Match Notes: Iowa vs. Nebraska

ON THE MAT
The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team hosts No. 6 Nebraska on Friday at 8:10 p.m. (CT) in the 2021 season opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Attendance is limited to immediate family only.

THE SERIES — NEBRASKA
Iowa leads the all-time series 33-10-1 and has won the last 11 meetings. The Hawkeyes are 15-3 all-time against the Huskers in Iowa City and won the most recent meeting in Iowa City, 26-6, in 2020. Tom Brnds is 11-0 all-time against Nebraska. Nebraska’s last win in the series was a 24-13 victory at the National Duals on Nov. 19, 2005. The Huskers’ last win in Iowa City was in 1937.

WINNING STREAK
Iowa has won 13 straight overall, 16 straight at home and 18 consecutive Big Ten duals.
The Hawkeyes’ 13-dual winning streak is the second longest active streak in the country behind North Carolina State (19).
Iowa’s 16-dual winning streak at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is its longest since winning 16 straight from 2012-14. The last time Iowa won 17 straight at Carver was in the midst of a 38-dual winning streak from 2008-12. The Hawkeyes’ last loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was Jan. 27, 2018 (19-17 versus No. 7 Michigan).
Iowa’s Big Ten winning streak is its longest since winning 24 straight from 2014-17.

TOP HEAVY
Iowa has 11 wrestlers ranked in the top eight of the national polls, more than any other team. Penn State and Michigan have six wrestlers ranked eighth or better.
Sophomores Abe Assad (Intermat) and Nelson Brands (Track) are both ranked eighth at 184 pounds in a national poll. Assad was a second-team All-American last season.
The Hawkeyes have three wrestlers ranked at the top of their respective weight class. Spencer Lee (125), Jaydin Eierman (141) and Michael Kemerer (174) are all ranked No. 1.

TOP 10 MATCHUPS
Friday’s dual features four potential top 10 matchups (TrackWrestling).
At 141 pounds, Iowa’s top-ranked Jaydin Eierman could meet No. 7 Chad Red. It would be the first meeting between the two.
At 174 pounds, Iowa’s top-ranked Michael Kemerer could meet No. 4 Mike Labriola. Kemerer defeated Labiola, 3-1, in their only previous meeting on Jan. 18, 2020, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
At 184 pounds, Iowa’s eighth-ranked Nelson Brands could meet No. 6 Taylor Venz. It would be the first career meeting between the two. Brands would be making his Big Ten dual debut.
At 197 pounds, Iowa’s third-ranked Jacob Warner could meet No. 2 Eric Shultz. Warner owns a 2-1 edge in the series, defeating Shultz 4-1 at a 2019 dual and 7-5 in sudden victory at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Shultz won the last meeting, 3-1, in a 2020 dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

TRUE TEST
Iowa freshmen Bretli Reyna and Patrick Kennedy are listed in Iowa’s probable lineup. Neither wrestler has competed collegiately.
Iowa has inserted a true freshman into the lineup two times in the last three seasons. Spencer Lee pulled his redshirt and entered the lineup Jan. 15, 2018, and pinned Michigan State’s Rayvon Foley in 46 seconds. Lee went on to win the 2018 NCAA title. On Jan. 10, 2020, Abe Assad removed his redshirt and defeated Indiana’s Jake Hinz, 6-2. Assad finished the season 22-7, was seeded 11th at the NCAA Championships and earned All-America honors.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no wrestler will lose a season of eligibility in the 2021 wrestling season.

HOME SWEET HOME
Spencer Lee is 18-0 all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In Lee’s 18 home wins, he has four pins, eight technical falls and three major decisions. Five of the wins are against top 10 opponents.

NEW KID IN TOWN
Senior Jaydin Eierman transferred to Iowa in 2020 from the University of Missouri, where he was a three-time All-American. Eierman placed fifth at the NCAA Championships as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore and third as a junior in 2019. He used an Olympic redshirt in 2019-20.
Eierman has a career record of 89-11. He was the 2019 MAC Wrestler of the Year and 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year.