Notes: No. 2 Iowa Set to Open B1G Season

ON THE MAT
The second-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team opens Big Ten Conference action with a double dual weekend.
• The Hawkeyes will host Illinois at 7 p.m. (CT) on Friday inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena for Fan Appreciation Day. The dual is sold out.
• Iowa hits the road for a Sunday matinee, traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana, to face Purdue at 1 p.m. (CT). The dual will be held at Holloway Gymnasium.

FOLLOW ALONG LIVE
• Friday’s dual will be streamed online via B1G+ — a paid subscription service. Former Hawkeyes Alex Marinelli and Kaleb Young will be on the call.
• Sunday’s dual will be televised on BTN with Shane Sparks, and Jim Gibbons on the call.
• Iowa wrestling events are broadcast by AM-800 KXIC and streamed on hawkeyesports.com via YouTube. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will call the action for Hawkeye Sports Properties, a property of Learfield.
• Follow Iowa wrestling on social media via Twitter (@Hawks_Wrestling), Facebook/iowahawkeyewrestling and Instagram (@iowahawkeyewrestling).
• Live results will be available via TrackWrestling with a link available on hawkeyesports.com.

BACK POINTS
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 consecutive duals dating back to the 2021-22 season. Iowa has won its last eight Big Ten openers.
• Senior Tony Cassioppi is 11-0 this season with a career-high nine falls — all coming in the first period. The nine falls are the most by a Hawkeye since Alex Marinelli in 2018-19.
• Junior Cobe Siebrecht is 6-0 with five bonus point victories this season.
• Senior Spencer Lee is riding a 43-match winning streak dating back to the 2019 season.

No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes Probable Lineup vs. Illinois/at Purdue

LAST MEET
The Hawkeyes crowned eight individual champions and had 18 wrestlers post top six finishes at the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa, on Dec. 29-30. Iowa won the team title, accumulating 228 points during the two-day tournament.
• Iowa’s champions were Spencer Lee (125), Cullan Schriever (133), Real Woods (141), Max Murin (149), Patrick Kennedy (165), Abe Assad (184), Jacob Warner (197) and Tony Cassioppi (285).
• There were three Hawkeye vs. Hawkeye matchups during the finals with Drake Ayala (125), Caleb Rathjen (149) and Kolby Franklin (197) finishing as tournament runner-ups.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
• Cullan Schriever is 0-1 all-time against Illinois’ Lucas Byrd, at 133, falling by a 5-0 decision last season.
• Max Murin is 1-0 all-time against Purdue’s Trey Kruse at 149. He won by a 19-3 technical fall during the 2020-21 season.

B1G OPENERS
The Hawkeyes have won their last eight Big Ten Conference openers dating back to the 2013-14 season — a 24-12 loss against No. 1 Penn State.

THE SERES — ILLINOIS
• Iowa leads the all-time series 54-26-1 and is 24-9-1 all-time in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won the last 11 meetings, including 36-3 on Jan. 16, 2022, in Champaign.
• Illinois’ last win in the series came on Feb. 10, 2006, in Iowa City by the margin of 24-13.
• Iowa head coach Tom Brands is 11-0 all-time against the Fighting Illini.

THE SERIES — PURDUE
• Iowa leads the all-time series 45-4-3 and is 21-3-1 all-time in West Lafayette. The Hawkeyes have won the last 33 meetings in the series, including a 36-4 win last season in Iowa City.
• Purdue’s last win came in 1961 in Iowa City — a 23-9 triumph.
• Iowa head coach Tom Brands is 12-0 all-time against Purdue.

CASS’ CAREER HIGH
Senior Tony Cassioppi pinned his way to the 285 pound title at Soldier Salute. In his four falls, the Illinois native was on the mat for a grand total of 7:38.
• Cassioppi has five consecutive falls (his second streak of four-plus falls this season.) It is the first time in his career he has recorded a fall in five consecutive matches.
• This season, Cassioppi has nine falls — all in the first period — in his 11 matches. The nine falls are a career-high, moving his career total to 24 pins. Cassioppi’s nine falls are the most by a Hawkeye since Alex Marinelli in 2018-19.
• The last Hawkeye to have 10 or more falls? Michael Kemerer and Sam Stoll during the 2017-18 season.
• Two of Cassioppi’s 11 wins came against ranked foes when he downed Penn’s 15th-ranked Ben Goldin, 9-0, on Nov. 26 before beating Iowa State’s Sam Schuyler, 9-2, to clinch Iowa’s 18th straight victory over the Cyclones.
• In 11 matches, Cassioppi has been on the mat for a grand total of 27:33.
• Cassioppi is riding a 12-match winning streak dating back to last season. It is tied for the second longest streak of his career (15 wins in 2019-20 as redshirt freshman).

43 STRAIGHT W’s
Senior Spencer Lee went 4-0 with four bonus point victories to win the 125 pound title at the Soldier Salute. Lee has now won 43 consecutive matches dating back to the 2019 season.
• Lee has posted bonus points in all five of his matches — two majors, two falls and one technical fall.
• Lee has posted bonus points in 83 percent (69-of-83) of his career matches with 29 technical falls, 28 pins and 12 major decisions.
• In five matches this season, Lee has wrestled 20:06 minutes.
• The Pennsylvania native made his 2022-23 debut in Iowa’s 18-15 victory over No. 7 Iowa State on Dec. 4. Lee posted a major decision over Corey Cabanban, 16-5. It was Lee’s first match since Dec. 21, 2021.

REAL DEAL
Senior Real Woods cruised to the 141 pound title at Soldier Salute, winning his four matches by two technical falls, a major decision and finals fall.
• Woods is 6-0 this season with bonus points in five of his six matches. He has 48 career victories (to eight defeats) with 42 wins coming at Stanford.

SIEBRECHT CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Junior Cobe Siebrecht is 6-0 this season, posting bonus point victories in five of his six matches. He has two pins and three major decisions.
• Siebrecht is ranked in all three polls, coming in as high as No. 15 by Amateur Wrestling News at 157 pounds.
• Siebrecht had a six-point move in the first period en route to a 10-2 major decision over Iowa State’s Jason Kraisser. The Lisbon, Iowa, native pinned Penn’s 10th-ranked Anthony Artalona on Nov. 26 to record the highest ranked win of his career.
• Siebrecht has two victories over ranked opponents amongst his six wins this season.

MAD MAX
Senior Max Murin has already matched a career-high for bonus point victories. During his 10-1 start to the 2022-23 season, Murin has posted seven bonus point victories — two majors, three techs and two falls.
• Murin had one career technical fall prior to this season.
• Murin cruised to the Soldier Salute title at 149 pounds with two pins, a tech fall and two decisions. He downed teammates Joel Jesuroga and Caleb Rathjen in consecutive decisions to win the crown.

PK PUTS ON A SHOW
• Sophomore Patrick Kennedy has scored 140 points — 14.0 points per match — in his 10 matches this season. The Minnesota native is 9-1 with three technical falls, two pins and two majors this season.

LAST MEETING | #2 IOWA 36, #21 ILLINOIS 3 | JAN. 16, 2022 | CHAMPAIGN, ILL.
125 – #12 Drake Ayala (UI) dec. #26 Justin Cardani (ILL), 7-4
133 – #6 Lucas Byrd (ILL) dec. Cullan Schriever (UI), 5-0
141 – Drew Bennett (UI) major dec. Josh Contreras (ILL), 10-1
149 – #12 Max Murin (UI) dec. Christian Kanzler (ILL), 9-3
157 – #12 Kaleb Young (UI) tech. fall Joe Roberts (ILL), 16-1
165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (UI) dec. #27 Danny Braunagel (ILL), 4-1
174 – #2 Michael Kemerer (UI) pinned Baan Rachal (ILL), 2:35
184 – #18 Abe Assad dec. (UI) dec. #19 Zac Braunagel (ILL), 5-2
197 – #5 Jacob Warner (UI) dec. #29 Matt Wroblewski (ILL), 6-0
285 – #6 Tony Cassioppi (UI) pinned #17 Luke Luff man (ILL), 6:47

LAST MEETING | #1 IOWA 36, #15 PURDUE 4 | JAN. 9, 2022 | IOWA CITY, IOWA
125 – #14 Drake Ayala (UI) dec. #5 Devin Schroeder (P), 6-1
133 – Max Ramos (P) major dec. Jesse Ybarra (UI), 11-1
141 – #2 Jaydin Eierman (UI) dec. #25 Parker Filius (P), 7-6
149 – #12 Max Murin (UI) major dec. Trey Kruse (P), 10-2
157 – #12 Kaleb Young (UI) major dec. Cooper Noehre (P), 12-4
165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (UI) tech. fall Hayden Lohrey (P), 22-7; 19-4
174 – #2 Michael Kemerer (UI) tech. fall #21 Gerrit Nijenhuis (P), 17-1
184 – #18 Abe Assad dec. (UI) dec. #23 Max Lyon (P), 6-3
197 – #5 Jacob Warner (UI) dec. #15 Thomas Penola (P), 3-0
285 – #6 Tony Cassioppi (UI) pinned Michael Woulfe (P), 1:14

SIEBRECHT NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Junior Cobe Siebrecht was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 30 after defeating the highest ranked opponent of his career, pinning No. 10 Anthony Artalona of Penn to cap the Hawkeyes’ 26-11 dual victory on Nov. 26. Siebrecht got caught in a headlock early in the second period before rolling through and sticking Artalona in 4:02. It was his second pin and fourth bonus point victory of the season.

IOWA AT OPEN TOURNAMENTS
• Sophomore Cullan Schriever and freshman Jace Rhodes both won 133-pound titles at the Luther Open on Nov. 12 in Decorah, Iowa. Schriever, who was competing unattached, won the elite division, while Rhodes won the silver (freshman-only) bracket.
• The Hawkeyes won two more titles at the Lindenwood Open when Rhodes (133) and Joel Jesuroga (149) won the black (freshman) brackets.
• Freshman Kolby Franklin led a group of five Hawkeyes that placed at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open, as he finished as runner-up at 197 pounds.
• Sophomore Drake Ayala went 2-0 to claim the 125 pound title at the UNI Open. He posted major decisions in both matches.

ALL-AMERICANS
The Hawkeyes have six past All-Americans on the 2022-23 roster in three-time NCAA Champion Spencer Lee (125), Real Woods (141), Max Murin (149), Abe Assad (184), Jacob Warner (197) and Tony Cassioppi (285).
• Iowa has crowned at least one All-American in 51 consecutive tournaments, dating back to 1972.
• Iowa finished third at the 2022 NCAA Championships with 74 points with five All-Americans. The Hawkeyes were also third at the Big Ten Championships with 129.5 points.

CASS EARNS WORLD BRONZE
Senior Tony Cassioppi won his second world age-group medal, earning a bronze at the 2022 U23 UWW World Championships on Oct. 23 in Spain. Cassioppi also won a gold medal at the 2021 UWW World Championships.

KENNEDY WINS U23 TITLE
Sophomore Patrick Kennedy went 7-0 at the 2022 World Team Trials to win the 74 kg title in June. Kennedy posted three victories over All-Americans and two more over NCAA qualifiers during the tournament.

SOLD OUT X 2
Iowa wrestling season tickets at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are sold out for a second straight season. The Hawkeyes have led the nation in attendance every year since 2006-07. Iowa set an NCAA record, averaging 14,905 fans in 2021-22.

TV TIME
Nine Iowa duals will be televised during the 2022-23 season. The Hawkeyes will have eight duals televised on BTN and one on ESPNU.
• Iowa’s BTN appearances include home duals against Iowa State (1:30 p.m. (CT)), Nebraska (8 p.m.), Michigan (8 p.m.) and Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m.) and road duals at Purdue (1 p.m.), Wisconsin (TBA), Penn State (7:30 p.m.) and Minnesota (8 p.m.).
• The Hawkeyes’ home dual against Northwestern will be televised on ESPNU.

TRUE FRESHMEN IN VARSITY LINEUP
Three true freshman have competed in the varsity lineup this season. Drake Rhodes won his Hawkeye debut against California Baptist at 174 pounds, while Carson Martinson competed at 174 at Army and Joel Jesuroga at 149 at Chattanooga.

FRESHMAN TRACKER
Nine Hawkeye freshman have competed as attached competitors during the 2022-23 season. Under new NCAA guidelines, freshmen can compete in five dates of competition during the student-athlete’s initial year of collegiate enrollment without using a season of competition.
• Here is a list of competitions for Iowa’s freshmen in 2022-23: Jace Rhodes (4), Gage Marty (4), Kolby Franklin (3), Easton Fleshman (3), Joel Jesuroga (3), Bradley Hill (2), Aiden Riggins (2), Drake Rhodes (1), Mickey Griffith (1), Carson Martinson (1), Carter Martinson (1) and Jude Link (1).

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 357 times, including one five-time, 24 four-time, 38 three-time and 40 two-time honorees.

SPENCER LEE TARGETS FOURTH TITLE
• Senior Spencer Lee won the 125-pound NCAA Championship in 2021, becoming the seventh three-time national champion in program history and putting an exclamation point on the Hawkeyes’ 2021 NCAA team title. Lee was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and won the Dan Hodge Trophy for the second straight season.
• Lee is the seventh three-time NCAA champion in program history, joining the ranks of Ed Banach (1981, 81, 83), Barry Davis (1982, 83, 85), Jim Zalesky (1982-84), Tom Brands (1990-92), Lincoln McIlravy (1993, 94, 97) and Joe Williams (1996-98).
• Only four wrestlers in NCAA history have won four Division I national titles: Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith (‘90-92, ‘94), Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson (‘99-02), Cornell’s Kyle Dake (‘10-13), and Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (‘12-15).
• Iowa’s three-time champions include:

1. Ed Banach (177, 177, 190) 1980-81, 1983
2. Barry Davis (118, 126, 126) 1982-83, 1985
3. Jim Zalesky (158) 1982-84
4. Tom Brands (134) 1990-92
5. Lincoln McIlravy (142, 150, 150) 1993-94, 1997
6. Joe Williams (158, 158, 167) 1996-98
7. Spencer Lee (125) 2018-19, 2021

LIGHTING JOE EARNS HOF NOD
Three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American Joe Williams will be inducted into the Class of 2023 for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Williams will inducted as a Distinguished Member at the 46th Honors Weekend on June 2-3, 2023, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Williams finished his Hawkeye career with a 129-9 overall record and helped Iowa to back-to-back NCAA team titles in 1996 and 1997. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

HAWKEYES AND CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa is 122-13 (.904) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Tom Brands took over the program prior to 2006-07. The Hawkeyes are 272-26 (.912) all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since moving from the UI Field House in 1983. Iowa finished 5-1 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2021-22.
• Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted two United States Olympic Team Trials, four Big Ten Championships (1983, 1994, 2005, 2016) and four NCAA Championships (1986, 1991, 1995, 2001). The Hawkeyes have won five tournament titles on their home mat, including the 1983 and 1994 Big Ten Championships, and the 1986, 1991 and 1995 NCAA Championships.
• In 2018, the University of Iowa hosted the UWW World Cup, an international dual tournament featuring eight of the top countries in the world.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return home on Jan. 13, hosting Northwestern at 8 p.m. (CT) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The meet will be All-American Day.