PHILADELPHIA — The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team sent five wrestlers to the quarterfinals and two remain alive on the backside of the bracket after day one at the 2025 NCAA Championships at the Wells Fargo Center. The Hawkeyes currently sit in fourth place with 18 points.
“Got two days of wrestling left,” said head coach Tom Brands. “We are excited about what is ahead of us. We have five in the quarters, and we have work to do on the backside as well.”
No. 2 seed Drake Ayala punched his ticket to the quarterfinals at 133 pounds with a 13-4 major decision over Northern Iowa’s Julian Farber the No. 18 seed.
No. 5 seed Kyle Parco fell to the backside at 149 pounds after taking injury time at the end of the first period. No. 12 seed Oregon State’s Ethan Stiles won 8-0 over Parco.
At 165 pounds, Michael Caliendo won a 15-3 major decision over No. 19 seed Jack Thomsen of Northern Iowa.
Patrick Kennedy, the 11th seed at 174 pounds, recorded an upset victory over Binghamton’s No. 6 seeded Brevin Cassella, 3-0.
No. 11 seed Gabe Arnold dropped a 12-1 major decision at 184 pounds against No. 6 seed Chris Foca of Cornell.
No. 2 seed Stephen Buchanan put bonus points on the board with a technical fall at 197 pounds defeating No. 15 Joseph Novak, 16-1.
No. 5 seed Ben Kueter closed out the session for the Hawkeyes with an 8-2 decision over No. 12 Nick Feldman.
Both No. 29 seed Joey Cruz and No. 18 seed Jacori Teemer fell on the backside in the first round of consolations at 125 pounds and 157 pounds respectively.
ROUND TWO RESULTS
133 – #2 Drake Ayala (Iowa) major dec. #18 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa), 13-4
149 – #12 Ethan Stiles (Oregon State) major dec. #5 Kyle Parco (Iowa), 8-0
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) major dec. #19 Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 15-3
174 – #11 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec. #6 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton), 3-0
184 – #6 Chris Foca (Cornell) major dec. #11 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) 12-1
197 – #2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) tech. fall #15 Joseph Novak (Wyoming) 16-1
285 – #5 Ben Kueter (Iowa) dec. #12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State), 8-2
CONSOLATION ROUND ONE RESULTS
125 – #20 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) major dec. #29 Joey Cruz (Iowa), 12-4
157 – #31 Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) dec. #18 Jacori Teemer (Iowa), 8-5
Attendance: 18,088
QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS
133 – #2 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State)
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #6 Beau Mantanona (Michigan)
174 – #11 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs. #3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State)
197 – #2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) vs. #23 Seth Shumate (Ohio State)
285 – #5 Ben Kueter (Iowa) vs. #4 Owen Trephan (Lehigh)
CONSOLATION MATCHUPS
149 – #5 Kyle Parco (Iowa) vs. #22 Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State)
184 – #11 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) vs. #21 Malachi DuVall (George Mason)
TEAM SCORES
1. Penn State 39.5
2. Nebraska 28.0
3. Oklahoma State 27.0
4. Iowa 18.0
4. Minnesota 18.0
4. Ohio State 18.0
7. Northern Iowa 17.5
8. Cornell 17.0
9. Illinois 16.5
9. Michigan 16.5
