Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa Wrestling Finishes Third in the 2025 Big 10 Wrestling Championship

The Hawkeyes lost several close matches and finished with 112 points after a dominant season over Big Ten opponents.
Izabelle Cool|
Iowa’s Ben Kueter walks onto the mat before facing Ohio State in a 285-pound match during a Big Ten conference dual Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa’s Ben Kueter walks onto the mat before facing Ohio State in a 285-pound match during a Big Ten conference dual Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 2 Iowa Wrestling secured third place at the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championship with 112 points, improving on last year's fourth-place finish. Penn State outpaced them by 69.5 points to take first, and Nebraska surpassed them by 25 points to earn second.

The Hawkeyes struggled to finish in their matches, resulting in only a few points of difference between each wrestler and their opponents as the third period ended. Seven Hawkeyes have secured their spots in the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship in two weeks, while Joey Cruz (149) is seeking an at-large bid later this week.

In the first championship match for the Hawkeyes, No. 1 Drake Ayala, 133 pounds, wrestled No. 2 Lucas Byrd (Illinois). The bout was scoreless after the first period. Byrd was looking for an open spot after starting on the bottom, resulting in putting Ayala on his back to win by fall at 3:16. Ayala finished in second place.

In the third-place match at 149 pounds, Parco was dominated early by No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn), who secured a last-minute takedown in the first period followed by two near-falls, leading 11-0 as they headed into the third period. Parco ultimately placed fourth, having struggled to score throughout the match, and lost 0-14.

At 165 pounds, No. 2 Michael Caliendo lost to No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn) in the championship match, 1-4. Mesenbrink had a takedown at the end of the first period, which Caliendo returned with an escape point. However, Caliendo was unable to attack effectively. Messenbrink leads 5-0 over Caliendo in recent meetings, with his latest win being a 19-4 technical fall on January 31, 2025.

No. 4 Patrick Kennedy (174) finished in fifth in his win over No. 12 Branson John (Maryland). Kennedy had an early takedown and remained on the offensive heading into the end of the first period. Kennedy locked up a cradle to put John on his back and got the pin at 1:59.

In the 184-pound match between No. 4 Gabe Arnold and No. 3 Silas Allred from Nebraska, both wrestlers engaged in early hand fighting. There were not many offensive attacks from either competitor initially, but with just 40 seconds left in the first period, Arnold secured a takedown. The first period ended with a score of 3-0 in favor of Arnold.

In the final period, Allred managed to earn an escape, bringing the score to 4-1. He added another escape point, making it 4-2 with a minute remaining. Ultimately, Allred closed the gap to 4-3, but Arnold held on to secure the win and take fifth place.

No. 1 Stephen Buchanan had an escape to start the second period after a scoreless opening against No. 3 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) in the 197-pound championship. Cardenas answered with a takedown, but Buchanan quickly responded with an escape, bringing the score to 2-3 at the end of the second period. Despite Buchanan's attempts for a last-minute takedown, he lost the match 2-4.

In the last match for the Hawkeyes, No. 7 Ben Kueter (HWT) faced No. 3 Josh Heindselman (Michigan) in the third-place bout. Kueter entered the third period with two minutes of riding time after a scoreless first and second period. He started the third with an escape, which Heindselman matched with an escape of his own. Kueter secured the upset win over Heindselman, 2-1.

Iowa Placements

133| 2nd Place - Drake Ayala
149| 4th Place - Kyle Parco
157| 7th Place - Jacori Teemer
165| 2nd Place - Michael Caliendo
174| 5th Place - Patrick Kennedy
184| 5th Place - Gabe Arnold
197| 2nd place - Stephen Buchanan

Joey Cruz (125) will have to wait until March 11 to see if he earns an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. Cruz fell in the ninth-place bout to Brendan McCrone (Ohio State), 1-8.

At 133 pounds, Iowa is unlikely to have a representative at the NCAA championships after Cullan Schriever went 1-2 on Day 1, which eliminated him from the tournament.

Final Standings

  1. Penn State - 181.5
  2. Nebraska - 137
  3. Iowa - 112
  4. Minnesota - 108.5
  5. Illinois - 105.5
  6. Ohio State - 95.5
  7. Michigan - 71
  8. Maryland - 54
  9. Rutgers - 46
  10. Purdue - 44.5
  11. Indiana - 33
  12. Northwestern - 21.5
  13. Wisconsin - 19
  14. Michigan State 11.5

Iowa now focuses on preparing for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship upon their return to Iowa City, Iowa.

Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and PHL Sports will host this year's championship, which will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia from March 20 to 22, 2025.

Published
Izabelle Cool
IZABELLE COOL

Izabelle is a master’s candidate at the University of Tennessee studying Sports Management. She received her Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in Sports Broadcast from the University of Missouri in 2024. She has been covering wrestling for Missouri On SI since 2023 and has covered wrestling for the Ohio State Buckeyes On SI and Iowa Hawkeyes On SI since 2024. Additionally, Izabelle has covered various Olympic sports, including track and field, soccer, and tennis, since 2021 with other outlets.

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