Seven University of Iowa wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals at the Soldier Salute tournament after the first session on Saturday afternoon at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
In the opening championship round, six Hawkeyes secured victories. The team achieved four decisions, one technical fall, and one pin. Jordan Williams was the first to earn bonus points for Iowa by pinning Bellarmine’s Steven Villalobos in 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
At 174 pounds, Gabe Arnold defeated Tyler Martinez of Bellarmine without conceding a point and won by technical fall with a score of 15-0.
During the second round, seven Iowa wrestlers moved forward to the quarterfinals. Williams and Arnold were joined by three others who also earned bonus points for their team.
Nasir Bailey recorded an 18-3 technical fall against Wyoming’s David Saenz. At 157 pounds, Williams secured his second pin by defeating Jonathon Malovich in just over a minute, while Victor Voinovich achieved a technical fall over Peyton Park with an 18-2 score.
Arnold continued his strong performance at 174 pounds with another technical fall against Peyton Westpfahl, winning 20-4. Wrestling unattached, Harvey Ludington ended the session with a quick pin against Bellarmine’s Grant Anderson in just 53 seconds.
Session II of the Soldier Salute is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on B1G+.
The detailed results from Round One include wins for Keyan Hernandez (125 lbs), Nasir Bailey (141 lbs), Kale Petersen (141 lbs), Jordan Williams (157 lbs), Leister Bowling (174 lbs), and Gabe Arnold (174 lbs). In Round Two, Hernandez, Bailey, Petersen, Williams, Voinovich, Arnold, and Ludington each posted victories to advance further in their brackets.