Iowa Wrestling Notebook
This weekend marks the first one in eons that we’ve gone without Iowa wrestling in some form or fashion.
OK, really it’s just the first time since the weekend leading into Christmas (Dec. 23-24), but it sure feels like its been a lot longer than that.
(That was the lone break, until this one, dating all the back to the first competition of the season in early November.)
You’re probably wondering, am I reveling amidst this brief reprieve?
Hardly, as evidenced by my returning to the keyboard in hopes of breaking up the monotony of my aimless pacing back-and-forth across the living room. It has become increasingly clear that Iowa wrestling is one of my lone remaining tethers to reality, and without it I lose all sense of purpose and direction in this world…
Alright, alright I’m kidding. But boy, wouldn’t it have been something if things had unraveled that rapidly?
Truth is, I’m doing just fine. I might take a nap one of these next two days, maybe go see that new movie about the sand people, who knows?
If we’re being totally honest, this weekend is all about recharging the batteries to max capacity for next weekend – where for the very first time in University of Iowa history there will be not one, but two MASSIVE postseason wrestling events occurring simultaneously.
I’ll be on site at Alliant Energy PowerHouse Arena in Cedar Rapids for the women’s national tournament (Mar. 8-9), then on Saturday will do by best to double dip between the action there and what’s going on with the men at Big Ten’s (Mar. 9-10) out in College Park (MD).
Even with all of that on the horizon, I just couldn’t go a whole week without writing something – and there’s also been enough Hawkeye-related news in recent days that it felt like the perfect time to bring back everyone’s (OK, someone’s) favorite semi-recurring feature, the Iowa Wrestling Notebook.
So, here’s some of the latest news and notes to catch up on during this rarest of down weekends.
NCWWC brackets released
Around lunchtime on Friday the brackets were released one-by-one for all ten weights set to be contested at the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.
As most of you know by now, this will be the first edition of the national tournament to feature the Iowa women’s wrestling program.
If you want to grab an early peek at the path for all 15 Hawkeyes who will take the mat in Cedar Rapids, the brackets can be found HERE for your viewing pleasure.
13 of those 15 Hawkeyes also earned national seeds (top eight) for next week’s tournament.
The only two wrestlers to not be awarded top-eight seeds were true freshmen Ava Rose (123 pounds) and Emily Frost (130 pounds).
It would appear, however, that based upon their placement in the brackets that both were seeded 13th at their respective weights.
I gave some brief, real-time reactions to the path for each Hawkeye, which you can check out via the Twitter thread linked below:
But in summary I’ll say this:
On the surface there was far more good than bad as it pertained to the draws for most of the Iowa women (in my opinion).
Of course, that theory doesn’t mean a damn thing when it’s time for the athletes to toe the line against an actual opponent, but still, as we sit less than a week out from the action, I’m sure it’s better than the alternative of feeling like you got screwed over by the seeding committee.
Again, the thread I’ve linked to above is a nice, brief preview for any of you curious as to my initial thoughts. I will take a far more thorough, deep dive into all 10 brackets in an article that will come out sometime next week (more on that later).
NCAA pre-allocations are out
Meanwhile, Thursday saw some important postseason-related news drop on the men’s side as the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee announced a total of 283 pre-allocation spots for next month’s NCAA Tournament.
For those who don’t know, these are essentially ‘automatic bids’ to be distributed amongst the seven wrestling conferences – bids that can be grabbed based upon an athlete’s finish at their conference tournament next week.
Per usual, the Big Ten (85 allocations) far outpaced any other conference in terms of its total allotment.
That obviously bodes well for Iowa as it seeks to qualify all 10 weights for NCAA’s – a feat it has impressively accomplished in four-consecutive postseasons entering this one, and seven times total since Tom Brands took over as head coach in 2007.
Based on the latest Coaches Rankings, even if Iowa doesn’t attain the requisite finish at Big Ten’s it would still be overwhelmingly likely to receive an at-large bid at 7/10 weight classes.
The three exceptions (133/184/285) are where my attention lies entering next weekend.
Senior Brody Teske (25th) would appear to be the postseason choice for Iowa at 133 pounds based upon both his most recent performances to conclude the dual schedule, as well as his being submitted for said Coaches Rankings.
But with that number 25 next to his name he could be in jeopardy of not getting an at-large bid if he were to finish lower than seventh at Big Ten’s next weekend.
The same goes for Bradley Hill (#33 at 285), who will need a top-seven finish of his own in College Park if he wants to ensure his first appearance at the national tournament. Again, Hill’s inclusion in the latest rankings would hint toward his being favored for Iowa’s postseason choice at heavyweight over true freshman Ben Kueter.
Meanwhile, 184 pounds will require a top-eight finish for whomever takes the mat for the Hawkeyes, which figures to be a far more difficult proposition if that wrestler is redshirt freshman Aiden Riggins (11-11) as opposed to true frosh Gabe Arnold (8-1) – neither of whom appear in the latest Coaches Rankings.
We’ll get actual brackets to pore over and break down next week, but strictly from an NCAA qualification perspective the ones to watch for the Hawkeyes will be 133, 184 and 285 pounds.
Future Hawkeyes in action at final state tournaments
Another topic I wanted to get to amidst this crazy part of the wrestling calendar was some state championship results for Iowa signees/commits (both men and women).
Last weekend a trio of future Hawkeyes were in action, each looking to become a four-time state champion (of sorts) in the final season of their high school careers.
In Illinois, women’s signee Cadence Diduch – ranked #4 nationally at 135 pounds by Flo and #15 overall in the class of 2024 – captured her third officially sanctioned state title (fourth overall).
Diduch (Freeport High School) racked up two first period falls and a pair of major decisions on her way to the 135-pound title. Illinois has an impressive group of prep talent in the girls’ ranks, so this was no small feat for the future Hawkeye to dominate in the fashion that she did.
Switching over to the soon-to-be Iowa men, Brady Benham (Sperry High School) made history by becoming the 46th four-time state champion in Oklahoma history.
The 165-pounder won a trio of matches in his Class 3A bracket (major decision, fall, decision), including a 5-0 win in the finals despite sporting a gnarly looking facemask that must have been necessitated by an earlier injury.
Unfortunately, Iowa commit Miguel Estrada (ranked #7 nationally at 150 pounds) was unable to follow suit out in California, finishing fourth in a loaded 150-pound bracket that included three other top-ranked wrestlers – all of whom will be headed to high-level college programs of their own this coming fall (Michigan, North Carolina, Stanford).
Estrada (Frontier High School) won by fall, tech. fall (19-4) and 5-2 decision to reach the single-class semifinals where he’d lose in sudden victory (3-1) to 10th-ranked Laird Root (North Carolina) in a rematch of the previous year’s state final.
He’d follow that loss with a 16-7 major decision victory in the consolation semis before dropping yet another razor-thin match – this time to 13th-ranked Ethan Parco (Stanford) by a 2-1 margin in ride outs for third place.
Insane competition aside, it’s also worth noting that Estrada – seeking his third official state title (fourth overall if you include an unsanctioned 2021 tournament amidst COVID) – had barely seen live competition dating back to the summer of 2023 due to shoulder/ankle injuries that largely kept him out of action.
I think the Hawkeyes could have something very promising in the Bakersfield native.
Next week’s (tentative) content schedule
I’ve already mentioned what a monster slate of Iowa wrestling action we’ve got on tap for the next 7-8 days.
There will obviously be a lot going on that I’ll be covering in real-time, but just as much that I want to get you guys prepared for in advance.
So, early next week (probably Monday) be on the lookout for an all-encompassing NCWWC explainer.
Not only will it include a competition schedule for the Iowa women’s first foray into the national tournament, but I’ll have links to both ticket and streaming information so that Hawkeye fans anywhere will have every possible option at their fingertips to tune in to this historic event for the women’s program.
It’ll also have both match and team scoring procedures, so that folks less familiar with the freestyle side of the sport can brush up before the action begins on Friday morning.
Other items will include brackets, previous tournament results and who knows what else I’ll see fit to throw in. If there’s something not included that you want information on feel free to reach out to me either through Hawkeye Report or via my Twitter feed. I want you guys to feel as informed and prepared as possible entering next weekend.
Next up, be on the lookout mid-week for what promises to be the preview of all previews for the Iowa women.
We’re talking individual breakdowns for all 15 Hawkeyes and their prospective paths through the national tournament. Not only that, but I’ll dive deep into the team title race, which Iowa will be a legitimate underdog in (yes, I said underdog) to reigning champs North Central (IL).
In addition, I’ll give my finals prediction for each of the 10 weight classes, all the while hopefully highlighting a bunch of non-Iowa names for folks to look out for as this awesome sport continues to rapidly grow on the women’s side.
Finally, on either Thursday or Friday I’ll have a comprehensive look at the Iowa men as they head to the east coast for Big Ten’s.
I can’t tell you guys how excited I am to take on the challenge ahead.
There’s so much to look forward to and plenty more that I wouldn’t even be able to fathom until I’m staring it right in the face next weekend.
I’ll do my very best to give both of these programs, as well as everyone following at home or live in attendance the type of coverage they deserve.
All I’d ask is that you tune in however and whenever you can.
Oh, and enjoy the heck out of an incredible weekend of Iowa wrestling.
