Iowa wrestling weekend preview: 'Show-Me' something Hawkeyes
Following a brief Thanksgiving hiatus, Iowa wrestling returns in full this weekend for a series of duals in the Show-Me State.
The second-ranked Hawkeye men and the #1 Hawkeye women each take the mat down in Missouri. Both are set to compete against multiple opponents before returning to Iowa City.
First up, Tom Brands’ guys will be in action for Friday evening’s Journeymen Wrestling “Uncivil War” event. Back-to-back duals against unranked foes Princeton and Army await – staged at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles (located just outside of St. Louis).
222 miles westward the following morning, Clarissa Chun leads her reigning national champions into Liberty – a Kansas City suburb – at the ‘Jewell Duals.’
There, the top-ranked Hawkeyes will contest a six-team round robin – featuring hosts #25 William Jewell (*twice), #7 Lindenwood (MO), and Fort Hays State (KS), as well as NAIA’s 19th-ranked Missouri Baptist.
*William Jewell will field an ‘A-team’ and a ‘B-team’ at the event.
In total, Hawkeye fans will have seven chances to watch their team(s) compete over two days.
This is your Iowa wrestling weekend preview.
#2 Iowa men @ Journeymen “Uncivil War” (Friday, Dec. 6th – 6:00 p.m. CT vs Princeton, 8:00 p.m. vs Army)
#2 Iowa (4-0) holds a combined 8-1 record all-time against its two opponents on Friday evening.
The Hawkeyes defeated Princeton 32-12 as recently as November 2021 in Iowa City. A calendar year later, they emerged victorious against Army (also at Carver-Hawkeye Arena) by a margin of 28-13.
While neither of its opponents enters this latest matchup ranked, Iowa will certainly be in for a scrap against the Tigers (2-2) and Black Knights (3-0) – both of whom are routinely tough outs in dual and tournament settings.
As of earlier this week, here are the probable lineups for Friday’s duals as released by Iowa:
Princeton enters with five individuals among Intermat’s latest rankings, headlined by a pair with some previous history against their expected Hawkeye counterparts.
At 149 pounds, #9 Ty Whalen (9-0) holds a 1-0 series lead against #4 Kyle Parco. The two last met at the 2023 Midlands Championships – a match won 4-1 by Whalen.
And at 197, #18 Luke Stout (4-0) will look to avenge a 6-3 defeat to Iowa’s #2 Stephen Buchanan (then at Oklahoma) from the 2023 NCAA Championships.
When it comes to Army, 7/10 Black Knights are currently ranked – albeit six of whom range from 22-32 at their individual weight class.
#13 Gunner Flipowicz (11-1) carries the highest ranking entering the weekend. The sophomore could make for an intriguing matchup with Iowa’s second-ranked Michael Caliendo (4-0) at 165 pounds.
Elsewhere in the lineup, at 133 pounds #23 Ethan Berginc (11-0) could renew his own one-match series with #6 Drake Ayala (3-1).
Ayala prevailed 5-2 when the pair last met at the 2022 Soldier Salute – then at 125 pounds.
Keep an eye on (men’s edition)
Simply put, the Hawkeye men should win both of Friday’s duals in convincing fashion.
There’s a realistic scenario in which Iowa sweeps all 20 bouts, so long as it performs near its capabilities.
That said, there’s plenty for fans to keep an eye on even beyond the aforementioned ‘headline’ matches.
Iowa lists ‘ORs’ at 125, 141 and 174 pounds – a reflection that those spots in the lineup may not yet be settled. There’s also the rare ‘TBD’ designation at 157, where the Hawkeyes must formulate a plan in the absence of #1 Jacori Teemer.
(The early assumption is it’ll be 2024 149-pound NCAA qualifier Caleb Rathjen.)
Tom Brands’ bunch won’t compete again between Friday and December 29-30th at the Soldier Salute. Then they’re off once more until the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin on January 12th.
With live competition somewhat sparse for the next 38 days, it’ll be interesting to see who makes a statement with their opportunity in Missouri.
#1 Iowa women @ Jewell Duals (Saturday, Dec. 7th – 10:00 a.m. CT start)
Like the men’s program, the Iowa women should roll this weekend.
Of its quartet of foes, the Hawkeyes have previously met two in their brief year-and-change of official competition.
A year ago, in the program’s inaugural home dual(s), Iowa blanked Lindenwood 43-0. It was a similar story this past month in Iowa City as the Hawkeyes pasted William Jewell 43-3 as part of their 2024-25 home opener.
Now ranked #7 and #25 respectively in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, Lindenwood and William Jewell likely represent that two stiffest tests on Saturday.
Several interesting matchups (and rematches) could take place across the two duals – as Iowa has already crossed paths with both programs on multiple occasions this season.
#7 Lindenwood has ranked wrestlers at 117, 131, 145 and 207 pounds.
A top-five matchup could be in store at 117 between #5 Caitlyn Jackson and Iowa’s #1 Brianna Gonzalez. Meanwhile, at 131, #8 Cayden Condit pinned a pair of Hawkeyes (#9 Emily Frost and Karlee Brooks) at the Missouri Valley Open two weeks ago.
However, Condit was also pinned by top-ranked Hawkeye #6 Skye Realin when the two met on opening weekend.
Elsewhere in its lineup, both #10 Rebecca Strong (145) and #3 Sara Lake (207) reached the Missouri Valley Open final at their respective weight classes.
Lake has been a regular foe for Iowa heavyweights the past two seasons and is 1-1 in contested matches with Hawkeyes this winter (losing 5-2 to #1 Jaycee Foeller and besting #5 Katja Osteen 2-1).
William Jewell’s lone ranked wrestler is at 117 (#8 Alex Waitsman), but the bout to watch could be a rubber match at 160 between Rose Cassioppi and Athena Willden.
Cassioppi won 10-0 in their first meeting before dropping a wild 14-13 decision in the rematch two weeks ago.
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Keep an eye on (women’s edition)
Several other matchups of note for the Hawkeyes could take place on Saturday.
Fort Hays State – in its first official season of NCAA competition (as Iowa was a year ago) – has pushed one wrestler into the national rankings to date.
#10 Lexie Lopez (124 pounds) represents a nice test for whomever Coach Chun sends out.
Cali Leng has gamely filled the role throughout November – winning and taking sixth at the Eagle Madness and Missouri Valley Open(s) respectively.
However, prized freshman Karlee Brooks could enter the picture momentarily. Brooks made her season debut two weeks ago at 131 pounds, going 5-2 at the Missouri Valley Open with all five wins via bonus points.
The expectation is that she’ll end up at 124 eventually, which may or may not be this weekend depending on her weight descent status.
Meanwhile, Iowa’s final opponent – Missouri Baptist – could test the Hawkeyes in the back half of the lineup.
The 18th-ranked Spartans (NAIA) have ranked wrestlers at 145-through-207 pounds, including #8 Anastasia Hardin (145) and #2 Josette Partney (160).
How to watch
Once again, it’ll be a streaming-only weekend for Iowa wrestling fans.
For the first time in program history, the Iowa men will compete on the UFC Fight Pass subscription service.
Albeit an inconvenience for those who yearn for the good old days of free Iowa Public Television – the good news is that fans can watch both duals on Friday night for just $2.99.
The following link will take you to the UFC Fight Pass homepage. Once there, click ‘Sign Up Today’ and select the college wrestling option.
*The subscription will auto-renew, so if this is a one-time thing for you, I’d recommend immediately canceling your subscription.
Iowa’s dual with Princeton is set for a 6:00 p.m. CT start with Iowa/Army to follow at 8:00 p.m.
You can also listen live via the Hawkeye Radio Network broadcast:
Meanwhile, it’ll be a bit tricker to catch the Iowa women on Saturday.
As of now, the only Iowa dual Hawkeye fans will for sure get to see is against William Jewell’s ‘A-Team.’
That link, courtesy of the GLVC Sports Network, can be found HERE.
According to a member of William Jewell’s athletic department who was kind enough to respond to my email, a single camera will be stationed with the primary intention of streaming all five of its ‘A-Team’s’ duals.
That means Iowa’s four other duals – scheduled to begin every half-hour starting at 10:00 a.m. CT – will take place on either of two additional mats.
Having not yet seen exactly how wide of an angle will be used for the single-camera livestream, I can’t say for certain whether fans might still be able to catch the Hawkeyes in the background.
I will update this story and my social media when/if I get more information. But for now, this is all I know.
Short time
Well, there you have it.
Iowa wrestling is back like it never left for an extra helping of Thanksgiving leftovers.
Hopefully I’ve done an adequate job explaining how folks can catch all the action this weekend. If not, feel free to hit me up on either social media or the Hawkeye Report message boards.
In a lot of ways, this weekend is just a tease before another extended holiday break. So, savor it as best as you can.
I’ll have recaps up for both the men and women over the next two days, so be sure to check those out as well.
Enjoy the wrestling, and I’ll talk to you guys real soon.
