Three University of Iowa wrestlers—Michael Caliendo (165 pounds), Patrick Kennedy (174 pounds), and Angelo Ferrari (184 pounds)—advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 NCAA Championships during Session III at Rocket Arena, according to a March 20 announcement.
Their victories in the quarterfinals secured All America honors for each athlete. These achievements mark the 341st, 342nd, and 343rd All America honors in Iowa wrestling program history. The program has produced at least one All American in every tournament since 1972, continuing a streak that now spans 55 consecutive years.
Caliendo became a four-time All American after defeating Stanford’s EJ Parco with a major decision, winning 14-3. “I am feeling good,” Caliendo said. “It is a grind of a tournament; you just have to take it one match at a time. I’ve been doing just that, focusing on the next match ahead of me. Getting my job done.” Kennedy earned his second career All America honor by narrowly defeating Carson Kharchla of Ohio State in tiebreakers, while Ferrari claimed his first with an overtime victory against Aoeden Sinclair of Missouri. “He’s a great competitor,” Kennedy said about Kharchla. “We wrestled a couple times when we were 10th graders and then I think today was our sixth time in the last two years, so knowing that you have to get up for a guy like that.” Ferrari added, “Always have to stay calm in those types of situations. High pressure situations, crowd maybe not for you, and that is what I love. That is what you dream about at night, match on the line in overtime and you are in a position where he is supposed to score and you come out on top.”
Six other Hawkeyes remain active on the consolation side of their brackets as Iowa sits fourth overall with 50.5 team points behind Penn State (105.5), Nebraska (66), and Oklahoma State (64.5). Notable matches included close losses for Dean Peterson at 125 pounds and Drake Ayala at 133 pounds against top-seeded opponents from Penn State.
The next session of the championships will begin at 7 p.m., with coverage available live on ESPN2.