PHILADELPHIA — The Iowa men’s wrestling team is leaving the 2025 NCAA D-I men’s wrestling championships with one national champion, two runner-ups, and a fourth place team finish.
Stephen Buchanan took home the 197-pound title, the first one of his career. Hawkeye 133-pounder Drake Ayala and 165-pounder Michael Caliendo finished second in their respective weight classes, while Patrick Kennedy placed fourth at 174 pounds.
Ben Kueter notched a seventh place finish at the heavyweight bout.
Iowa placed fourth in the team standings with 81 points. Penn State took home the team title with 177 points, followed by Nebraska with 117, and Oklahoma State with 102.5.
Learn More:
133 pounds — Drake Ayala is the runner-up after his 3-2 decision loss to Illinois’ Lucas Byrd. The two were tied through regulation and overtime, but Byrd owned the riding time by six seconds, rewarding him a point at the very end to solidify his title win.
It marked the second consecutive year that Ayala fell in the championship bout, as he lost to Arizona State’s Richard Figueroa in the 2024 final.
Ayala ends the 2025 campaign with a 17-2 regular season record and a second place finish at the Big Ten championships.
165 pounds — Michael Caliendo took the 8-2 decision loss to Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink in the title match. This is Caliendo’s third time falling to Mesenbrink in the past year, with previous losses in the 2024 NCAA championships and the Big Ten tournament. Messenbrink’s second period takedown pushed him over the top and he never gave the lead up after that.
Caliendo concludes his season with a 20-2 record and a second place finish in the Big Ten tournament.
174 pounds — Patrick Kennedy took down South Dakota State’s Cade DeVos by a 4-1 decision with an overtime takedown to advance to the third place match. Once there, he suffered a 11-3 major decision to Penn State’s Levi Haines. Kennedy places fourth on the podium, the highest finish of his five-year collegiate career.
Kennedy also finished with a 13-5 regular season record and notched fourth place at the Big Ten championships. He said after the loss that he intends to use his final year of eligibility and return for the 2025-26 season.
197 pounds — Stephen Buchanan is a champion. He took the 4-2 decision over Penn State’s Josh Barr to claim his first national title. Buchanan logged a takedown late in the second period and did just enough to hold Barr off until time expired.
Buchanan’s 2024-25 campaign consists of a 21-1 record, a second place finish in the Big Ten championship, and a long-awaited individual title.
285 pounds — Ben Kueter was defeated in a 2-1 decision by Michigan’s Joshua Heindselman in the 285 bout. Despite the loss, Keuter secured a podium finish in his first full season with the Iowa wrestling program. His 2024-25 campaign ends with an 18-6 record and a third place finish at the Big Ten championships.
Kueter has stated previously that he’s returning to Iowa football in the fall and is uncertain about his wrestling future.