-0 run with an escape, takedown, and near-fall.
197 pounds — No. 2 Stephen Buchanan overcame a slow start to secure an 18-3 tech fall victory over Ohio State’s Seth Shumate, the No. 23 seed. After an early takedown by Shumate, Buchanan scored 18 straight points to secure a semifinal bout against Cal State-Bakersfield’s third-seeded AJ Ferrari.
Ferrari had intentions of becoming a Hawkeye last season but was rejected due to personal troubles. His brother, Angelo, is a freshman on the team.
285 pounds — Ben Kueter’s first run at a national title was cut short with a 4-2 semifinal loss to Lehigh’s fourth-seeded Owen Trephan. Trephen’s early takedown essentially secured the victory as Kueter wasn’t able to make up the points. He still has a chance to place on the podium and earn a medal.