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Iowa wins Big Ten opener despite sluggish performance

by: Tanner Lafever01/10/26TannerLafever

For an unnerving moment or two on Friday night, one could’ve been forgiven for wondering whether an inauspicious bit of Iowa wrestling history was about to be made.

(Heck, it wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened this season.)

I myself wondered briefly if my mentioning Iowa’s overwhelming dominance over Wisconsin in my dual preview may’ve inadvertently turned all wrestling norms on their head.

Alas, nothing of the sort ultimately came to pass, as the Hawkeyes took their first lead of the dual following its third-to-last bout, then eased away from the visiting Badgers, 23-12.

(In the process, Iowa got its 45th win in its last 46 matchups against its northern neighbor.)

Here’s how the wackiness played out at Carver-Hawkeye Arena – plus the bits of seeming normalcy interspersed within it all.

Frantic finishes (Part 1)

Five separate bouts on Friday evening were decided in the waning moments and/or sudden victory.

(And another cost someone a major decision.)

To start, Iowa freshman Harvey Ludington made his home debut, suffering his first home defeat in the process.

The New Jersey native was part of a wild first period that featured 13 combined points between himself and #28 Wyatt Ingham. Takedowns, reversals, nearfall points, you name it – this one had it all.

Perhaps all that action took the wind out of their collective sails, because other than trading escapes no additional points were scored until the final minute – when Ingham converted a prolonged takedown attempt then rode Ludington out for the 10-8 victory.

Another down-to-the-wire, if far less action-packet bout would follow, as #5 Ben Kueter prevailed in a top-10 matchup at heavyweight.

Following seven mostly cautious minutes of regulation, the action (perhaps appropriately) ‘suddenly’ picked up in sudden victory. And after both Kueter and #9 Braxton Amos nearly scored the winner during a shot/reshot sequence, the Hawkeye capitalized on a similar sequence moments later – elevating a single leg to take down the burly Badger.

The flurry of action in those moments will likely only further whet the appetite of Iowa fans who’d love to see Kueter be more active in his matches.

Meanwhile, 125 continued the drama-filled finishes – albeit in its own unique way.

Keyan Hernandez took the mat for Iowa in place of starter Dean Peterson and faced the sizable challenge of #11 Nicolar Rivera.

But rather than let 6.5 minutes of action discourage him, Hernandez fought until the finish.

Trailing 9-0, the redshirt freshman got an escape and a takedown with less than 0:30 remaining – then rode out Rivera to prevent a major decision.

It didn’t ultimately decide the dual, but it could have…

Frantic finishes (Part 2)

Continuing in chronological order, Drake Ayala’s surprising senior season continues, falling to 4-4 with Friday’s loss to #14 Zan Fugitt.

(Granted, it didn’t come without some confusion/controversy.)

In a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal, Fugitt (careful with that pronunciation, folks) struck first. And midway through the third period, the Badger still held a 4-2 lead.

Ayala finally got to a leg, though, retaking the lead with 0:36 left. Now needing to ride out for the win, the Hawkeye may’ve erred by dropping to a leg too early as he was hit for stalling not once, but twice amidst a sequence that both the B1G+ broadcast and yours truly (watching remotely from Cedar Falls) had trouble discerning.

Following a lengthy review/Iowa challenge, Fugitt was awarded an escape plus the stall point against (an incredulous) Ayala. With only a few seconds left upon the resumption of action, Ayala could do nothing but take another frustrating loss.

Not long after that, Iowa nearly saw two more matches slip from its grasp in crunch time – and in eerily similar fashion, no less.

At 149, #7 Ryder Block scored first and had several chances to extend his lead against #17 Joseph Zargo.

But the sophomore couldn’t capitalize, leaving things in the balance down the stretch – where in an unusual turn of events, Block appeared to visibly tire.

Sensing an opening, Zargo took advantage. A reattack takedown gave the Badger the lead. And though a Block escape forced sudden victory, Zargo responded with the winning score to give the visitors a 12-6 lead.

Iowa’s deficit nearly grew to nine shortly thereafter, but #12 Jordan Williams quite literally hung on to preserve a 4-2 win over #25 Luke Mechler – this after jumping out to an early lead.

A familiar finish

Despite the zany seven bouts prior, Iowa still had the luxury of closing the dual with some comforting characters.

(I should note that Kale Petersen also stepped up for Iowa at 141 pounds, notching an 8-3 win over unranked Carson Exferd.)

And once again, Michael Caliendo, Patrick Kennedy and Angelo Ferrari (now a combined 27-2 this season) came through.

All three Hawkeyes won via bonus points – led off by Caliendo’s thrashing of #26 Cody Goebel.

(The senior 165-pounder’s tech. fall actually gave Iowa its first lead of the dual, 14-12.)

Kennedy followed up with a 14-3 major decision at 174 to extend Iowa’s advantage to six. And top-ranked Angelo Ferrari put a nail in the proverbial coffin with a dominant win of his own:

So, while Iowa may’ve taken the ‘scenic route’ to get there, the night still ended at the expected destination.

Short time

Whatever their feelings are about Friday’s performance, the Hawkeyes had better turn the page in a hurry.

Because a week from tonight, #1 Penn State rolls into Iowa City.

343 days ago, the Nittany Lions took it to the Hawkeyes in State College. And this year’s edition has plenty of firepower of its own – both familiar and brand new (thanks to a stellar freshman class).

I’ll say this right now with confidence: If even a minor facsimile of the Iowa team fans saw tonight shows up next Friday, things could get downright dire inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Thankfully for Tom Brands & Co., this was tonight and that’ll be then.

For now, the Hawkeyes are 1-0 in Big Ten duals – and that’s all that really matters.

(For now.)

Full results

#4 Iowa – 23, #18 Wisconsin – 12
197 – #28 Wyatt Ingham (W) dec. Harvey Ludington (I), 10-8 
285 – #5 Ben Kueter (I) dec. #9 Braxton Amos (W), 4-1 SV1
125 – #11 Nicolar Rivera (W) dec. Keyan Hernandez (I), 11-4
133 – #14 Zan Fugitt (W) dec. #3 Drake Ayala (I), 6-5
141 – Kale Petersen (I) dec. Carson Exferd (W), 8-3
149 – #17 Joseph Zargo (W) #7 Ryder Block (I), 9-6 SV1
157 – #12 Jordan Williams (I) dec. #25 Luke Mechler (W), 4-2
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (I) tech. fall #26 Cody Goebel (W), 21-6
174 – #3 Patrick Kennedy (I) major dec. Luke Condon (W), 14-3
184 – #1 Angelo Ferrari (I) tech. fall Caleb Dennee (W), 19-4

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