ON THE MAT
The second-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team will host No. 11 Northwestern on Friday at 8:05 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The dual is sold out.
• The dual will be All-American Day.
FOLLOW ALONG LIVE
• Friday’s dual will be televised on ESPNU with Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Rock Harrison (analyst) 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 12 consecutive duals dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• Senior Tony Cassioppi is 13-0 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.
• Senior Spencer Lee is riding a 45-match winning streak dating back to the 2019 season. Lee was named the Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 11 — his fifth career honor.
• Senior Max Murin has a career-high nine bonus point victories, including a career-best four technical falls. He also has tied a career-high with three pins.
• Murin is riding a seven-match winning streak — the second longest streak of his career (10 to open 2019-20 season).
No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes Probable Lineup vs. No. 11 Northwestern
| Wt. | Rank | Name | Yr. | Hometown/High School | 2022-23 Record |
| 125 | 1/1/1/1 | Spencer Lee | RS Sr. | Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional | 7-0 |
| 133 | 12/–/–/12 | Brody Teske | Jr. | Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge (Penn State/UNI) | 2-0 |
| -or- | –/17/–/– | Cullan Schriever | So. | Mason City, Iowa/Mason City | 7-5 |
| 141 | Drew Bennett | Sr. | Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge (UNI) | 7-5 | |
| 149 | 9/4/9/8 | Max Murin | RS Sr. | Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria | 12-1 |
| 157 | –/20/16/17 | Cobe Siebrecht | Jr. | Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon | 6-1 |
| 165 | 10/10/7/10 | Patrick Kennedy | So. | Kasson-Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville | 10-1 |
| -or- | Aiden Riggins | Fr. | Janesville, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock | 6-4 | |
| 174 | 17/16/15/17 | Nelson Brands | Sr. | Iowa City, Iowa/West | 3-2 |
| 184 | 9/8/8/8 | Abe Assad | Jr. | Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North | 12-1 |
| 197 | Zach Glazier | Jr. | Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea | 5-1 | |
| 285 | 3/3/3/3 | Tony Cassioppi | Sr. | Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah | 13-0 |
THE SERIES — NORTHWESTERN
Iowa leads the all-time series, 74-7-1. Iowa has won 14 straight against Northwestern and owns an all-time mark of 32-3 in duals taking place in Iowa City.
• Northwestern’s last win in the series was a 22-19 victory in Evanston on Jan. 29, 2005.
• The Hawkeyes are 13-0 against Northwestern under head coach Tom Brands.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
• Cullan Schriever is 0-1 all-time against Chris Cannon at 133. Cannon won by a 5-3 decision last season.
• Max Murin is 2-0 all-time against Yahya Thomas at 149. Murin beat Thomas, 4-3, in last season’s dual and 6-5 at the Big Ten Championships.
• Tony Cassioppi is 1-0 all-time against Lucas Davison, winning 7-3 during the dual last season.
NO. 300
Friday’s dual against Northwestern will be the program’s 300th all-time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 273-26 (.913) all-time since moving from the UI Field House in 1983.
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
• Fifth-year senior Max Murin climbed to No. 4 in the Jan. 10 Intermat rankings at 149. It is the second highest ranking of his career as he reached as high as No. 3 in the coaches rankings in 2019-20.
• Sophomore Patrick Kennedy has moved into the top 10 in all four rankings (WIN, Intermat,AWN, FLO). He is ranked seventh nationally by AWN.
TOP 10 MATCHUPS
Friday’s dual will feature three top 10 matchups at 125, 149 and 285.
• Top-ranked Spencer Lee will square off against No. 3 Michael DeAugustino at 125. DeAugustino is 1-1 in two matches this season. He is a two-time All-American, finishing fourth at 125 last season. Lee is 47-5 all-time against ranked opponents.
• Max Murin, who is ranked as high as No. 4 by Intermat, will face off against No. 4 Yahya Thomas at 149. Thomas is ranked in the top five in all four polls. Murin is 2-0 all-time against Thomas, winning 4-3 and 6-5 last season. Thomas is a two-time nationals qualifier, earning All-America honors in 2021 courtesy of a third-place NCAA finish. Murin is 28-23 in his career against ranked opponents, including 4-8 against top-five ranked foes.
• The final top-10 showdown will feature No. 3 Tony Cassioppi against No. 4 Lucas Davison at heavyweight. Cassioppi is 1-0 all-time against Davison, winning 7-3 last season. Davison earned All-America honors after finishing sixth in 2022 – his first season competing at heavyweight. Cassioppi has six wins in his career (6-7 overall) against top-five ranked foes.
LEE NAMED B1G CO-WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Spencer Lee was named the Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 11 — his fifth career honor. He earned the distinction after going 2-0 with two first-period falls in wins over Illinois’ Maximo Renteria and Purdue’s ninth-ranked Matt Ramos. Lee fought back from an 8-1 deficit to pin Ramos in 2:54 for his fourth fall of the season.
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.
• In his last two matches, Cassioppi stalled out Illinois’ Matt Wroblewski and Purdue forfeited to move his record to 13-0.
• Cassioppi had five consecutive falls (his second streak of four-plus falls this season.) for the first time in his career.
• This season, Cassioppi has nine falls — all in the first period — in his 13 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 had 10 apiece during the 2017-18 season.
• Two of Cassioppi’s 13 wins came against ranked foes when he downed Penn’s 15th-ranked Ben Goldin, 9-0, on Nov. 26 before beating Iowa State’s ninth-ranked Sam Schuyler, 9-2, to clinch Iowa’s 18th straight victory over the Cyclones.
• In 13 matches, Cassioppi has been on the mat for a grand total of 33:30.
• Cassioppi is riding a 14-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).
45 STRAIGHT
Senior Spencer Lee ran his fall streak to three matches after pinning Illinois’ Maximo Renteria and Purdue’s ninth-ranked Matt Ramos last weekend.
• Lee is 7-0 with seven bonus point victories — three falls, two majors and one tech fall. In seven matches this season, Lee has been on the mat for 25:02.
• The Pennsylvania native has won 45 consecutive matches dating back to the 2019 season. Lee is 85-5 in his collegiate career with 73 bonus point victories — 30 pins, 29 technical falls and 14 majors. (85.9 percent)
• Lee went 4-0 with four bonus point victories to win the 125 pound title at the Soldier Salute in December. He made his 2022-23 debut in Iowa’s 18-15 victory over No. 7 Iowa State — his first match since Dec. 21, 2021.
LAST MEETING | #2 IOWA 33, #23 NORTHWESTERN 6 | JAN. 14, 2022 | EVANSTON, ILL.
125 – #12 Drake Ayala (UI) dec. #7 Michael DeAugustino (NU), 6-5
133 – #9 Chris Cannon (NU) dec. Cullan Schriever (UI), 4-3
141 – #32 Frankie Tal Shahar (NU) dec. Drew Bennett (UI), 10-6
149 – #12 Max Murin (UI) dec. #5 Yayha Thomas (NU), 4-3
157 – #12 Kaleb Young (UI) dec. Trevor Chumbley (NU), 6-4
165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (UI) won by forfeit
174 – #2 Michael Kemerer (UI) pinned Jack Jessen (NU), 2:36
184 – #18 Abe Assad dec. (UI) tech. fall Jon Halvorsen (NU), 16-0
197 – #5 Jacob Warner (UI) major dec. #28 Andrew Davison (NU), 11-2
285 – #6 Tony Cassioppi (UI) dec. #17 Lucas Davison (NU), 7-3
MAD MAX
Senior Max Murin has a career-high nine bonus point victories in his 12-1 start to the 2022-23 season. He has a career-high four pins, three tech falls and two major decisions. (Murin had one career technical fall prior to this season.)
• The Pennsylvania native has won seven consecutive matches — the second-longest winning streak of his career. He won his first 10 matches of the 2019-20 season.
• Murin’s only defeat this season came in sudden victory, falling 3-1 to Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson.
• In December, 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.
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.
COBE AT 157
Junior Cobe Siebrecht is 6-1 this season, posting bonus point victories in five matches with two pins and three major decisions. The Lisbon native won his first six matches of the 2022-23 season.
• 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.
PK PUTS ON A SHOW
• Sophomore Patrick Kennedy has scored 155 points — 14.1 points per match — in his 11 matches this season. The Minnesota native is 10-1 with three technical falls, three majors and two falls this season.
• Kennedy is 2-1 against ranked opponents, including posting a 15-4 major decision over Illinois’ No. 11 Danny Braunagel on Jan. 6 in Iowa City.
BONUS ABE
Junior Abe Assad has tallied a bonus point victory in half of his 12 victories this season. The Illinois native has three majors, two falls and one technical fall.
• Assad notched his second ranked victory last weekend, downing Illinois’ 29th ranked Dylan Connell, 3-1, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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.
SOLDIER SALUTE SUCCESS
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.
TRUE FRESHMEN IN VARSITY LINEUP
Four true freshman have competed in the varsity dual lineup this season. Drake Rhodes won his Hawkeye debut against California Baptist at 174 pounds, Carson Martinson competed at 174 at Army and Joel Jesuroga at 149 at Chattanooga. Aiden Riggins won his varsity dual debut, downing Purdue’s Stoney Buell, 9-4, on Jan. 8.
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), Aiden Riggins (3), Joel Jesuroga (3), Bradley Hill (2), Drake Rhodes (1), Mickey Griffith (1), Carson Martinson (1), Carter Martinson (1) and Jude Link (1).
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.
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 123-13 (.904) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Tom Brands took over the program prior to 2006-07. The Hawkeyes are 273-26 (.913) 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 will return to action Jan. 20, hosting Nebraska at 8 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
