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Three questions for the 2025-26 Iowa men's wrestling team

by: Tanner Lafever07/02/25TannerLafever
Iowa bench USE
Four months out from its 2025-26 season, there's plenty that bears keeping an eye on with the Iowa men's wrestling team. (Photo Credit: Joseph Cress - The Register/USA TODAY NETWORK)

We’re roughly four months away from the start of Iowa’s 2025-26 men’s wrestling season – not that anyone is counting…

As such – and as we here at Hawkeye Report/On3 welcome a new audience of ardent wrestling fans from their previous platform at Rivals – it couldn’t hurt to jump ahead and take a sneak peek at what’s to come, could it?

I certainly don’t believe so. And therefore, why don’t we get right to it?

Here are just three (of the many) questions I have for this year’s Hawkeyes.

After a down 2024-25, who steps in at three middle weights?

Last March, Iowa scored just one single team point between the 141/149/157-pound weight classes – owed to a variety of reasons.

141 never found a true solution as Cullan Schriever failed to qualify for the national tournament. Meanwhile, injuries sidetracked 149/157 at different junctures.

Kyle Parco (149) was the #5 seed entering NCAAs – in prime position for a deep run and the fifth All-American honors of his career. But an injury and subsequent medical forfeit ended his run early.

And at 157, returning NCAA finalist Jacori Teemer never seemed to fully regain his form after being sidelined for two months following the Cy-Hawk dual.

Having all since graduated, they leave Iowa with three-consecutive starting spots open in the heart of its lineup. Who ultimately fills them remains up for grabs.

Conventional wisdom says Little Rock transfer Nasir Bailey will take the reigns at 141.

Bailey – a junior-to-be – became the first All-American in Little Rock history with his fourth-place finish in 2024 (at 133 pounds). However, 2025 ended in disappointment, going 2-2 at the NCAA Championships as the #3 seed.

Bailey (51-9) is a dynamic talent when at his best. It wouldn’t surprise if he had a banner season up at a new weight class – similar to what we saw from Drake Ayala a year ago.

As for 149/157, the early favorites would seemingly be a pair of former Oklahoma State teammates – Jordan Williams and Victor Voinovich III.

After joining Bailey at Little Rock last season, Williams went 26-6 and fell one win short of All-American honors. The talented 2022 recruit has had a winding road to end up at Iowa – which, it should be noted, has yet to officially confirm his signing (a la Bailey). But he’s a very real contender to reach the podium next postseason if things go well.

Williams majored Oregon State’s Ethan Stiles in their 2025 Pac-12 final. Stiles went on to finish sixth at NCAAs.

(You can read more about several of Iowa’s top incoming transfers for next season HERE.)

As for Voinovich, the 2023 NCAA Round of 16 finisher has yet to compete in a postseason since. In 2024, he lost a roster battle with Iowa teammate Caleb Rathjen at 149. Then a year ago, an injury sidelined him for the entire season.

He’s been on the mat this summer though – including an impressive showing at the Senior European Championships at 70 kilograms for his native Serbia. 70kg (~154.3 pounds) isn’t far off from 157 pounds – where Iowa could certainly use the help if Voinovich is ready and willing this winter.

Two more names to keep an eye on in this mix are a pair of second-year Hawkeyes.

Miguel Estrada (13-3) and Voinovich’s brother, Kael (12-4) both competed at 149/157 pounds as true freshmen.

Both showed some promising early signs, especially Estrada – who not only wrestled several highly ranked opponents to close decisions, but also knocked off a top-20 ranked wrestler in his Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut:

Who will start a different sort of streak for the Hawkeyes?

One of the most impressive streaks when it comes to Iowa men’s wrestling is the program’s run of 35-consecutive NCAA Championships with at least one individual finalist.

But it has also become a tired reference for Hawkeye fans – whom I’d imagine would gladly trade that novel statistic for more than the single NCAA team title the program has won since 2010.

As such, why not start a streak of a different kind in 2026?

Last March, three different Hawkeyes – Drake Ayala, Michael Caliendo and Stephen Buchanan – reached the NCAA finals, with Buchanan winning it all at 197 pounds.

So, how about putting multiple wrestlers in the finals in consecutive years – which Iowa hasn’t done since way back in 2012-13.

Or better yet, how about also crowning an individual champion in back-to-back seasons – an area in which the program has almost shockingly struggled over the past 15 years.

Here’s the complete list of Iowa’s individual champions (by year) since the program three-peated as NCAA team champs from 2008-10:

  • 2012 = Matt McDonough (125)
  • 2013 = Derek St. John (157)
  • 2014 = Tony Ramos (133)
  • 2017 = Cory Clark (133)
  • 2018 = Spencer Lee (125)
  • 2019 = Spencer Lee (125)
  • 2021 = Spencer Lee (125)
  • 2025 = Stephen Buchanan (197)

Names like Drake Ayala (133), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), Angelo Ferrari (184) and Ben Kueter (285) are a few of the Hawkeyes that come to mind as realistic finalists/champs next March.

Can they (and/or others) reach those heights and help to establish a different/better streak of note for the Iowa program?

What will become of the man of mystery – Massoma Endene?

There’s perhaps no greater unknown when it comes to the 2025-26 team than its brand-new presumptive starter at 197.

Look, I’m not even enough of an Iowa wrestling historian to identify when the last time was that a lower division transfer stepped immediately into the Hawkeye lineup. But here we are, and that’s exactly what Massoma Endene figures to do this winter.

A three-time Division III national champion who announced his transfer back in April, Endene is the ultimate wild card.

How much will the skills that helped him to a 76-1 record at Wartburg translate to the highest level of college wrestling?  I certainly can’t say for certain one way or another.

To date, Massoma Endene’s best results have come against either Division III or international (freestyle) competition.

After news of the transfer broke, I spoke with a highly respected wrestling mind like Andy Hamilton who very much believed Endene had Division I All-American potential.

Not long after that, the 2024 U23 World team member went out and had mixed results on the freestyle circuit. But then again, as I chronicled in both my US Open and U23 Nationals recaps, the circumstances of those results were in many cases very freestyle specific – all of which has me back to a ‘square one’ of sorts with this whole thing.

That’s to say I just don’t know what’ll happen next.

One thing is for certain though – Endene is surrounded by new teammates who will test his true skill/level as much as anything he’ll face in the Big Ten this season.

And if he can survive/grow from battling Angelo Ferrari/Stepehen Buchanan/Ben Kueter/etc. over the next four months I remain fascinated as to how he’ll look when he competes in an Iowa singlet for the first time.

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