Emma Calabro
Iowa No. 11 174-pound Patrick Kennedy wrestles Binghamton Brevin Cassella during the NCAA Men's Wrestling Championship at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA on Thursday, March. 20, 2025. Session two ended with Penn State leading with 39.5, Nebraska in second with 28.0, Oklahoma State in third with 27.0, and Iowa in fourth with 18.0.
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.