The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team earned seven top-10 seeds for the NCAA Championships, according to a March 11 announcement from the governing body. The Hawkeyes will send nine wrestlers to compete at the national tournament.
Michael Caliendo received the No. 3 seed at 165 pounds and Patrick Kennedy is seeded fifth at 174. Caliendo holds an 18-4 record this season, including a 12-4 mark against ranked opponents. Kennedy also has an 18-4 record with an 11-4 tally against ranked foes.
Drake Ayala is seeded sixth at 133 pounds, while Nasir Bailey and Angelo Ferrari are both seventh seeds at 141 and 184 pounds, respectively. Dean Peterson secured the No. 8 seed at 125 pounds, and Ben Kueter is also seeded eighth in the heavyweight division.
Ryder Block, seeded fifteenth at 149 pounds, and Gabe Arnold, who is twenty-seventh at 197 pounds, complete Iowa’s list of qualifiers for the championships.
The Hawkeyes have sent at least nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for fourteen consecutive seasons and eighteen times since Tom Brands became head coach in 2007. The upcoming NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 19–21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
First-round matchups include Dean Peterson facing Kael Lauridsen of Nebraska at 125 pounds; Drake Ayala meeting Marcel Lopez of SIUE at 133; Nasir Bailey taking on Braden Basile of Army at 141; Ryder Block versus Eugene Harney of Morgan State at 149; Michael Caliendo against Thomas Snipes of Citadel at 165; Patrick Kennedy versus Holden Garcia of Princeton at 174; Angelo Ferrari facing Chase Kranitz of Pittsburgh at 184; Gabe Arnold meeting Justin Rademacher of Oregon State at 197; and Ben Kueter squaring off with Alex Semenenko of Brown in the heavyweight class.
With multiple high seeds and a strong history under Coach Brands, Iowa aims to make a significant impact during this year’s championship event.