Iowa Wrestling Notebook - 2026 NCAA Championships

 HAWKEYE WRESTLING HISTORY
The Hawkeyes have won 24 national titles and 37 Big Ten titles. 
• Iowa’s 56 NCAA Champions have won a total of 86 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 169 All-Americans have earned All-America status 372 times, including two five-time, 25 four-time, 38 three-time and 42 two-time honorees.

NCAA TROPHIES
The Hawkeyes have earned a team trophy at the NCAA Championships 15 times in the last 17 championships.  Iowa has won 15 team trophies in head coach Tom Brands’ 18 seasons. (The 2020 season, in which Iowa was favored, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
• Iowa has won 49 team NCAA trophies in program history and have 70 top 10 finishes.  The Hawkeyes have been the NCAA runner-up seven times.

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 (12), Oklahoma State (7), Minnesota (3), Iowa State (2), Ohio State (1) and Arizona State (1).

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS OUTSTANDING WRESTLERS
Ten different Hawkeyes have been named NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler. They include Chuck Yagla (1976), Bruce Kinseth (1979), Jim Zalesky (1984), Barry Davis (1985), Mary Kistler (1986), Tom Brands (1992), Terry Steiner (1993), Lincoln McIlravy (1997), Joe Williams (1998) and Brent Metcalf (2008).

HAWKEYES IN THE FINALS
Drake Ayala advanced to the 133-pound finals of the 2025 NCAA Championships to extend Iowa’s streak of NCAA finals appearances to 34 consecutive tournaments. Michael Caliendo also made the 165 pound-final and Stephen Buchanan II was in the 197-pound final.
• Iowa has had at least one wrestler in the NCAA finals every year since 1990, and in 49 of the last 50 tournaments dating back to 1975.

ALL-AMERICAN STREAK
The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American in 54 consecutive tournaments, a stretch dating back to 1972.  Iowa has totaled 332 All-America honors during that stretch. 

NINE QUALIFIERS
The Hawkeyes are sending nine wresters to the NCAA Championships. The Hawkeyes have sent at least nine wrestlers for 14 straight years and 18 times since 2007, Tom Brands first year as head coach.
• All of Iowa’s nine qualifiers earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament at the 2026 Big Ten Championships. 
• Iowa is one of 10 schools sending 9 wrestlers to the national tournament. 
•  Iowa has sent at least eight athletes to the NCAA Championships in each of head coach Tom Brands’ 19 seasons. 

NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have seven wrestlers with previous NCAA experience.  Those seven wrestlers have wrestled in a combined 16 NCAA Championships. 
• Two Iowa wrestlers -- Ryder Block and Angelo Ferrari -- are making their national tournament debuts.  
1st: Ryder Block (So., 149), Angelo Ferrari (R-Fr., 184)
2nd: Gabe Arnold (So., 197), Ben Kueter (So., 285)
3rd: Nasir Bailey (Jr., 141)
4th: Dean Peterson (Sr., 125), Drake Ayala (Sr., 133), Michael Caliendo (Sr., 165), Patrick Kennedy (Fifth, 174)

125 | #8 DEAN PETERSON | SENIOR 
• Dean Peterson enters the tournament with a 13-7 record with two bonus point victories. 
• Peterson will be making his fourth NCAA Championships appearance.  He earned an automatic berth after finishing third at the Big Ten Championships.
• Peterson is 20-10 against the NCAA field. 
• Peterson is 6-6 all-time at the NCAA Championships, competing at 125 pounds in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won five NCAA titles at 125 pounds (Matt McDonough 2010, 2012; Spencer Lee (2018, 2019, 2021).

2023 - #13 Seed (125) - Lost in consolations (3-2)
2024 - #16 Seed (125) - Lost in consolations (1-2)
2025 - #12 Seed (125) - Lost in consolations (2-2)

133 | #6 DRAKE AYALA | SENIOR
• Drake Ayala will be making his fourth NCAA Championships appearance.  He earned an automatic berth after finishing third at the Big Ten Championships.  
• Ayala is seeded 8th at 133 pounds as he brings a 13-8 record to Cleveland with seven bonus point victories. He is 14-10 against the NCAA field.
• Ayala is 9-4 all-time at the NCAA Championships, competing at 125 pounds in 2022 and 2024 and at 133 pounds in 2025.  The Fort Dodge, Iowa, native was runner-up in 2024 and 2025.
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won four NCAA titles at 133 pounds (Eric Juergens 2000, 2001; Tony Ramos 2014 and Cory Clark 2017).

2022 - #13 Seed (125) - Lost in consolations (1-2)
2024 - #3 Seed (125) - Second Place, All-American (4-1)
2025 - #2 Seed (133) - Second Place, All-American (4-1)

141 | #7 NASIR BAILEY | JUNIOR
• 2024 All-American Nasir Bailey s is the No. 7 seed at 141 pounds after finishing third at Big Tens. It will be Bailey’s third NCAA appearance and first as a Hawkeye.
• The Illinois native is 10-7 this season with four bonus point wins.
• Bailey  is 4-7 all-time against the NCAA field. 
• Bailey is 7-4 all-time at the NCAA Championships. He finished fourth at 133 pounds in 2024.
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 141 pounds (Doug Schwab 1999, Cliff Moore 2004). 

2024 - #7 Seed (133) - Fourth Place, All-American (5-2)
2025 - #3 Seed (133) - Lost in consolations (2-2)

149 | #15 RYDER BLOCK | SOPHOMORE
• Ryder Block is making his first NCAA appearance and first as a Hawkeye after earning an automatic berth at the Big Ten Championship.  
•  The Waverly, Iowa, native enters the tournament with a 13-8 record with a seven bonus point victories. He is 5-8 against the NCAA field. 
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won three NCAA titles at 149 pounds (T.J. Williams 1999, Brent Metcalf 2008, 2010).

165 | #3 MICHAEL CALIENDO | SENIOR
• Michael Caliendo is making his fourth NCAA appearance and third for Iowa.  He earned an automatic berth after finishing second at Big Tens.  The Illinois native is 18-4 this season.  He has 14 bonus point victories.
• Caliendo is 12-5 all-time at the NCAA championships.
• Caliendo is 21-10 against the NCAA field.
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won two NCAA titles at 165 pounds (Mark Perry, 2006, 2007).

2023 - #7 Seed (165) - Seventh Place, All-American (5-2)
2024 - #6 Seed (165) - Fourth Place, All-American (4-2)
2025 - #2 Seed (165) - Second Place, All-American (4-1)

174 | #5 PATRICK KENNEDY | FIFTH YEAR
• Patrick Kennedy is making his fourth NCAA appearance.  He earned an automatic berth after finishing fourth at Big Tens.  The Minnesota native is 18-4 this season.  He has nine bonus point victories.
• Kennedy is 10-6 at the NCAA Championships. 
• Kennedy is 19-10 against the NCAA field.
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won one  NCAA title at 174 pounds (Jay Borschel, 2010).

2023 - #6 Seed - Lost in consolations (2-2)
2024 - #12 Seed - Lost in consolations (3-2)
2025 - #11 Seed - Fourth Place, All-American (5-2)

184 | #7 ANGELO FERRARI | R-FRESHMAN
Angelo Ferrari will be making his first career NCAA appearance.  He finished eighth at the Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth.
• Arnold is 11-3 this season with three bonus point victories.  He is 7-2 against the NCAA field.
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today,  no Hawkeye has won the 184-pound NCAA title. 

197 | #27 GABE ARNOLD | SOPHOMORE
•  Gabe Arnold is making his second NCAA appearance after earning an automatic berth at the Big Ten Championships.  The Georgia native is 19-6 this season. He has 8 bonus point victories. He is 2-2 all-time at the NCAA Championships. 
• Arnold is 3-3 against the NCAA field. 
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today, Iowa has won one  NCAA title at 197 pounds (Stephen Buchanan II, 2025).

2025 - #11 Seed - Lost in consolations (2-2)

285 | #8 BEN KUETER | SOPHOMORE
• Ben Kueter is making his second NCAA appearance after finishing fourth at the Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth.  The Iowa City, Iowa, native is 9-7 this season. 
• Kueter is 3-3 at the NCAA Championships. 
• Kueter is 12-9 against the NCAA field. 
• Since 1999, when the NCAA implemented the weight classes used today,  Iowa has won one NCAA title at 285 pounds (Steve Mocco, 2003).

2025 - #5 Seed - Eighth Place, All-American (3-3)

BRANDS WINS #300 AT IOWA
Head coach Tom Brands recorded his 300th win at Iowa in the victory at Nebraska. Brands ranks second all-time in program history in overall wins and winning percentage.

FRESHMAN TRACKER
Four Hawkeye freshman have competed as attached competitors during the 2025-26 season.  Under 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 2025-26: Harvey Ludington (5), Leister Bowling IV (2), Leo DeLuca (1), Ty Miller (1). 

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. 

STARTING AT 125
In the 337 matches that Iowa has wrestled under head coach Tom Brands the Hawkeyes have started at 125 pounds 281 times. Iowa is 249-31-1 in those matches. 
• Iowa is 53-3 under Brands when not starting at 125.
• Since 2003, Iowa is 256-35-1 when starting at 125 and 71-12 when starting at a different weight. 

NATIONAL DUALS INVITATIONAL
• The Hawkeyes finished as runners-up at the National Duals Invitational earning $170,000 in prize money. 
• Iowa defeated #16 Missouri, #15 Illinois and #5 Oklahoma State before falling to #4 Ohio State in the finals.  
• Iowa placed second at National Duals for the fifth time in program history (1994, 1997, 1998, 2015, 2025).

ALL-AMERICANS
The Hawkeyes have five past All-Americans on the 2025-26 roster in Drake Ayala (125/133), Nasir Bailey (133), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), and Ben Kueter (285).
• The Hawkeyes have crowned at least one All-American in 54 consecutive tournaments, a stretch dating back to 1972. Iowa has totaled 332 All-America honors during that stretch. 

WILLIAMS WINS SOLIDER SALUTE TITLE
Jordan Williams finished the Soldier Salute on top with a title at 157 pounds. Williams claimed the title with a 7-3 win over Missouri’s Teague Travis. 

FOUR HAWKS WIN JIM KOCH OPEN TITLES
The University of Iowa wrestling program earned four titles and eight top-five finishes at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open. 
• Keyan Hernandez claimed the 125-pound crown with a 4-0 record and a major dec.
• Kale Petersen won the 141-pound title, posting two technical falls and two decisions.
• Gabe Arnold captured the 184-pound championship with two technical falls and a pin.
• Harvey Ludington added a title at 197 pounds, recording a technical fall, a pin and a major decision. 

THREE HAWKS WIN LUTHER OPEN TITLES
The University of Iowa wrestling program claimed three titles at the Luther Open. 
• Easton Fleshman won the Elite 285-pound division, posting a perfect 4-0 record with four decision victories, including a 2-0 win over Brody Perry of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the finals and Kale Petersen captured the Elite 141-pound crown with five bonus-point wins, including three technical falls and a pin. 
• Harvey Ludington added a title in the Silver 197-pound division, recording three pins and a technical fall en route to first place.

NEWCOMERS
The Hawkeyes have seven newcomers on the 2025-26 roster, including three transfers.  
• Nasir Bailey was a two-time NCAA qualifier at Little Rock and was an All-American in 2024 finishing in fourth at 133 pounds at the NCAA Championships. He is a two-time PAC-12 Champion. 
• Dean Peterson was a three-time NCAA Qualifier at Rutgers at 125 pounds. He has finished in seventh (2023), sixth (2025), and fifth (2024) at the Big Ten Championships. 
• Jordan Williams was a two-time NCAA Qualifier at 149 pounds at Oklahoma State and Little Rock. He was the Big 12 Runner-Up in 2024 and a Pac-12 Champion in 2025.  

TV TIME
Eight University of Iowa men’s wrestling duals will be televised during the 2025-26 season.
• Iowa’s BTN appearances include home duals against Pittsburgh, Penn State and Michigan, and road duals at Nebraska and Ohio State. 
• Iowa was on ESPN2 at the National Duals Invitational and was on ESPN when they were at Iowa State and will be on ESPN when they travel to Oklahoma State.  
• Sessions I, II and IV of the Big Ten Championships will also be televised on BTN.
• The entirety of the Soldier Salute, Session III of the Big Ten Championships and Iowa’s duals against Bellarmine, Wisconsin (7 p.m.), Minnesota (7 p.m.), Michigan State (TBA) and Purdue (TBA) will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). 

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 hour following the conclusion of the meet. 

A LOOK BACK
The University of Iowa wrestling team finished the 2024-25 season with a 14-1 overall record and a 7-1 Big Ten mark. The Hawkeyes placed third at the Big Ten Championships and fourth at the NCAA Championships. Iowa had five All-Americans. The program had 10 Academic All-Big Ten selections.

CALIENDO WINS U23 NATIONALS
University of Iowa wrestler Michael Caliendo won a U23 National Title at 74 KG and Kael Voinovich finished in sixth at 70 KG at the Spire Institute on June 1 in Geneva, Ohio.  
• Caliendo won the 74 kg division winning eight of his nine matches to make the world team. Caliendo defeated Daniel Cardenas of the California RTC and Stanford in the best-of-three finals. Caliendo fell 7-2 in the first match before taking the second match, 15-8, and the final match, 14-6, against Cardenas.
• Voinovich finished in sixth at 70 KG winning five matches before falling in the semifinals. Voinovich medical forfeited his next two matches.

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 for the men’s and women’s teams, 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 wrestling 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 18th straight year last year.
•  The Hawkeyes drew an average of 13,640 fans per home date during the 2024-25 season with 95,481 fans entering the doors of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa drew capacity crowds of 14,847 in two 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 16th straight year the Hawkeyes have averaged more than 8,000 fans.

HAWKEYE DEBUTS
Three Hawkeyes made their Iowa and Carver-Hawkeye Arena debuts in the 40-0 win over Bellarmine on Nov. 6 -- Nasir Bailey, Dean Peterson and Jordan Williams. 

NCAA EXPERIENCE
The Hawkeyes have 10 wrestlers on the roster with NCAA Championships experience. Dean Peterson is a three-time national qualifier at 125 pounds (2023–2025), while Joey Cruz qualified once at the same weight in 2025. Drake Ayala is a three-time qualifier (2022, 2024-24) at 125/133 pounds and was the NCAA runner-up in both 2024 and 2025. Nasir Bailey is a two-time qualifier (2024–2025) and earned All-American honors in 2024. Jordan Williams (2024–2025) and Victor Voinovich III (2023) have both qualified at 149 pounds. Michael Caliendo is a three-time All-American at 165 pounds and finished as the national runner-up in 2025. Patrick Kennedy is a three-time national qualifier at 165 and 174 pounds and placed fourth in 2025 to earn All-American honors. Gabe Arnold qualified at 184 pounds in 2025, and Ben Kueter was an All-American at heavyweight, finishing eighth in 2025.

2025-26 SCHEDULE
Nine of Iowa’s 15 dual opponents are ranked in the top 25 and six in the top 10 in the NWCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll. They include Penn State (1), Nebraska (2), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma State (5), Iowa State (6), Minnesota (9), Michigan (11), Missouri (18), Pittsburgh (21).
• Purdue and Wisconsin received votes. 
• Iowa’s schedule includes one regular season tournament, 14 duals and the National Duals Invitational, six home dates and two postseason events -- Big Ten Championships (Mar. 7-8), and NCAA Championships (Mar. 19-21).  

ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
10 Hawkeye wrestlers were among the 56 University of Iowa student-athletes named to the 2024-25 Big Ten Winter Academic All-Conference Team. 
•  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 Ryder Block, Nelson Brands, Easton Fleshman, Koye Grebel, Gage Marty, Charles Matthews, Aidan McCain, Jace Rhodes, Cullan Schriever and Victor Voinovich. 

HAWKEYES AND CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa is 140-16 (.907) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Tom Brands took over the program prior to 2006-07. The Hawkeyes are 289-29 (.914) all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since moving from the UI Field House in 1983. Iowa went 7-0 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.