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Let’s (dual) two: Iowa wrestling sweeps Princeton/Army in Missouri

by:Tanner Lafever•12/07/24•

TannerLafever

Drake Ayala
Drake Ayala had one of the best wins of Friday evening, taking out Army's #23 Ethan Berginc via 7-3 decision. (Photo Credit: Iowa Wrestling Twitter)

Friday night presented a rare opportunity when it comes to Iowa wrestling – at least on the men’s side:

A true doubleheader.

Inside a packed high school gym in St. Charles, Missouri, the second-ranked Hawkeyes swept a pair of East Coast opponents. A 39-3 blowout of Princeton was followed by a (slightly) nervy 23-16 win against Army.

All told, the Iowa wrestlers won 15/20 matches – tallying bonus points in 11 of them.

It was a solid showing for Tom Brands’ team entering finals week and Christmas break. The ‘big guns’ mostly showed out and a pair of freshmen made their dual debut(s) in the Black & Gold singlet.

On the downside, the evening also did nothing to answer a pair of questions that the team has at a couple of lower weights.

We’ll touch on all the major talking points from the evening below as #2 Iowa moves to 6-0 on the season.

Headline matches all go in favor of the Hawks

Of the 20 bouts on tonight’s ‘card’ (streamed on UFC Fight Pass), three matchups stood out above the rest.

#2 Stephen Buchan found himself wrestling a familiar opponent whom he’d bested 6-3 at the 2023 NCAA Championships. You just wouldn’t have known it based on the whooping he put on Princeton 197-pounder, #18 Luke Stout.

Buchanan led 3-0 after the first period, thanks to a thunderous takedown and subsequent ride out – and it only got worse from there for Stout.

The Hawkeye graduate transfer poured it on in every which way en route to a 20-3 technical fall. By the final moments, it felt as though the ‘corpse’ of Stout might sink through the mat itself.

The evening’s second dual (vs. Army) had another intriguing rematch – this one at 133 pounds.

#6 Drake Ayala squared off against #23 Ethan Berginc, running back a 5-2 decision in favor of the Hawkeye at the 2022 Soldier Salute.

Berginc is a scrambly, tricky foe, and Ayala largely stayed out of trouble other than a first-period cradle off his own shot that resulted in no points being scored. The Iowa junior methodically finished a pair of single leg takedowns in the first/third periods to secure the 7-3 decision.

Finally, by pure ranking, #2 Michael Caliendo vs. #13 Gunner Flipowicz was the headline match of the night.

Caliendo trailed the clingy, defensive Flipowicz late in the second period before converting a takedown for the 3-1 lead. He’d rack up two more in the third period to extend his lead for the runaway major decision.

That same match was also when Iowa was docked a team point – having been dissatisfied with the (iffy) officiating for much of the evening.

Caliendo’s win also helped cut into a then-six-point deficit against the Black Knights.

125 and 141 remain a puzzle yet to be solved

A big part of why Iowa trailed as late as 174 pounds in its dual with Army was because the Hawkeyes took a pair of early losses at 125 and 141.

Iowa listed four wrestlers between the two weights on its mid-week probable lineup, but only two of them saw the mat in Missouri.

Sophomore Joey Cruz (125) was back in the lineup for the first time since dropping his season opener against Oregon State. In two matches on Friday, he won a 6-2 decision vs. #30 Ethan Rivera (Princeton) and lost 8-0 to Army’s #22 Charles Farmer.

Neither opponent was at such a level that the outcome would’ve cemented Cruz’s case for the starting spot. And splitting the pair merely reinforced that for the first time in years, 125 is a major question for Iowa.

Cruz was also ridden out twice against #22 Farmer – a trend which has carried throughout the early season.

Meanwhile, at 141, senior Cullan Schriever made his season debut – experiencing similarly less-than-ideal results to Cruz’s.

The Mason City native went 0-2 on the night against unranked Eligh Rivera (Princeton) and #29 Braden Basile (Army).

In the Rivera match, Shriever lived on the legs for six-and-a-half minutes but could never convert. Instead, a reattack from his opponent with 20 seconds to go would swing the bout in Princeton’s favor (4-2).

Conversely, he would score a takedown of his own against #29 Basile, but also gave up a pair during the second/third periods in an 8-6 defeat.

Friday felt like a chance for Cruz/Schriever to make a run at previous starters Kale Petersen and Ryder Block. If so, neither managed to capitalize on the opportunity.

Attention now turns toward the Soldier Salute (Dec. 29-30) in hopes that someone will stake their claim at 125/141.

Down Teemer, Iowa turns to a pair of true freshmen to fill the void

Another source of interest on this week’s probable lineups was 157 pounds. There, Iowa had to find someone to fill in for #1 Jacori Teemer following the latter’s injury two weeks ago at the Cy-Hawk dual.

Rather than present the usual either/or designation, ‘TBA’ was given instead.

Turns out, the announcement (to be made) was that a pair of true freshmen would bump up from 149 pounds to fill in for the reigning NCAA finalist.

Miguel Estrada got the nod first against Princeton. The three-time California state champion – 10-0 at a pair of open tournaments so far this season (both in the ‘silver’ division) – sure impressed too.

Estrada played catch-and-release to complete a second-period tech. fall (21-6) over Cody Tavoso.

Now look, we should all keep in mind that Tavoso was just 1-6 entering the dual. That said, Estrada showed zero hesitation as he piled up the points in short order.

I already thought he was a name to watch in future years for the Hawks. And nothing he did tonight (or this season) has made me believe otherwise.

Next up, it was Kael Voinovich who was called upon against Army – even after weighing in at 149 per the Iowa radio broadcast.

The Iowa City High graduate (and brother of fellow Hawkeye, Victor) looked the part anyway…at least until one critical mistake.

Voinovich led Dakota Morris 8-3 midway through the third period when he got in deep on another shot in pursuit of the major decision.

Unfortunately for the freshman, he couldn’t cleanly convert, and an ensuing scramble wound up with him on his back as Morris secured the improbable come-from-behind victory via fall.

Final moments aside, it was an otherwise impressive showing from Voinovich – especially given the size difference.

Arnold returns at 184, shows firepower and grit

Perhaps the biggest headline from the pre-Thanksgiving Cy-Hawk dual was the insertion of superstar freshman Angelo Ferrari in a huge spot at 184 pounds.

Ferrari’s presence that night meant Gabe Arnold was the odd man out.

Well, Gabe was back in action on Friday – posting a pair of results that I think speak positively to his prospects this season.

The eighth-ranked redshirt freshman nearly chased down a tech. fall in his opening bout of the evening – a 19-6 win over #27 Mikey Squires – showcasing a variety of offense in the process.

He’d follow that up with a gritty, gut-check win against Army’s Andrew Christie.

An early shot attempt seemingly had Arnold in position to earn a takedown, but officials waved it off and the subsequent sequence was ultimately scored takedown Christie + two near fall points.

More adversity hit when the Hawkeye was ridden out for a minute-and-change – not so much because he couldn’t get away, but because time ran out as he pursued a reversal that never came.

Now trailing 5-0 after the opening period, Arnold had to reset and refocus to get back into the match. He’d do exactly that, scoring 11 of the next 13 points – incl. three takedowns – to pull out the hard-fought 11-7 victory.

Both wins showcased elements of Arnold’s game/mentality that I think will benefit the 19-year-old as this season progresses.

Match-by-match results

#2 Iowa 39, Princeton 3
125 – Joey Cruz (I) dec. #30 Ethan Rivera (P), 6-1
133 – #6 Drake Ayala (I) major dec. Daniel Jones (P), 13-2
141 – Eligh Rivera (P) dec. Cullan Schreiver (I), 4-2
149 – #4 Kyle Parco (I) tech. fall Christopher Martino (P), 17-2
157 – Miguel Estrada (I) tech. fall Cody Tavoso (P), 21-6
165 – #2 Michael Caliendo tech. fall Hudson Hightower, 19-3
174 – #8 Nelson Brands (I) tech. fall Xavier Giles (P), 20-4
184 – #8 Gabe Arnold (I) major dec. #27 Michael Squires (P), 19-6
197 – #2 Stephen Buchanan (I) tech. fall #18 Luke Stout (P), 18-3
285 – #13 Ben Kueter (I) dec. #33 Sebastian Garibaldi (P), 8-2

No. 2 Iowa 23, Army West Point 16
125 – #22 Charles Farmer (A) major dec. Joey Cruz (I), 8-0
133 – #6 Drake Ayala (I) dec. #23 Ethan Berginc (A), 7-3
141 – #29 Braden Basile (A) dec. Cullan Schriever (I), 11-6
149 – #4 Kyle Parco (I) major dec. #26 Trae McDaniel (A), 14-5
157 – Dakota Morris (A) pinned Kael Voinovich (I), 6:00
165 – #2 Michael Caliendo (I) major dec. #13 Gunner Flipowicz (A), 11-2
174 – Patrick Kennedy (I) tech. fall #31 Dalton Harkins (A), 21-4
184 – #8 Gabe Arnold (I) dec. Andrew Christie (A), 11-7
197 – Stephen Buchanan (I) tech. fall Wolfgang Frable (A), 20-4
285 – #27 Lucas Stoddard (A) dec. Easton Fleshman (I), 2-0
*Iowa was deducted a team point during the 165-pound bout.

Short time

As I said in the open, for the most part Friday night was a solid showing by the Hawkeyes.

Besides the highlights already mentioned, Kyle Parco looked great yet again with a pair of bonus point wins. So too, did (insert 174-pounder here) as Nelson Brands and Patrick Kennedy each crushed overmatched foes.

125 and 141 remain pressing concerns, and 157 a mystery as to how long Iowa might have to cobble things together sans Jacori Teemer.

All in all though, the Hawkeyes are in a pretty good place as the holiday season approaches.

Friday also marked a milestone for the head coach in the Iowa corner:

(Shockingly) Brands wasn’t exactly interested in discussing 300 dual wins during his mid-week media availability. That said, it’s a notable mark nonetheless for the man who has overseen two decades and four national championships of Iowa wrestling.

The #2 Hawkeyes won’t compete again for three-plus weeks until the Soldier Salute (Dec. 29-30) in Coralville. But don’t worry, I plan to have some content in the works that’ll hopefully tide folks over until then.

Thanks as always for following along with our coverage, and I’ll talk to you guys again real soon.

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