#2 Iowa wrestling got the 2024-25 season underway almost 2,000 miles away from Iowa City -- but came away with a familiar result, earning a 30-7 win over the #23 Oregon State Beavers in the Hawkeyes' first dual meet of the season.
Iowa lost the first match of the dual meet -- but proceeded to win eight of the next nine matches, including five in a row after intermission to put the meet out of reach and lock up the win. The Hawkeyes welcomed four new faces to the lineup -- Joey Cruz at 125, Ryder Block at 141, Kyle Parco at 149, and Stephen Buchanan at 197 -- while also getting Nelson Brands back after a year-long suspension related to the state of Iowa's controversial gambling probe at Iowa and Iowa State.
Even the familiar faces in the line weren't always in familiar roles, as Drake Ayala (133), Caleb Rathjen (157), and Gabe Arnold (184) wrestled at different weights than they competed at last year (though Arnold did see time at 184 in his limited action last season). All told, only one Iowa wrestler -- Michael Caliendo at 165 -- wrestled at the same weight he competed at in last year's NCAA Tournament.
Given the new faces, the rustiness that comes with a new season, and the long travel, it came as little surprise that there were some ups and downs in Saturday night's season opener. While the Hawkeyes won in the convincing fashion, taking 8 of 10 matches and picking up bonus points at three weights (133, 165, 184), things looked a little sluggish at a few weights.
Joey Cruz, who transferred from Oklahoma two seasons ago, took over at 125, a weight with some big shoes to fill after Spencer Lee's dominant run and Drake Ayala's NCAA runner-up finish last season. Cruz scored the first takedown of the match, but gave up a fast reversal and ride-out to end the second period. He wasn't able to finish a good attack in the third period, then conceded the winning takedown himself.
Ayala, up at 133 after finishing as NCAA runner-up at 125 last season, picked up where he left off a season ago with an absolute takedown clinic in his first bout of the season. He recorded eight takedowns and was in on Damion Elliott's legs constantly in the match.
Ryder Block made his season (and Iowa) debut at 141 lbs, picking up a hard-earned 5-4 win in the process. He was a bit sluggish in the early going and fell behind 4-2 before finally getting to Nash Singleton's legs for the winning takedown in the third period. Block worked hard to ride Singleton out for the remainder of the match.
Arizona State transfer Kyle Parco made his Iowa debut at 149 lbs and while the 5-1 scoreline wasn't hugely impressive, he largely controlled the match from start to finish. Parco went up early with a takedown and ride-out in the first period. He nearly scored again on a scramble near the end of third period; bigger and better things from Parco seem likely as he gets settled into the new season.
Iowa's second (and final) loss of the dual meet came at 157, where Caleb Rathjen was overwhelmed in a 12-3 major decision defeat. Rathjen, who finished 2023-24 as the starter at 149, moved up to 157 for this match, though that shouldn't be a permanent move -- Arizona State transfer Jacori Teemer didn't make this trip, but is expected to compete for Iowa soon at this weight. Rathjen fell behind big after conceding two takedowns as well as near fall points and was never able to recover.
The second half of the dual started in much better fashion for Iowa, with #2 Michael Caliendo dominating Kekana Fouret for an 18-3 technical fall. Caliendo was all over Fouret in this match and scored with ease from neutral and on the mat.
Nelson Brands picked up a 2-1 win at 174, scoring an an escape and a riding time point to get the victory. Brands wasn't able to finish any attacks (though one takedown on the edge seemed good; the officials disagreed), but did control the match well. More effective offense from neutral will be needed in the future, but Brands got the job done in his return to the mat.
Gabe Arnold got the nod at 184 for Iowa and manhandled TJ McConnell, earning Iowa's third and final technical fall of the night with a 20-5 win. Arnold showed plenty of offense from neutral and had little trouble overwhelming McConnell for the victory.
The spotlight match of the night came at 197, where Oklahoma transfer Stephen Buchanan took on Trey Munoz, a two-time All-American and 3rd place finisher at 184 lbs at last season's NCAA Tournament. InterMat has Buchanan ranked #2 in the early season polls and does not have Munoz ranked yet, but Flo has them at #1 and #5, respectively, at 197 lbs. Regardless of what the rankings said, this was a significant match between two top contenders at 197.
It lived up to those expectations as well and delivered the best fireworks of the night. Buchanan fell behind early, but rallied late with a pair of third period takedowns. Buchanan showed some strong hips in defense and some slick attacks and he was able to use a hard ride to close out the match as well. Buchanan faced a big test in his first match as a Hawkeye, but he came through in impressive fashion by the end.
Iowa wrapped up the dual meet with a mostly-comfortable 10-4 win from Ben Kueter at heavyweight. Kueter scored early to take the lead, but showed some cardio issues late before rallying for a final takedown to ice the victory. Kueter, like several Iowa wrestlers in this dual, showed some things to work on, but that's not surprising in the first dual of the season.
NEXT: #2 Iowa will host Stanford in the home opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena next weekend -- 1 PM CT on Saturday, November 9. BTN will televise the dual.
