Hawkeyes Win 8 Matches in Session I

CLEVELAND – The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team won eight of nine matches and recorded six bonus-point victories during Session I of the 2026 NCAA Championships on Thursday afternoon at Rocket Arena.

Iowa sits in second place with 15 team points after the opening session.

Eighth-seeded Dean Peterson opened the tournament for the Hawkeyes with a 9-1 major decision over No. 25 seed Kael Lauridsen of Nebraska at 125 pounds, beginning a stretch of four consecutive major decisions for Iowa.

At 133 pounds, sixth-seeded Drake Ayala advanced to the second round with an 11-1 major decision over Marcel Lopez of SIUE.

No. 7 seed Nasir Bailey followed at 141 pounds, earning a 14-3 major decision over No. 26 seed Braden Basile of Army.

Iowa continued its bonus-point success at 149 pounds, where No. 15 seed Ryder Block pulled away late for an 11-2 major decision over No. 18 seed Eugene Harney of Morgan State.

At 165 pounds, third-seeded Michael Caliendo needed just 2:44 to record a fall against No. 30 seed Thomas Snipes of The Citadel.

Fifth-seeded Patrick Kennedy advanced at 174 pounds with an 8-2 decision over No. 28 seed Holden Garcia of Princeton.

At 184 pounds, seventh-seeded Angelo Ferrari added more bonus points, cruising to a 10-0 major decision over No. 26 seed Chase Kranitz of Pittsburgh.

Iowa’s lone setback of the session came at 197 pounds, where No. 27 seed Gabe Arnold fell to No. 6 seed Justin Rademacher of Oregon State in tiebreakers. Arnold escaped in four seconds in the first tiebreaker, but Rademacher answered with a three-second escape to secure the win on riding time.

At heavyweight, No. 8 seed Ben Kueter closed the session with a 2-0 decision over No. 25 seed Alex Semenenko of Brown, using an escape and riding time to advance.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
125 – #8 Dean Peterson major dec. #25 Kael Lauridsen (Nebraska), 9-1
133 – #6 Drake Ayala major dec. #27 Marcel Lopez (SIUE), 11-1
141 – #7 Nasir Bailey major dec. #26 Braden Basile (Army), 14-3
149 – #15 Ryder Block major dec. #18 Eugene Harney (Morgan State), 11-2
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo pinned #30 Thomas Snipes (Citadel), 2:44
174 – #5 Patrick Kennedy dec. #28 Holden Garcia (Princeton), 8-2
184 – #7 Angelo Ferrari major dec. #26 Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh), 10-0
197 – #6 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) dec. #27 Gabe Arnold, 3-2 TB1
285 – #8 Ben Kueter dec. #25 Alex Semenenko (Brown), 2-0

Attendance: 16,625

SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS
125 – #8 Dean Peterson vs. #9 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State)
133 – #6 Drake Ayala vs. #11 Tyler Ferrara (Cornell)
141 – #7 Nasir Bailey vs. #10 Jack Consiglio (Stanford)
149 – #15 Ryder Block vs. #2 Jaxon Joy (Cornell)
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo vs. #19 Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell)
174 – #5 Patrick Kennedy vs. #12 Carter Schubert (Oklahoma)
184 – #7 Angelo Ferrari vs. #10 Caleb Campos (American) 
285 – #8 Ben Kueter vs. #9 Cole Mirasola (Penn State)

CONSOLATION MATCHUP
197 – #27 Gabe Arnold vs. #22 Devin Wasley (North Dakota State)

TEAM SCORES
1. Penn State, 22.5
2. Iowa, 15.0
t3. Ohio State, 14.5
t3. Oklahoma State, 14.5
5. Iowa State, 14.0
6. Nebraska, 13.0
7. Cornell, 10.0
7. Stanford, 10.0
9. Minnesota, 9.5
10. Arizona State, 9.0

UP NEXT
Session II of the 2026 NCAA Championships will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) and it will be televised live on ESPN.