UI Release
03/13/25
The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team secured five top-10 bids heading into the NCAA Championships, the governing body announced on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes send nine total wrestlers to the national tournament.
Drake Ayala at 133 pounds and Stephen Buchanan at 197 pounds are both the No. 2 seed in their respective brackets. Ayala is 17-2 on the season with a 8-2 record against ranked opponents and Buchanan is 21-1 with a 13-1 record against ranked foes.
Michael Caliendo is the next highest seed for the Hawkeyes coming in at the No. 3 spot. After finishing in third at the 2025 Big Ten Championships Ben Kueter is the No. 5 seed at heavyweight and at 149 pounds Kyle Parco is also the fifth seed.
Patrick Kennedy the No. 11 seed at 174 pounds, Gabe Arnold the No. 11 seed at 184 pounds, Jacori Teemer the No. 18 seed at 157 pounds and Joey Cruz the No. 29 seed at 125 pounds round out the nine Hawkeyes in the bracket.
The Hawkeyes have sent at least nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championship for 13 straight years and 17 times since 2007, Tom Brands’ first year as head coach.
The NCAA Championships are set to take place March 21-24 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Morning sessions will broadcast on ESPNU, with evening sessions airing on ESPN or ESPN2. All sessions may be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Hawkeye Matchups
125 – #29 Joey Cruz vs. #4 Vincent Robinson (NCST)
133 – #2 Drake Ayala vs. #31 Kade Moore (Missouri)
149 – #5 Kyle Parco vs. #28 Dylan Gilcher (Michigan)
157 – #18 Jacori Teemer vs. #15 Johnny Lovett (CMU)
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo vs. #30 Aiden Riggins (Iowa State)
174 – #11 Patrick Kennedy vs. #22 Nick Incontrera (Penn)
184 – #11 Gabe Arnold vs. #22 Donnell Washington (Indiana)
197 – #2 Stephen Buchanan vs. #31 Remy Cotton (Michigan State)
285 — #5 Ben Kueter vs. #28 Daniel Herrera (Iowa State)