IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked University of Iowa men’s wrestling team won nine of 10 matches to cruise to a 38-3 victory over Columbia on Friday night on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes posted seven bonus point wins and had a 37-3 advantage in takedowns in the dual.
“We have to be steady and keep looking to put the best ingredients on the mat for this team” said head coach Tom Brands. “Whatever the ingredients are, those are the ones that need to be on that mat.”
No. 17 Drake Ayala opened the evening with a 18-3 technical fall victory over Nick Babin at 125. The Fort Dodge, Iowa, native had three first-period takedowns and a three-point near fall to build a 12-2 lead and he added two more takedowns in the second to end the match at the 3:32 mark.
The victory moved Ayala to 9-1 this season with six bonus point wins, including five technical falls.
Junior Cullan Schriever had the victory of the dual in his first match of the season and his first match since last January. The Mason City, Iowa, native trailed 3-0 after one and 4-3 after two before surrendering a third period escape to go down 5-3 against No. 11 Angelino Rini at 133 pounds.
ELECTRIC WIN! ⚡️ @Hawks_Wrestling’s Cullan Schriever beats No. 11 Angelino Rini 9-6 in OT at 133 for his first win of the year. pic.twitter.com/UUsMTyVeZ7
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) December 9, 2023
Schriever took down Rini to take a 6-5 lead with 31 seconds remaining and rode him out for the remainder of the match. Courtesy of less than a second of riding time, the match went to overtime where Schriever recorded a takedown 45 seconds in to notch the victory. It was Schriever’s first career victory over a ranked opponent.
“It meant a lot to me,” said Schriever. “I have been through a lot these last several months. Now that I got the green light, I wanted to go capitalize on it. There were some emotions built up because these last 7-8 months, even beyond that, haven’t been easy, but I stuck to it.
“I think I have grown a lot and am thankful that all this stuff happened because it made me a better person, a better wrestler and it helped me figure my life out.”
“Schriever took a good step forward and I love it,” said Brands. “He wanted the match, and he made the most of it. Things weren’t going his way, he dug himself out of a hole. There are things you look for that are admiral qualities.”
The Hawkeyes cruised into intermission with three straight wins – a first-period 17-2 technical fall by top-ranked Real Woods over Kai Owen at 141, a 15-3 major decision by sophomore Caleb Rathjen over Richard Fedalen at 149 and a 9-5 decision by No. 2 Jared Franek over Jaden Le at 157.
Iowa won four of the five matches after the break – all via bonus points. No. 7 Michael Caliendo won an 18-5 major decision over Kyle Mosher at 165, No. 14 Patrick Kennedy needed 3:45 to tech fall Garrett Bilgrave, 20-3, at 174, No. 18 Zach Glazier majored Jack Wehmeyer, 14-2, at 197 and Bradley Hill put on a takedown clinic, tech falling Billy McChesney, 19-4, at 285.
Columbia notched its lone win at 184 when Aaron Ayzerov won a 4-2 decision over Aiden Riggins despite Riggins being in on takedowns for much of the match.
The victory moves Iowa’s dual record to 5-0 heading into Big Ten Conference action in January. The Hawkeyes next competition will be the Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena on Dec. 29-30.
“We have to keep looking to put the best team on the mat,” said Brands. “It isn’t rocket science to say we need 10 weight classes contributing. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Of Note…
– Jared Franek’s winning streak moved to 10 consecutive victories.
– Caleb Rathjen and Bradley Hill recorded the first victory of their careers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
– Eight of Caliendo’s nine victories have been via bonus points this season.
– Iowa had a 15-0 advantage in back points and a 140-39 advantage in total match points.
#4 Iowa 38, Columbia 3
125 – #17 Drake Ayala (UI) tech. fall Nick Babin (CU), 18-3 (3:32)
133 – Cullan Schriever (UI) dec. #11 Angelino Rini (CU), 9-6 (OT)
141 – No. 1 Real Woods (UI) tech. fall Kai Owen (CU), 17-2 (3:00)
149 – Caleb Rathjen (UI) major dec. Richard Fedalen (CU), 15-3
157 – #2 Jared Franek (UI) dec. Jaden Le (CU), 9-5
165 – #7 Michael Caliendo (UI) major dec. Kyle Mosher (CU), 18-5
174 – #14 Patrick Kennedy (UI) tech fall Garrett Bilgrave (CU), 20-3 (3:45)
184 – Aaron Ayzerov (CU) dec. Aiden Riggins (UI), 4-2
197 – #18 Zach Glazier (UI) major dec. Jack Wehmeyer (CU), 14-2
285 – Bradley Hill (UI) tech fall. Billy McChesney (CU), 19-4 (5:00)
Attendance: 14,847
Officials: Jason Wedgbury, Curt Frost
