Iowa Wrestling Notebook — 2025 Big Ten Championships

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS
The Big Ten Championships is one of seven NCAA qualifying tournaments across the country. The NCAA has awarded the conference 87 of the 287 automatic qualifying bids for the national championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 21-23.
• The Big Ten Conference was awarded 87 of the 287 automatic qualifying bids – the most of any conference. Those allocations are broken down by weight class below and represent how many Big Ten placewinners at each weight will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships.
• The league will have seven automatic qualifiers at 141, eight at 149, 157, 174 and 184, nine at 125 and 165 and 10 at 133, 197 and 285.
• After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.
• Coaches’ ranking and RPI are two of several criteria that will be evaluated during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.

WRESTLER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Since 1989, the year the Big Ten record book first recognizes the award, 10 different Hawkeyes have been named Wrestler of the Big Ten Championships. Spencer Lee won the award in 2023 winning the 125 pound bracket. Alex Marinelli won the award in 2019 after winning the 165-pound bracket. He shared the award with Penn State’s Jason Nolf. Head coach Tom Brands won the award in 1989 following his 126-pound conference title. Associate head coach Terry Brands won the honor following his 126-pound Big Ten title in 1992. Brent Metcalf is the only Big Ten athlete to win the award twice (2008, 2009).

BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Tom Brands has been named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year five times in his career, more than any other coach in school history. Brands was recognized in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020 and 2021 following conference titles. Iowa has six Big Ten championships under Brands (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2021).
• Brands’ six Big Ten titles ties for seventh all-time in conference history.

Titles        Coach, School
21        Dan Gable, IOWA
9        Cliff Keen, MICH
8        W.H. Thorn, IND
8        Cael Sanderson, PSU
7        Paul Prehn, ILL
7        Grady J. Peninger, MSU
6        Tom Brands, IOWA
6        H.E. Kenney, ILL
6        C.C. Reeck, PUR
6        J. Robinson, MINN

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeyes’ 118 Big Ten champions have won a total of 210 conference titles. There have been eight four-time, 20 three-time and 31 two-time winners. The Hawkeyes have won 37 team titles, twice as many as the next closest school (Illinois, 17). Iowa won 25 consecutive conference championships from 1974-1998.

Iowa’s most recent Big Ten Champion by weight:
125: Spencer Lee, 2023
133: Cory Clark, 2016
141: Real Woods, 2023
149: Pat Lugo, 2020
157: Derek St. John, 2012
165: Alex Marinelli, 2022
174: Michael Kemerer, 2021
184: Sammy Brooks, 2017
197:  None since weight was introduced in 1999.
285: Blake Rasing, 2011

BIG TEN TEAM RECORDS
• Iowa holds the record for most individual champions in a single conference championships with nine in 1983. The Hawkeyes had eight in 1985, and crowned seven in 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1986. 
• The conference record for most falls in a tournament belongs to the Hawkeyes, who recorded 12 pins in 1979. The largest margin of victory by a champion also belongs to Iowa. The 1983 Hawkeyes scored 200 points, 118.5 more than second-place Michigan State (81.5).

A LOOK BACK AT 2024 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Hawkeyes placed fourth as a team at the 2024 Big Ten Championships, finishing with 110.5 points. Nine of the 10 Hawkeyes finished in the top five.  

TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes return three wrestlers with Big Ten Championship experience in 2025, and six with postseason experience.  
• Cruz, Schriever, Arnold, and Kueter are making their postseason debuts, while Parco, Teemer and Buchanan are making their Big Ten postseason debuts.
• Ayala and Kennedy are both making their third appearance at the Big Ten Championships. Ayala finished eighth in 2022 and third in 2024 and Kennedy finished second at 165 pounds in 2023 and fifth at 174 in 2024. Michael Caliendo is making his second appearance at the Big Ten Championships he finished third at 165 pounds in 2024. 
• Teemer was a four-time PAC-12 Champion at Arizona State (2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024).  
• Parco is a three time PAC-12 Champion (2022, 2023, 2024) at Arizona State he finished third at the Big 12 Championships in 2021 while at Fresno State. 
• Buchanan won a Big 12 Championship in 2022 at Wyoming and is making his fifth postseason appearance. He finished seventh in 2020 and second in 2021 while at Wyoming and third in 2024 at Oklahoma. 

BIG TEN RELEASES PRE-SEEDS FOR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eight University of Iowa wrestlers are seeded fifth or better in the pre-seeds for the 2025 Big Ten Championships, it was announced Wednesday by the league office. The tournament is set to take place Saturday and Sunday in Evanston, Illinois.
• The Hawkeyes have two No. 1 seeds in Drake Ayala (133) and Stephen Buchanan (197). There are two Hawkeyes seeded second and three seeded fourth. Kyle Parco (149) and Michael Caliendo (165) are both the second seed in their brackets, while Jacori Teemer (157), Patrick Kennedy (174) and Gabe Arnold (184) are each the No. 4 seed.
• Joey Cruz is the No. 5 seed at 125 pounds, Ben Kueter is the No. 7 seed at 285 and Cullan Schriever is the No. 11 seed at 141 pounds. 
• The complete tournament brackets and official seeds will be released Friday afternoon following the Big Ten Conference coaches meeting. For more information on the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships visit bigten.org.

B1G BUCHANAN
Graduate student Stephen Buchanan is 19-0 on the season with a 11-0 record against ranked opponents. He has a 78% bonus rate with four major decisions, seven technical falls and four pins. He has scored a team high 65 dual meet team points.

A PERFECT (BIG) TEN
Stephen Buchanan (8-0) finished the Big Ten duals season with perfect conference record. 
• Since 2007, Tom Brands’ first season as Iowa head coach, a wrestler has navigated a perfect Big Ten regular season 24 times. 
• From 2014-15 to 2020-21 when the conference went to a nine-dual regular season schedule, eight Hawkeyes posted perfect 9-0 records: Spencer Lee, Kaleb Young, and Michael Kemerer in 2019-20, Alex Marinelli did it in 2018-19, Thomas Gilman did it three times (2015, 2016, 2017), and Alex Meyer, Brandon Sorensen, and Sam Stoll were all 9-0 in 2015-16.
• Austin DeSanto and Jayden Eierman had perfect 5-0 records during the Big Ten only season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Hawkeyes had three duals cancelled that season.  
• Since the conference switched back to eight duals in 2020-21 two Hawkeyes have gone a perfect 8-0 (Buchanan this season and Lee in 2022-23)

FRESHMAN TRACKER
Eight Hawkeye freshman have competed as attached competitors during the 2024-25 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 2024-25: Miguel Estrada (8), Angelo Ferrari (5), Kael Voinovich (4), Keyan Hernandez (3), Dru Ayala (2), Brady Benham (2), Anthony Lavezzola (1) and Brody Sampson (1)

ALL-AMERICANS
The Hawkeyes have six past All-Americans on the 2024-25 roster in Drake Ayala (125), Kyle Parco (149), Jacori Teemer (165), Michael Caliendo (165), Nelson Brands (174), Stephen Buchanan (197).
• The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American in 53 consecutive tournaments, a stretch dating back to 1972. Iowa has totaled 327 All-America honors during that stretch. 

TV TIME
Seven University of Iowa men’s wrestling duals will be televised on BTN during the 2024-25 season. 
• Iowa’s BTN appearances include home duals against Stanford, Illinois, Ohio State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State and road duals at Penn State and Minnesota. 
• The duration of the Big Ten Championships, which will be held March 8-9 in Evanston, Illinois, will also be televised on BTN.
• Iowa’s duals against Iowa State, Wisconsin, Maryland and Northwestern will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). The Journeymen Wrestling “Uncivil War” against Princeton and Army will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass (subscription required).

STARTING AT 125
In the 320 matches that Iowa has wrestled under head coach Tom Brands the Hawkeyes have started at 125 pounds 268 times. Iowa is 240-27-1 in those matches. 
• Iowa is 50-1 under Brands when starting at a weight other than 125.
• Since 2003, Iowa is 251-32-1 when starting at 125 and 68-10 at when starting at a different weight. 

SOLD OUT X 4
Iowa wrestling’s season ticket allotment at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is sold out for a fourth 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.

BROTHERHOOD
Drake and Dru Ayala, Joey and Patrick Kennedy and Victor and Kael Voinovich are the latest sets of brothers to compete for Iowa men’s wrestling. 
 • There have been 48 sets of brothers to come through the Iowa wrestling program, including head coach Tom Brands and associate head coach Terry Brands. 
• Terry and Nelson Brands are the ninth father son duo and Tom and Nelson are the fifth uncle nephew duo to wrestle for Iowa.  

CAMBUS SHUTTLE
Free parking is available in the Hancher Auditorium Parking Lot on dates where no performances are scheduled. When the Hancher Auditorium Lot is available, complimentary Cambus shuttles to Carver-Hawkeye Arena will begin 90 minutes prior to the start of the meet and run until one (1) hour following the conclusion of the meet. 

KUETER EARNS SILVER AT U20 WORLDS
Ben Kueter earned a second-place finish on Sunday evening at the U20 World Championships.
• The Iowa City, Iowa, native is now a two-time U20 World medalist having won gold at 97kg in 2022.
• Kueter faced Iranian Amirreza Fardin Masoumi Valadi – a now five-time age-level World champion – in his finals matchup and lost via a 4-2 decision.
• En route to the finals Kueter outscored his opponents, 24-3. He won his opening match against Alikhan Kussainov of Kazakhstan, 7-0. In his quarterfinal matchup with Individual Neutral Athlete Stsiapan Mandryk he needed only 27 seconds to win via fall.

HAWKEYES AT AGE GROUP NATIONALS
University of Iowa wrestlers Patrick Kennedy and Ben Kueter won age-group National Titles and seven Hawkeyes placed at U23 Nationals and U20 World Team Trials at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
• In the U20 division, Kueter brought home the title at 125 kg, and Gabe Arnold was runner-up at 79 kg for the second straight year.
• Kueter won the 125 kg division winning five straight matches to make the world team. Kueter defeated Jimmy Mullen of the South East Regional Training Center and Virginia Tech in the best-of-three finals. Kueter won 5-4 and 5-3 against Mullen.
• In the U23 division, Kennedy won the 79 kg title, Drake Ayala (61 KG) finished in third, Caleb Rathjen (70 kg finished in fifth and Joey Cruz finished in seventh at 57 kg.
• In the best-of-three finals Kennedy defeated Julian Ramirez of the Spartan Combat RTC via a 10-0 technical superiority in both matches. In seven matches in the tournament Kennedy outscored his opponents, 75-4.

A NEW HOME FOR IOWA WRESTLING
Construction on the $31 million Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center finished in May 2024. The 38,000-square-foot facility is the new training home of the Iowa men’s and women’s wrestling programs. The wrestling room on the south end of the building is connected by underground tunnel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• The two-level building features a Hall of Champions that pays homage to the history of Iowa wrestling. The main entrance welcomes visitors with trophy displays celebrating Iowa’s All-Americans and national champions. The lower-level includes locker rooms, while the upper-level houses student-athlete lounges and coaches’ offices that overlook the wrestling room.
• The facility’s largest space, the Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room, features 30-foot-high ceilings with nearly twice as much practice space as the former room. An adjacent strength and conditioning room on the lower level flows seamlessly into the wrestling room.

WRESTLETOWN, USA
Iowa City, Iowa, was dubbed Wrestletown, USA by NBC Sports when hosting the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. 
• The University of Iowa men’s wrestling program led the nation in attendance for the 17th straight year last year.
•  The Hawkeyes drew an average of 14,847 fans per home date during the 2023-24 season with 89,082 fans entering the doors of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa drew capacity crowds of 14,847 in all six of its home duals.
• Iowa has led the nation in attendance in each season of head coach Tom Brands’ tenure (attendance totals weren’t tracked during the 2020-21 season due to most venues having no-spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This was the 15th straight year the Hawkeyes have averaged more than 8,000 fans.

NEWCOMERS
The Hawkeyes have 12 newcomers on the 2024-25 roster, including three transfers.  
• Stephen Buchanan is a three-time All-American at Wyoming (2021-22) and Oklahoma (2024).  He finished third at both the 2022 and 2024 NCAA Championships.
• Kyle Parco is a four-time All-American at Fresno State (2021) and Arizona State (22-24). He is a three-time PAC-12 Champion. Parco finished fifth at the 2024 NCAA Championships. 
• Jacori Teemer is a four-time All-American at Arizona State (2020-22, 2024) and was the NCAA runner-up in 2024.  

NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have nine wrestlers on the roster with NCAA Championships experience. Drake Ayala was the 2024 runner up at 125 pounds. Caleb Rathjen (2024) and Victor Voinovich III (2023) have both qualified once at 149 pounds.  Kyle Parco (149) and Jacori Teemer (157) are both four-time All-Americans. Parco’s highest finish came in 2023 when he finished fourth and Teemer was the runner up in 2024. Michael Caliendo (165) is a two-time All-American and finished fourth in 2024. Patrick Kennedy is a two-time national qualifier at 165 and 174 pounds. Nelson Brands (174/184) is a two-time All-American and finished fifth in 2023 at 174. Stephen Buchanan (197) is a three-time All-American finishing 3rd in both 2022 and 2024. 

A LOOK BACK
The University of Iowa wrestling team finished the 2023-24 season with a 12-2 overall and a 6-2 Big Ten mark. 
• The Hawkeyes placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships and fifth at the NCAA Championships. Iowa had four All-Americans. The program had 20 Academic All-Big Ten selections — the highest total in school history.

SPENCER LEE THE OLYMPIAN
Former University of Iowa All-American and three-time National Champion Spencer Lee won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the 11th Hawkeye wrestler in school history to medal at the Olympic Games

HAWKEYES IN THE FINALS
Drake Ayala advanced to the 125-pound finals of the 2024 NCAA Championships to extend Iowa’s streak of NCAA finals appearances to 34 consecutive tournaments. 
• Iowa has had at least one wrestler in the NCAA finals every year since 1990, and in 48 of the last 49 tournaments dating back to 1975.

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’ 118 Big Ten champions have combined for 210 conference titles. There have been eight four-time, 20 three-time and 31 two-time Big Ten champions from Iowa.
• Iowa’s 166 All-Americans have earned All-America status 367 times, including two five-time, 25 four-time, 38 three-time and 40 two-time honorees.

ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
20 Hawkeye wrestlers were among the 59 University of Iowa student-athletes named to the 2023-24 Big Ten Winter Academic All-Conference Team. The 20 honorees are the most in program history.
•  To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten status, students must be on a varsity team, as verified by being on the official squad list as of March 1 for winter sports, who have been enrolled fulltime at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. 
•  The list of honorees includes Drake Ayala, Nelson Brands, Tony Cassioppi, Easton Fleshman, Kolby Franklin, Zach Glazier, Joel Jesuroga, Patrick Kennedy, Carter Martinson, Gage Marty, Charles Matthews, Aidan McCain, Drake Rhodes, Jace Rhodes, Aiden Riggins, Cullan Schriever, Leif Schroeder, Cade Siebrecht, Cobe Siebrecht, and Brennan Swafford. 

NCAA TROPHIES
The Hawkeyes have earned a team trophy at the NCAA Championships 14 times in the last 16 championships.  Iowa has won 14 team trophies in head coach Tom Brands’ 17 seasons. (The 2020 season, in which Iowa was favored, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
• Iowa has won 48 team NCAA trophies in program history and have 69 top 10 finishes.  The Hawkeyes have been the NCAA runner-up seven times.

HAWKEYES AND CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa is 139-14 (.907) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Tom Brands took over the program prior to 2006-07. The Hawkeyes are 288-27 (.914) all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since moving from the UI Field House in 1983. Iowa went 5-1 in Carver in 2023-24.
•  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. 

CHASING THE HAWKEYES
Gary Kurdelmeier led Iowa to its first NCAA Championship in 1975, and in the 49 years since, the Hawkeyes have accumulated 24 team titles, more than any other school -- Penn State (11), Oklahoma State (7), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), Ohio State (1) and Arizona State (1).