ON THE MAT
The second-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team will welcome No. 11 Nebraska to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for an 8 p.m. (CT) dual on Friday night. The dual, which is Military Appreciation Day, is sold out.
• The Hawkeyes hit the road Sunday, traveling to Madison to face No. 16 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. at the UW Field House.
FOLLOW ALONG LIVE
• Both Friday and Sunday’s duals will be televised live on BTN with Shane Sparks (play-by-play) and Jim Gibbons (color) 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 13 consecutive duals dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• Senior Tony Cassioppi is 14-0 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 46-match winning streak dating back to the 2019 season — tied for the ninth-longest in program history.
• Abe Assad and Real Woods’ next win will be No. 50 for their collegiate careers.
No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes Probable Lineup vs. No. 11 Nebraska | No. 16 Wisconsin
| Wt. | Rank | Name | Yr. | Hometown/High School | 2022-23 Record |
| 125 | 1/1/1/1 | Spencer Lee | RS Sr. | Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional | 8-0 |
| 133 | –/–/–/12 | Brody Teske | Jr. | Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge (Penn State/UNI) | 2-0 |
| -or- | –/18/–/– | Cullan Schriever | So. | Mason City, Iowa/Mason City | 7-6 |
| 141 | 2/2/2/2 | Real Woods | Sr. | Albuquerque, N.M./Montini Catholic (Ill.) (Stanford) | 7-0 |
| 149 | 11/7/8/10 | Max Murin | RS Sr. | Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria | 12-2 |
| -or- | Caleb Rathjen | RS Fr. | Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny | 4-3 | |
| 157 | 17/21/12/13 | Cobe Siebrecht | Jr. | Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon | 7-1 |
| 165 | 9/10/9/10 | Patrick Kennedy | So. | Kasson-Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville | 11-1 |
| 174 | 16/16/15/17 | Nelson Brands | Sr. | Iowa City, Iowa/West | 4-2 |
| 184 | 9/8/8/8 | Abe Assad | Jr. | Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North | 13-1 |
| 197 | 8/8/11/10 | Jacob Warner | RS Sr. | Tolono, Ill./Washington | 10-2 |
| 285 | 3/3/3/3 | Tony Cassioppi | Sr. | Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah | 14-0 |
(WIN/Intermat/AWN/FLO rankings)
LAST MEET
The Hawkeyes won seven of 10 matches and got bonus point victories from Spencer Lee (fall), Real Woods (tech fall) and Abe Assad (major) in a 27-9 win over No. 11 Northwestern on Jan. 13. It was the 300th dual all-time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa also got ranked wins from Cobe Siebrecht — a 6-3 victory over No. 9 Trevor Chumbley — and No. 3 Tony Cassioppi edged No. 4 Lucas Davison, 3-2.
THE SERIES — NEBRASKA
• Iowa leads the all-time series 35-10-1 and has won the last 13 meetings overall. Iowa won the last meeting, 20-15, on Feb. 2, 2022, in Lincoln.
• Nebraska’s last win in the series was a 24-13 victory at the National Duals on Nov. 19, 2005.
• Iowa is 15-3 all-time against Nebraska in Iowa City. The Huskers last win in Iowa City came in 1937.
• The Hawkeyes are 13-0 against the Huskers under Tom Brands.
THE SERIES – WISCONSIN
Iowa leads the all-time series, 80-8-3, including posting a 40-4-2 all-time record in Madison. The Hawkeyes have won the last 10 meetings and 41 of the last 42 dating back to 1975.
• Wisconsin’s only win during that time was a 21-14 decision inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 27, 2007. The series dates back to 1923 — an 8-6 Iowa win.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
• Spencer Lee is 1-0 all-time against Liam Cronin. During the 2019-20 season, Lee pinned Liam Cronin in 54 seconds when he was wrestling at Indiana.
• Brody Teske is 1-0 all-time against Taylor LaMont, winning 9-7 during the 2020-21 season. Teske was wrestling at UNI, LaMont at Utah Valley State.
• Jacob Warner is 1-0 all-time against Braxton Amos, winning 4-1 during the dual last season in Iowa City.
• Tony Cassioppi is 7-0 all-time against Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger, outscoring the Badger heavyweight, 43-6. Cassioppi has majored Hillger in three of the last four meetings. Last season, Cassioppi went 2-0 against Hillger, winning by a 10-0 major decision in the dual and 9-3 at the Big Ten Championships.
TOP 10 MATCHUPS
• Top-ranked Spencer Lee will square off against two opponents ranked in the top eight over the various polls in Nebraska’s Liam Cronin and Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett. Cronin is 13-2 and ranked as high as No. 3 nationally, while Barnett is 13-2 and ranked as high as No. 4. Barnett finished seventh at last year’s NCAA Championships.
• No. 2 Real Woods will square off against No. 4 Brock Hardy on Friday. Hardy has 19 wins to two losses in 2022-23.
• No. 7 Max Murin will face No. 2 Austin Gomez on Sunday in Madison. Gomez is 9-1 and is ranked second by all four outlets.
• No. 9 Patrick Kennedy will get his first shot at returning All-American Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin. Hamiti is ranked sixth at 165 and is 12-4 this season.
46 STRAIGHT
Senior Spencer Lee ran his fall streak to four matches after pinning Northwestern’s third-ranked Michael DeAugustino in 2:01 on Jan. 13. It is the second time in Lee’s career he has pinned four straight opponents.
• Lee is 8-0 with eight bonus point victories — five falls, two majors and one tech fall. In eight matches, Lee is outscoring his opponents, 86-20, and has been on the mat for 27:03.
• The Pennsylvania native has won 46 consecutive matches dating back to the 2019 season. It is tied for the ninth longest winning streak in Iowa wresting history: Jim Zalesky (89), Troy Steiner (74), Tom Brands (69), Brent Metcalf (69), Mark Ironside (67), T.J. Williams (67), Lincoln McIlravy (56), Joe Williams (53) and Chris Campbell (46).
• Lee is 86-5 in his collegiate career with 74 bonus point victories — 31 pins, 29 technical falls and 14 majors (86.0 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.
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.
• On Jan. 13 against Northwestern, Cassioppi downed No. 4 Lucas Davison, 3-2, to improve to a team-best 14-0 this season. He is 3-0 this season against ranked foes.
• 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 14 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.
• In 14 matches, Cassioppi has been on the mat for a grand total of 40:30.
• Cassioppi is riding a 15-match winning streak dating back to last season. It is tied for the longest streak of his career (15 wins in 2019-20 as redshirt freshman).
REAL DEAL
• No. 2 Real Woods dominated in his match against No. 6 Frankie Tal-Sharar of Northwestern on Jan.13, winning by technical fall, 17-2. Woods led 14-0 after the first perod courtesy of a takedown and three four-point tilts.
• Woods is 7-0 with bonus point wins in six of his seven matches. He has four tech falls, one pin and one major decision. Two of his victories have come against ranked opponents.
• Woods’ next victory will be his 50th collegiate win (to eight defeats). Forty-two of his victories came at Stanford.
MAD MAX
Senior Max Murin has a career-high nine bonus point victories in his 12-2 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.)
• In December, Murin cruised to the Soldier Salute title at 149 pounds with two pins, a technical fall and two decisions. He downed teammates Joel Jesuroga and Caleb Rathjen in consecutive decisions to win the crown.
COBE AT 157
Junior Cobe Siebrecht is 7-1 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 notched the highest ranked victory of his career when he defeated No. 9 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern, 6-3, on Jan. 13. It was his third win against a ranked foe this season.
PK PUTS ON A SHOW
• Sophomore Patrick Kennedy has scored 159 points — 13.3 points per match — in his 12 matches this season. The Minnesota native is 11-1 with three technical falls, three majors and two falls this season.
• Kennedy is 3-1 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 seven of his 13 victories this season. The Illinois native has four majors, two falls and one technical fall.
• Assad is 3-1 against ranked opponents this season.
• Assad’s next victory will be the 50th of his collegiate career.
HAWKEYE HONOREES
• 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.
• 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.
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
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).
LAST MEETING | #2 IOWA 20, #10 NEBRASKA 15 | LINCOLN, NEB. | FEB. 5, 2022
125 – #12 Drake Ayala (UI) dec. Jeremiah Reno (N), 13-6
133 – #3 Austin DeSanto (UI) tech. fall Alex Thomsen (N), 22-7
141 – #2 Jaydin Eierman (UI) dec. #10 Chad Red (N), 6-3
149 – #7 Ridge Lovett (N) dec. Vince Turk (UI),3-1
157 – #12 Kaleb Young (UI) dec. #10 Peyton Robb (N), 6-3
165 – #5 Alex Marinelli (UI) dec. #30 Bubba Wilson (N), 8-2
174 – #6 Mikey Labriola (N) dec. #2 Michael Kemerer (UI), 5-4
184 – #20 Taylor Venz (N) pinned #16 Abe Assad (UI), 6:12
197 – #3 Eric Schultz (N) dec. #4 Jacob Warner (UI), 3-2
285 – #4 Tony Cassioppi (UI) dec. #12 Christian Lance (N), 3-0
LAST MEETING | #2 IOWA 29, #9 WISCONSIN 6 | IOWA CITY, IOWA | FEB. 20, 2022
125 – #7 Eric Barnett (W) dec. Jesse Ybarra (UI), 4-0
133 – #3 Austin DeSanto (UI) tech. fall Kyle Burwick (W), 26-11
141 – #2 Jaydin Eierman (UI) major dec. Joseph Zargo (W), 13-5
149 – #7 Austin Gomez (W) dec. Vince Turk (UI), 3-2
157 – #12 Kaleb Young (UI) dec. #28 Garrett Model (W), 8-3
165 – #5 Alex Marinelli (UI) dec. #6 Dean Hamiti (W), 8-5
174 – #2 Michael Kemerer (UI) major dec. #23 Andrew McNally (W), 11-2
184 – #17 Abe Assad dec. (UI) dec. #27 Chris Weiler (W), 4-2
197 – #4 Jacob Warner (UI) dec. #22 Braxton Amos (W), 4-1
285 – #4 Tony Cassioppi (UI) major dec. #11 Trent Hillger (W), 9-0
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.
HAWKEYES AND CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa is 124-13 (.904) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Tom Brands took over the program prior to 2006-07. The Hawkeyes are 274-26 (.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. 27, traveling to University Park, Pa., to face top-ranked Penn State. The dual will be televised on BTN.
