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#4 Iowa sweeps "Uncivil War" – winning 16/20 bouts to close 2025

by: Tanner Lafever20 hours agoTannerLafever

Nobody will confuse Friday night’s performance with a surefire sign that all is back on track for the Iowa men’s wrestling team.

Having said that, however, it was also exactly what the #4 Hawkeyes needed.

Two duals, two wins.

Two blowouts with bonus points aplenty.

Iowa had been lacking in each of those categories of late. And so, a 2-0 showing at the Journeymen “Uncivil War” will do the trick just fine as the calendar approaches 2026.

Iowa dominated both opponents inside of Korf Gym at Hannibal (Missouri) High School – first routing UT-Chattanooga (37-6), then Utah Valley (33-7).

All told, the Hawkeyes won 16/20 bouts (eight in each dual) – including 11 via the bonus points that so many fans have been clamoring to see more of this season.

Iowa also did it all without the services of three starters – Drake Ayala, Mo Endene and Ben Kueter – each of whom made the trip but ultimately did not weigh in.

In fact, its only losses on the night came at two of those weight classes, with reserves Joey Cruz (bumping up from 125 to 133) and Easton Fleshman (285) each falling in back-to-back duals.

Here are some takeaways from the evening that was as Iowa (5-2) finished 2025 on a high note.

Gabe gearing up

In case you missed it, Gabe Arnold entered this season on a bit of a mission after a rollercoaster 2024-25 campaign (and offseason to boot).

And Friday night was yet another example of that mission’s continued progress.

After weighing in at 179.5 pounds per the Iowa radio broadcast, Arnold bumped up to fill in for Mo Endene at 197 pounds – winning a pair of matches against foes who dwarfed the Hawkeye sophomore.

First, a 17-4 major decision over Chattanooga’s Kade Rule, where Arnold overcame a brief injury scare before rolling up four more takedowns. And to close the night, he smartly adjusted his approach after several attacks were stalemated by Utah Valley’s Kael Bennie.

Tied at one-apiece in the third period, Arnold hit a beautiful high crotch, circling relentlessly to avoid another detrimental scramble. It paid off, too, with the match-winning takedown:

This all comes a week after Arnold trekked to Kenosha, Wisconsin with a select few teammates – bonusing his way to a Jim Koch Open title.

Given both his stated intent and current (weight) decent, it seems we could see the first part of a battle royale for Iowa’s starting spot at 174 pounds waged at the Soldier Salute in early January.

It’ll take one heck of an effort to wrangle it away from returning All-American Patrick Kennedy, to be sure. But the steps we’ve seen Arnold take, and the selflessness he’s shown, would lead me to believe he’s putting himself in the best possible position to maximize the considerable talents he’s shown in glimpses ever since arriving in Iowa City.

The showstoppers

Of the 10 Hawkeyes who took the mat Friday, a trio of them gave their opponents (and the scoreboard) little time to breathe.

At 149, Ryder Block continues to impress at every turn.

The eighth-ranked wrestler in the country needed just 5:42 of total mat time to secure two bonus-point victories. He followed up a 20-5 technical fall with Iowa’s fastest pin of the night:

The aforementioned Patrick Kennedy was similarly ruthless at 174, compiling 13 takedowns (incl. nine in the first period) amidst back-to-back technical falls.

But neither of them put on a better show than Michael Caliendo – who was head hunting from the moment he took the mat at Hannibal High School.

Twice, the third-ranked senior nearly stuck Chattanooga’s Tavian Camper, before finishing the job 1:55 into the match.

Not long after, he nearly duplicated his feat to the very second, decking Utah Valley’s Zyon Trujillo in 1:52.

Caliendo is always a joy to watch compete. But the version we saw tonight had to be particularly enjoyable for Iowa fans – and equally unenjoyable for his opponents.

Ranked wins

Only two Hawkeyes had a chance to pick up ranked wins on Friday evening, and both took advantage of them.

Against Chattanooga, it was #6 Dean Peterson – whose throttling of #18 Cooper Flynn, 20-4, reflected the exact sort of offensive uptick he described at media availability this week:

A dual later, it was another first-year transfer who showed fans that there’s more in his arsenal than perhaps he’s shown to date this season.

That man was ninth-ranked 141-pounder Nasir Bailey – who picked up an 11-1 major decision over #17 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley).

That doesn’t mean there isn’t still work to be done, however. Bailey’s first win Friday was of the frustratingly commonplace 4-1 variety that belies his offensive capabilities. And even in his far more impressive follow up, all 11 of the junior’s points came in the first period.

The Little Rock transfer scored a slide-by takedown, plus a pair of four-point tilts to grab control – but then did little to attempt to add onto it over the final four minutes of match time.

(Hey, progress is progress though, right?)

Other news and notes

While neither wrestler competed, both Miguel Estrada (157) and Harvey Ludington (197) weighed in for the Hawkeyes in Missouri.

Estrada – who showed promise as a true freshman in 2024-25 – has yet to compete this season while returning from injury. If healthy, he could be a name to watch at the thus far undecided 157-pound weight class – where Victor Voinovich earned a pair of nods (and wins) on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Ludington – who also won a title at the Jim Koch Open – still has three dates left this season to compete attached while still maintaining his redshirt.

The New Jersey native arrived at Iowa as the top-ranked prospect in the country at 190 pounds.

Short time

As previously mentioned, this concludes Iowa’s schedule for the year 2025.

The Hawkeyes won’t return to action until January 3-4 at the Soldier Salute in Coralville.

Between now and then, there are finals to complete and Christmas cookies to eat (just not too many, of course).

Fret not, however – as I’m sure I’ll still find occasion to write some men’s wrestling content in the interim.

But if we don’t cross paths until then, thank you for following along so far this season. And I personally hope to be even better at this upon our resumption in 2026.

Full results

#4 Iowa – 37, Chattanooga – 6
125 – #6 Dean Peterson (I) tech. fall #18 Cooper Flynn (C), 20-4
133 – Bryce Luna (C) dec. Joey Cruz (I), 4-1
141 – #9 Nasir Bailey (I) dec. Hunter Mason (C), 4-1
149 – #8 Ryder Block (I) tech. fall Yuta Otero (C), 20-5
157 – Victor Voinovich III (I) major dec. Cavarius Liddie (C), 11-3
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (I) pinned Tavian Camper (C), 1:55
174 – #4 Patrick Kennedy (I) tech. fall Kamdyn Munro (C), 21-5
184 – #1 Angelo Ferrari (I) tech. fall Landon Jones (C), 20-4
197 – Gabe Arnold (I) major dec. Kade Rule (C), 17-4
285 – Ethan Vergara (C) dec. Easton Fleshman (I), 4-2

Officials: Matt Zeitz, J.R. Blose

#4 Iowa – 33, Utah Valley – 7
125 – #6 Dean Peterson (I) dec. Bridger Ricks (U), 7-2
133 – Geronimo Rivera (U) dec. Joey Cruz (I), 8-3
141 – #9 Nasir Bailey (I) major dec. #17 Haiden Drury (U), 12-1
149 – #8 Ryder Block (I) pinned Kayd Craig (U), 0:53
157 – Victor Voinovich III (I) dec. Mark Takara (U), 10-3
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (I) pinned Zyon Trujillo (U), 1:52
174 – #4 Patrick Kennedy (I) tech. fall Tanner Lofthouse (U), 20-5
184 – #1 Angelo Ferrari (I) dec. Caleb Uhlenhopp (U), 4-1
197 – Gabe Arnold (I) dec. Kael Bennie (U), 4-2
285 – Jack Forbes (U) major dec. Easton Fleshman (I), 17-4

Officials: J.R. Blose, Matt Zeitz

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