ON THE MAT
The University of Iowa wrestling team travels to Detroit to compete at the 2022 NCAA Championships on March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena. The three-day tournament begins Thursday with Session I starting at 11 a.m. (CT) and Session II at 6 p.m. The quarterfinals and consolation round begin Friday at 10 a.m. The semifinals begin Friday at 7 p.m. The medal round starts Saturday at 10 a.m. and the championship finals begin Saturday at 6 p.m.
HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
The Hawkeyes have won 24 national titles and 37 Big Ten titles. Iowa’s 55 NCAA Champions have won a total of 85 NCAA individual titles, crowning seven three-time and 16 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes’ 117 Big Ten champions have combined for 208 conference titles. There have been eight four-time, 18 three-time, and 31 two-time Big Ten champions from Iowa. Iowa’s 161 All-Americans have earned All-America status 352 times, including 22 four-time, 40 three-time and 41 two-time honorees.
CHASING THE HAWKEYES
Gary Kurdelmeier led Iowa to its first NCAA Championship in 1975, and in the 47 years since, the Hawkeyes have accumulated 24 team titles, more than any other school — Penn State (9), Oklahoma State (7), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), Ohio State (1) and Arizona State (1).
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS OUTSTANDING WRESTLERS
Ten different Hawkeyes have been named NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler. They include Chuck Yagla (1976), Bruce Kinseth (1979), Jim Zalesky (1984), Barry Davis (1985), Mary Kistler (1986), Tom Brands (1992), Terry Steiner (1993), Lincoln McIlravy (1997), Joe Williams (1998) and Brent Metcalf (2008).
ALL-AMERICAN STREAK
Iowa has nine All-Americans and a combined 24 All-America honors in its NCAA lineup.
Iowa’s All-American lineup includes Austin DeSanto (3x), Jaydin Eierman (4x), Max Murin (1) Kaleb Young (3x), Alex Marinelli (3x), Michael Kemerer (4x), Abe Assad (1), Jacob Warner (3x) and Tony Cassioppi (2x).
The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American in 50 consecutive tournaments, a stretch dating back to 1972. Iowa has totaled 312 All-America honors during that stretch.
Iowa has had at least five All-Americans in eight straight seasons and 13 times in head coach Tom Brands’ 15 seasons.
The nine All-Americans in Iowa’s postseason lineup have a combined record of 137-32 (.811) in 2021-22. Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer are both four-time All-Americans. Austin DeSanto, Kaleb Young, Alex Marinelli and Jacob Warner are three-time All-Americans. Tony Cassioppi is a two-time All-American and Max Murin and Abe Assad were 2020 All-Americans.
POTENTIAL FIRST-TIME FIVE-TIMERS
Michael Kemerer has the opportunity to become the program’s first five-time All-American. Kemerer placed third at the national championships in 2017, fourth in 2018 and second in 2021. He was recognized as an All-American in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the season. Jaydin Eierman also has an opportunity to become a five-time All-American. He was a three-time All-American at Missouri from 2017-19 and earned his first All-America honor at Iowa in 2021. Kemerer, Eierman and Spencer Lee became four-time All-Americans at the 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis last season. Lee and Kemerer became the 21st and 22nd Hawkeyes in program history to earn four All-America honors wrestling for the Hawkeyes.
FOUR-TIME ALL-AMERICANS
Austin DeSanto, Kaleb Young, Alex Marinelli and Jacob Warner have the opportunity to become four-time All-Americans at the NCAA Championships in Detroit. There have been 22 four-time All-Americans in the history of Iowa Wrestling. Joe Scarpello was Iowa’s first four-timer. He won the NCAA title in 1950 to earn his fourth All-America honor. Tom Brands has coached six four-timers since his first national tournament as Iowa’s head coach in 2007. Mark Perry won NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008, the third and fourth All-America honors of his career. Derek St. John, Cory Clark and Brandon Sorensen were four-timers under Brands. St. John won a national title in 2013 and was an All-American from 2011-14. Clark capped his fourth straight All-America honor with a national championship in 2017. Sorensen earned All-America honors from 2015-18. Spencer Lee, Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer became four-time All-Americans in 2021. Lee won NCAA titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and was named an All-American after COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 national tournament. Kemerer was also named an All-American in 2020. He previously earned All-America honors in 2017 and 2018. Eierman earned three All-America honors at Missouri from 2017-19 and was runner-up at the 2021 NCAA Championships
10 QUALIFIERS
The Hawkeyes are sending a 10-man lineup to the NCAA Championships for the sixth time since 2007, Tom Brands first year as head coach (2010, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022). Each of Iowa’s 10 qualifiers earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. It marks the first time since 2010 that all 10 Hawkeyes earned an automatic berth at the NCAA qualifying tournament. Iowa is one of three schools sending 10 wrestlers to the national tournament (NC State, Northwestern). The Hawkeyes won national titles with a 10-man lineup in 2010 and 2021. Iowa placed fourth in 2014 and second in 2015. The 2020 NCAA Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Iowa has sent at least eight athletes to the NCAA Championships in each of head coach Tom Brands’ 16 seasons.
NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have eight wrestlers with previous NCAA experience. Those eight have wrestled in a combined 20 NCAA Championships. Two Iowa wrestlers are making their national tournament debuts. Sophomore Abe Assad qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2020, but the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. Assad was the No. 11 seed in 2020. Freshman Drake Ayala is making his national tournament debut. He is the fourth true freshman to qualify for the NCAA Championships under Tom Brands (Nathan Burak R12 in 2013, Spencer Lee first place in 2018, Abe Assad n/a in 2020). Austin DeSanto, Max Murin, Kaleb Young, Alex Marinelli, Michael Kemerer, Jacob Warner and Tony Cassioppi were also in the 2020 tournament field before its cancellation. Jaydin Eierman took an Olympic redshirt in 2020. He is competing in his fifth NCAA tournament, his second for Iowa. Eierman was an All-American at Missouri from 2017-19.
• FIRST TIMERS: Drake Ayala (Fr. 125), Abe Assad (So. 184).
• BACK FOR SECONDS: Tony Cassioppi (Jr. 285).
• THIRD APPEARANCE: Max Murin (Sr. 149), Kaleb Young (Sr. 157), Jacob Warner (Sr. 197).
• FOURTH APPEARANCE: Austin DeSanto (Sr. 133), Alex Marinelli (Sr. 165), Michael Kemerer (Sr. 174).
• FIFTH APPEARANCE: Jaydin Eierman (Sr. 141).
HAWKEYES IN THE FINALS
Three Hawkeyes advanced to the finals of the 2021 NCAA Championships to extend Iowa’s streak of NCAA finals appearances to 31 consecutive tournaments. Iowa has had at least one wrestler in the NCAA finals every year since 1990, and in 45 of the last 46 tournaments dating back to 1975.
HEAVY LIFTING LIGHTWEIGHTS
True freshman 125-pounder Drake Ayala earned an automatic qualifying spot and a No. 13 seed at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Ayala is the fourth true freshman to compete at the NCAA Championships under head coach Tom Brands. Nathan Burak (197) reached the round of 12 in 2013. Spencer Lee (125) in 2018 and Abe Assad qualified at 184 pounds in 2020 before the championships were cancelled due to COVID-19. Since Tom Brands’ first year as head coach in 2007, Iowa’s 125-pounders have combined for five NCAA titles, 13 All-America honors, and seven NCAA finals appearances. The total includes three NCAA titles from Spencer Lee (2018, 2019, 2021) and two from Matt McDonough (2010, 2012). McDonough earned All-America honors from 2010-12, and was an NCAA finalist in 2011. Thomas Gilman earned All-America honors from 2015-17, reaching the NCAA finals in 2016. Cory Clark placed fifth at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Charlie Falck was an All-American in Brands’ first two seasons in 2007 and 2008. Since 2007, Tom Brands first as Iowa’s head coach, the Hawkeyes’ starting 125-pounder (NCAA qualifier) has a 395-55 overall record (.878) and a 216-14 (.939) mark in duals.
125 POUNDS — #13 DRAKE AYALA, FRESHMAN
Freshman Drake Ayala placed eighth at the 2022 Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Ayala is the fourth true freshman to qualify for the national tournament under head coach Tom Brands. Nathan Burak reached the Round of 12 in 2013. Spencer Lee won the 125-pound title in 2018 and Abe Assad was the No. 11 seed in 2020 before the tournament was cancelled. Ayala is the No. 13 seed at 125 pounds. He enters the tournament with a 16-6 record that includes six wins against ranked opponents. He has scored bonus points eight of his 16 wins. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won four NCAA titles at 125 pounds (Matt McDonough 2010, 2012; Spencer Lee 2018, 2019).
Drake Ayala:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 1st
133 — #5 AUSTIN DESANTO, SENIOR
Three-time All-American Austin DeSanto enters the tournament with a 16-3 record that includes 11 bonus-point wins. His 10 technical falls are the most by a Hawkeye in a single season since 1999. DeSanto is making his fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships. He earned an automatic berth with a runner-up finish at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. DeSanto has a career record of 12-5 at the national tournament. He won a pair of matches as a freshman in 2018 while competing for Drexel, falling in the quarterfinals and again in the Round of 12 on the backside. DeSanto defeated Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young 7-2 in the second round in 2019 to advance to the quarterfinals. He fell in the quarters, 3-2, to Stevan Micic and went on to win three matches on the backside of the bracket to earn his first career All-America honor. His only two losses in the tournament were one-point decisions. He was the No. 5 seed when the NCAA Championships were cancelled due to COVID-19. He was 5-1 at the 2021 NCAA Championships, with his only loss a 3-2 decision in the semifinals to Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won four NCAA titles at 133 pounds (Eric Jeurgens 2000, 2001; Tony Ramos 2014; Cory Clark 2017).
Austin DeSanto:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 4th
2018: #7 seed, lost in Round of 12 (2-2)
2019: #3 seed, 5th place, All-American (5-2)
2020: #5 seed, All-American
2021: #4 seed, 3rd place, All-American (5-1)
141 — #2 JAYDIN EIERMAN, SENIOR
Four-time All-American Jaydin Eierman is making his fifth appearance at the NCAA Championships, his second as a Hawkeye. Eierman was runner-up at 141 pounds at the 2021 NCAA Championships. He is 18-5 all-time at then national tournament, including a 14-4 record in three seasons at Missouri. He placed fifth at the NCAA Championships as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore, third as a junior and second as a senior. He transferred to Iowa in 2019 and used an Olympic redshirt in 2019-20. Eierman is 17-1 this season with 11 wins over ranked opponents. He qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing second at the 2022 Big Ten tournament. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 141 pounds (Doug Schwab 1999; Cliff Moore 2004).
Jaydin Eierman:
NCAA Championships Appearance: 5th
2017: #8 seed, 5th place, All-American (5-2)
2018: #2 seed, 4th place, All-American (4-1)
2019: #5 seed, 3rd place, All-American (5-1)
2021: #1 seed, 2nd place, All-American (4-1)
149 — #8 MAX MURIN, SENIOR
Max Murin is making his third appearance at the NCAA Championships. He placed third at the 2022 Big Ten tournament to an automatic berth. Murin enters the tournament with a 12-3 record that includes seven wins against ranked opponents. Murin is 4-4 all-time at the NCAA Championships. He was 2-2 at 141 pounds at the national tournament in 2019. He won a pair of one-point decisions as the No. 22 seed on the top side of the bracket before falling in the quarterfinals and in the Round of 12 on the backside of the bracket. He was named an All-American in 2020 after putting together a 16-3 record and entering the 2020 NCAA Championships as the No. 7 seed at 141 pounds. Murin earned an at-large berth to the 2021 NCAA Championships at 149 pounds and won two matches on the top side of the bracket before losing a pair of overtime decisions, first in the quarterfinals and later in the Round of 12. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won three NCAA titles at 149 pounds (T.J. Williams 1999; Brent Metcalf 2008, 2010).
Max Murin:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 3rd
2019: #22 Seed (141), lost in Round of 12 (2-2)
2020: #7 Seed (141), All-American
2021: #12 Seed (149), lost in Round of 12 (2-2)
157 — #9 KALEB YOUNG, SENIOR
Three-time All-American Kaleb Young enters the tournament with a 17-7 record that includes seven wins over ranked opponents. He has won his last five matches against ranked opponents. Young earned an automatic berth to the national tournament with a fourth place finish at the 2022 Big Ten Championships.
Young is 9-4 in two previous tournament appearances. He wrestled to a fifth-place finish and his first All-America honor as a sophomore in 2019. He won his first two bouts by technical fall and major decision, and advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5 win in sudden victory against Ryan Deakin. Young fell in the semifinals and went 1-1 on the backside of the bracket, defeating Deakin again, 7-5 in overtime, in the fifth-place match. Young was 15-5 and the No. 8 seed before the 2020 NCAA Championships were cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2021, Young placed seventh as the No. 5 seed. He won four matches on the backside of the bracket.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 157 pounds (T.J. Williams 2001; Derek St. John 2013).
Kaleb Young:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 3rd
2019: #6 seed, 5th place, All-American (4-2)
2020: #8 seed, All-American
2021: #5 seed, seventh place, All-American (5-2)
165 — #3 ALEX MARINELLI, SENIOR
Three-time All-American Alex Marinelli is making his fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships. He was the top seed at 165 pounds in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He was the No. 5 seed as a redshirt freshman in 2018. Marinelli earned an automatic berth to the national tournament by winning his fourth straight Big Ten title at the 2022 conference championships. He enters the NCAA tournament with a 21-1 record. He has won seven straight, all against ranked opponents. Marinelli is 9-6 in three previous tournament appearances, earning All-America honors at the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Championships. He has lost in the quarterfinals in each of the last two tournaments to the eventual NCAA champion. He fell to Stanford’s Shane Griffith, 3-1, in sudden victory in 2021, and lost Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis, 3-1, in 2019. Marinelli has won 75 of his last 80 matches, scoring bonus points in 35 bouts, including 19 falls.
Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 165 pounds (Mark Perry 2006, 2007).
Alex Marinelli:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 4th
2018: #5 seed, 6th place, All-American (3-3)
2019: #1 seed, 7th place, All-American (4-2)
2020: #1 seed, All-American
2021: #1 seed, lost in Round of 12, (2-1)
174 — #5 MICHAEL KEMERER, SENIOR
Four-time All-American Michael Kemerer is making his fourth appearance at the national tournament. Kemerer was runner-up at the 2021 NCAA Championships at 174 pounds. It was his first appearance at the national championships since 2018. Kemerer missed the 2018-19 season with an injury and was the No. 2 seed at 174 pounds before the 2020 NCAA Championships were cancelled. Kemerer enters the 2022 NCAA Championships as the No. 5 seed. He earned an automatic berth to the national tournament by placing sixth at the conference tournament. He was 2-0 at the Big Ten Championships before medically forfeiting in the semifinals. Kemerer placed third at the NCAA Championships in 2017 and fourth in 2018, competing both years at 157 pounds. He has a career record of 15-4 at the national tournament. Among his 15 NCAA tournament wins, Kemerer has five major decisions, three technical falls and two pins.
Kemerer has a career record of 95-10, including a 50-10 mark against ranked opponents. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won one NCAA title at 174 pounds (Jay Borschel 2010).
Michael Kemerer:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 3rd
2017: #2 seed, 3rd place, All-American at 157 (6-1)
2018: #6 seed, 4th place, All-American at 157 (5-2)
2020: #2 seed, All-American at 174
2021: #1 seed, 2nd place, All-American (4-1)
184 — #18 ABE ASSAD, SOPHOMORE
Abe Assad will make his NCAA Championships debut as the No. 18 seed at 184 pounds. Assad qualified for the national tournament by placing seventh at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. He enters the tournament with a 13-8 record that includes six wins over ranked opponents. Assad qualified for the national tournament for the second time. He earned the No. 11 seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships before the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. Assad missed the 2021 season due to injury. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, no Hawkeye has won the 184-pound NCAA title.
Abe Assad:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 1st (qualified in 2020)
197 — #6 JACOB WARNER, SENIOR
Three-time All-American Jacob Warner enters the national tournament as the No. 6 seed following a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. Warner is 17-5 this season with seven bonus-point wins and 10 wins over ranked opponents. Warner is 9-4 in two previous NCAA Championship appearances, placing seventh as a freshman in 2019 and fourth as a junior in 2021. He was the No. 5 seed in 2020, putting together a 20-4 record before the tournament was cancelled. Warner was seeded fifth at 197 pounds at the previous three NCAA Championships. His four NCAA losses have been by a combined six points, including a pair of overtime setbacks. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, no Hawkeye has won the 197-pound NCAA title.
Jacob Warner:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 3rd
2019: #5 seed, 7th place, All-American (4-2)
2020: #5 seed, All-American
2021: #5 seed, 4th place, All-American (5-2)
285 — #5 TONY CASSIOPPI, JUNIOR
Tony Cassioppi enters the national tournament with a 15-2 record and the No. 3 seed at 285. He earned an automatic berth to the national tournament with a runner-up finish at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. Cassioppi enters the national tournament as the No. 3 seed for the second time. He was 20-3 as a redshirt freshman and earned the No. 3 seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships before the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. Cassioppi was the No. 5 seed as a sophomore in 2021. He won three matches on the front side of the bracket before falling to Gable Steveson in the semifinals. He responded with two wins in the consolation rounds to place third. Cassioppi has a career record of 48-8. He is 33-7 all-time against ranked opponents. Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won one NCAA title at 285 pounds (Steve Mocco 2003).
Tony Cassioppi:
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2nd
2020: #3 seed, All-American
2021: #5 seed, 3rd place, All-American (5-1)
