Iowa Wrestling notes and nuggets: Who's Number One edition
For those who may’ve missed it, the Iowa City/Coralville area was the epicenter of the high school wrestling universe this past weekend.
On Saturday at Xtream Arena, 47 of the very best boys and girls duked it out at FloWrestling’s “Who’s Number One” event. Every single one of them entered the afternoon ranked #3 or higher at their respective weight classes (by Flo).
- 21 athletes held a #1 national ranking
- 21 others were #2
- Five more had a ‘measly’ #3 to their name(s)
Pretty impressive stuff to say the least.
And given that unique assembly of talent right in the backyard of WrestleTown, USA – I had to make the trip to see it for myself.
To be frank, as a first-time WNO (Who’s Number One) attendee – especially in a media capacity – I felt as though I missed a couple opportunities when it comes to Iowa-related coverage/information that I would’ve loved to be able to provide readers/subscribers here at Hawkeye Report.
But as disappointing as that was, I’m equally eager for the next occasion that presents itself so I can improve upon what didn’t work as well as I wanted this go around.
Fret not, however, because the weekend was FAR from a waste!
There were still several Hawkeye-centric nuggets that I was able to glean – not to mention plenty of action on the mat involving wrestlers who could don a Black & Gold singlet in the years to come.
And we’ll begin with the only one of those wrestlers who has already pledged their future to the Hawkeyes.
Michael Mocco gives first interview with Hawkeye Report, loses cagey future Cy-Hawk preview
It wasn’t the performance Iowa’s top-ranked 2026 commit was hoping for in his Who’s Number One debut.
In a preview of future Cy-Hawk heavyweights, Iowa pledge Michael Mocco (#3 nationally at 285 pounds) dropped a 4-1 decision to recent Iowa State commit Coby Merrill (#2 at 285).
Let’s just say the action – at least offensively – was minimal between these talented high school seniors.
After a scoreless first period, Merrill rode out Mocco in the second – albeit with such a poor aesthetic from both competitors that a pair of double stall calls were assessed in the process.
A third-period Merrill escape, another stall call on Mocco, plus riding time for Merrill amounted to the remaining points of the bout.
Simply put, it was far cry from the previous (freestyle) meeting between the two back in July.
There, Mocco produced 4-5 legitimate attacks in a contentious bout, only for Merrill to steal it late thanks to a trio of gut wrenches (9-4).
And while Merrill will be pleased to have got another win, neither figure to love how this latest match played out.
Some 30 hours earlier, the mood was far different for the future Hawkeye when we spoke in downtown Coralville.
Among the topics covered during the interview – which Mocco was kind enough to jog back to the hotel for after initially departing the Media Day festivities – were the following:
- Transitioning into a full-time (and fuller-sized) heavyweight
- His anticipation/excitement for the WNO opportunity
- current Iowa heavyweight Ben Kueter
- and more
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Iowa fans should still be incredibly excited for Mocco’s future in the Black & Gold.
The 2024 U17 World champion has plenty to offer (especially offensively) – even if we didn’t see it at WNO.
Evaluating 2027 targets Dhabolt/Kenny
Only 7/23 boys’ competitors at WNO had yet to commit to a college program – and two of them aren’t even recruitable prospects yet given their underclassmen status.
Of the remaining five in that group, a pair are currently prime targets for Iowa in the 2027 class.
Taking the mat first on Saturday evening was Maximus Dhabolt – an Ankeny Centennial product ranked #3 nationally at 165 pounds.
His opponent, Melvin Miller, was not only the #1 guy at 165, but is considered the #1 overall prospect in the junior class.
The two had already met three separate times since July. On each occasion, Miller – a recent Virginia Tech commit – won via early termination. That included a pair of folkstyle matches (19-4 and 21-5 technical falls) at September’s Elite 8 Duals.
Dhabolt would lose again at WNO (19-8) but gave a far better account of himself – competing for the entirety of the seven-minute (college folkstyle rules) match, whereas he’d only made it 4:37 in their longest previous meeting.
Miller – who’ll turn 18 later this month – is the clear standard among high school juniors.
But the younger, taller Dhabolt (just 16 years old and listed at 6’0) looks to have plenty of tools to develop into a major Division I talent in his own right.
He was among numerous official visitors at Iowa last month – and may arguably be the state’s most sought after 2027 prospect when all is said and done.
Meanwhile, Paul Kenny looked every bit the part of one of the nation’s best lightweight recruits – even in a last-second 7-6 loss to #1 Antonio Mills.
The New Jersey product – ranked #2 at 126 pounds (and #8 overall in the Class of 2027) – showed skill in all areas.
Mills – a senior headed to Ohio State – was just a little bit better. In fact, he’s now been exactly one point better than Kenny on three separate occasions since June.
Regardless, it was evident why Kenny is the latest in a growing line of elite New Jersey preps being targeted by the Iowa staff. And should he join them in Iowa City in the future, the Hawkeyes would be all the better for it.
Women’s 2026 targets coming into focus?
The far more mysterious (and late starting) process that is recruiting for women’s wrestling made last weekend an exercise in the unknown.
Whereas 16/23 boys’ participants at WNO were already committed to a college, exactly zero of the 24 girls’ participants were as of Saturday.
In most cases, the recruiting process for girls doesn’t really kick into gear until the summer before their senior year. And with 18/24 WNO competitors either juniors or younger, that left very few who could answer as to Iowa’s interest in them as prospects.
(On the flip side, just about all of them I spoke with were very much interested in Iowa.)
The first name Iowa fans will want to hear about is Everest Leydecker – the #1 pound-for-pound prospect in America.
I wrote about the Arizona native a few months ago as part of my 2026 recruiting rundown. Since then, she’s only added to her credentials – dominating her way to a U20 World title and winning her record fourth WNO title this weekend.
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Speaking with both Leydecker and her father, Randy, amidst the bustle of Friday’s media gathering, they’re looking to set up an official visit later this fall/winter – ideally for a major event at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
When exactly that will be is yet to be determined, but Iowa remains very much in the mix for the superb senior.
Another senior with Iowa very much on her mind is Wisconsin native Taylor Whiting – who retained her #1 ranking at 115 pounds thanks to a thrilling 7-6 win on Saturday afternoon.
Whiting, from Oconto Falls (WI), is now a two-time WNO champ – backing up her title at 110 pounds from a year ago.
Asked about her interest in the Hawkeyes post-match, Whiting said, “They’re definitely on…close to the top of my list.”
“I’m doing an unofficial (visit) tomorrow, and then I’ll come back later for an official.”
“It’ll be a dual later on in the season – I don’t have a date yet, but it’ll be awesome.”
And finally, keep an eye on Minnesotan Caley (pronounced CAL-ee) Graber.
The Fargo champion bumped up to 125 pounds and knocked off sizable favorite (and U17 World teamer) Emma Bacon in an impressive 13-6 decision.
Graber indicated she’s still in the early stages of her recruitment, having already visited several schools not named Iowa.
“But I definitely would be excited to take a visit to Iowa,” she said.
“I actually have a call next week with one of (the coaches), though – I’m excited.”
One more name to watch…perhaps a bit sooner than expected
Riley Hanrahan was one of the many names I made note of while previewing what will be a pivotal 2027 class for the Hawkeyes.
But it seems like there’s a chance Iowa could pursue her even sooner – depending on how things shake out.
After wrestling the most action-packed bout of the entire WNO event (girls or boys) – a 17-12 victory over #1 Nora Akpan at 140 pounds – I spoke with the Black River Falls (WI) native as she (understandably) tried to catch her breath.
Hanrahan, who has UFC aspirations for her future, is currently homeschooled. And because of that, she’s considering graduating high school early.
Hanrahan also expressed a strong desire to join Army WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) – which is a route she could take straight out of high school or later down the line after competing for a collegiate program.
“I’m still looking at colleges,” she said when asked about her future plans.
Could Iowa be one of those schools?
“Yeah, definitely. It’s one of my tops that I really want to get into.”
Hanrahan is no stranger to the Iowa room, either. She, along with Whiting and other members of the elite Wisconsin club program, Team Nazar, spent several days training alongside the Hawkeyes this summer in Iowa City.
Said Hanrahan of that experience, “It was really nice. It’s such a good environment in there and everybody is like a family. It’s a really good group of girls, and everybody’s just so welcoming and make you feel like you belong in there.”
Were she to reclassify as a 2026 recruit, Hanrahan mentioned she’d like to set up an official visit as well.
Speaking of which…
Hawkeyes host several seniors surrounding Who’s Number One festivities
Many of the current Iowa athletes/coaches were in the house Saturday for Who’s Number One.
In part, that was to support the debut of “Hawkeyes – The First Season with Iowa Women’s Wrestling” – a three-episode Flo docuseries chronicling the program’s inaugural 2023-24 season.
(Episode One has since been released worldwide as of today and can be viewed for free at THIS LINK.)
But the Iowa staff was also in recruiting mode, hosting several non-WNO participants for official visits this weekend.
I’m currently working to ascertain who all those visitors were, but I can confirm one was Michigan lightweight Madison Nieuwenhuis.
The owner of past Fargo/Super 32 titles – as well as a WNO win of her own (2023) – Nieuwenhuis is one of the top prospects in the country at 100 pounds.
She also represents a valuable commodity in women’s college wrestling – a (potential) career 103-pounder.
Iowa only has two wrestlers listed at that weight on its current roster (Sterling Dias and Rianne Murphy). Meanwhile, Nieuwenhuis has finished third and fourth at 46 kilograms (101.4 pounds) at the past two U17 World Team Trials.
We’ll have to wait and see if this visit foretells an eventual match between her and the Hawkeyes. On paper though, it looks like a good fit for future roster construction at the very least.
