The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team will begin its 2025-26 season at home against Bellarmine on Thursday, November 6, at 6 p.m. in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes enter the season ranked third in preseason polls by FloWrestling and the NWCA, and fourth by Intermat.
The dual meet will be streamed live on B1G+ and broadcast on AM 800 KXIC, the Hawkeye Radio Network, and YouTube via hawkeyesports.com. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will provide commentary for the event.
Iowa’s probable lineup features several highly ranked wrestlers, including Drake Ayala (133 pounds), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), Angelo Ferrari (184), and Ben Kueter (285). Six athletes could make their Carver-Hawkeye Arena debuts: Leo DeLuca, Dean Peterson, Nasir Bailey, Kael Voinovich, Jordan Williams, and Massoma Endene.
This matchup marks only the second meeting between Iowa and Bellarmine. Iowa won the first contest last season with a 39-0 shutout in Louisville. Last year’s encounter saw strong performances from returning Hawkeyes such as Drake Ayala, who has a 2-0 record against Trayce Eckman, and Ben Kueter, who pinned Daulton Mayer in just 32 seconds.
Bellarmine head coach Ned Shuck is an alumnus of Iowa Wrestling. He competed for the Hawkeyes from 2000 to 2005, earning four letters and three Academic All-Big Ten honors.
The Hawkeyes have five past All-Americans on this year’s roster: Drake Ayala (125/133), Nasir Bailey (133), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), and Ben Kueter (285). Iowa has produced at least one All-American for 54 consecutive tournaments since 1972.
Eight newcomers join the program this season, including four transfers. Notable additions are Nasir Bailey—a two-time NCAA qualifier and former PAC-12 Champion—and Massoma Endene—a three-time Division III national champion at Wartburg.
Several sets of brothers are currently part of the team: Drake and Dru Ayala; Joey and Patrick Kennedy; Victor and Kael Voinovich. Head coach Tom Brands and associate head coach Terry Brands also previously competed as brothers for Iowa Wrestling.
Under Tom Brands’ leadership since 2006-07, Iowa has started duals at 125 pounds in most matches. The team holds a strong record when beginning meets at that weight class.
Five of Iowa’s dual meets this season will be televised on BTN. Additional events—including Thursday’s opener—will be available via streaming services like B1G+ or FloWrestling. The National Duals Invitational finals will air on ESPNU.
In June, Michael Caliendo won a U23 National Title at 74 kilograms to qualify for the world team after winning eight out of nine matches at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Kael Voinovich finished sixth at 70 kilograms during the same event.
Iowa recently completed construction of the $31 million Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center in May 2024. The new facility offers expanded training space for both men’s and women’s programs with modern amenities including locker rooms, student-athlete lounges, coaches’ offices overlooking the wrestling room, a Hall of Champions celebrating program history, trophy displays for All-Americans and national champions, as well as a strength and conditioning room connected to Carver-Hawkeye Arena via underground tunnel.
Iowa City continues to be recognized nationally for its wrestling tradition—NBC Sports dubbed it “Wrestletown USA” during its hosting of the Olympic Team Trials in 2016. For the eighteenth consecutive year last season under Tom Brands’ tenure, Iowa led all collegiate programs in attendance with an average crowd of over 13,600 per home date.
Ten current wrestlers have NCAA Championships experience across multiple weight classes; among them are multi-time qualifiers such as Dean Peterson (125 pounds) and Drake Ayala (125/133).
The Hawkeyes face a challenging schedule this year with nine out of fifteen opponents ranked inside the top twenty-five nationally according to preseason coaches’ polls—including matchups against Penn State (#1), Nebraska (#2), Ohio State (#4), Oklahoma State (#5), among others.
Last season concluded with a 14-1 overall record for Iowa Wrestling; they placed third at Big Ten Championships and fourth nationally at NCAAs while producing five All-Americans along with ten Academic All-Big Ten selections from their roster.
Drake Ayala extended Iowa’s streak of having an NCAA finalist to thirty-four straight tournaments by reaching last year’s championship round at his weight class alongside teammates Michael Caliendo (165) and Stephen Buchanan II (197).
Historically, Iowa leads college wrestling with twenty-four national titles since its first championship win in 1975 under Gary Kurdelmeier—more than any other school during that span—with fifty-six individual NCAA champions accounting for eighty-six titles overall.
Former standout Spencer Lee became the eleventh Hawkeye wrestler to medal at an Olympic Games after winning silver in Paris in 2024.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena remains central to program success; since moving there from UI Field House in 1983, Iowa has posted a .914 winning percentage at home under Tom Brands’ leadership—including seven undefeated seasons since he took over prior to 2006-07.
Following Thursday’s opener against Bellarmine—the team’s first-ever meeting between these schools inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena—Iowa will travel to Tulsa for the National Duals Invitational where they open against Missouri on November 15.