Just three days before the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, pre-seeds for the conference tournament were released on Wednesday.
As a result, there’s now clarity about who Iowa wrestling is submitting for the postseason. While coaches can make late changes up until Thursday at 12:30 pm CT, coach Tom Brands said that his lineup would be revealed on Wednesday when seeding was released.
Here’s a look at Iowa’s seeding for the Big Ten Tournament and the likely lineup for the postseason, barring a late switch.
Full seeds for each squad can be viewed on the Iowa Athletics website.
Iowa wrestling seeds for the Big Ten Tournament
- 125: Joey Cruz – No. 5
- 133: Drake Ayala – No. 1
- 141: Cullan Schriever – No. 11
- 149: Kyle Parco – No. 2
- 157: Jacori Teemer – No. 4
- 165: Michael Caliendo – No. 2
- 174: Patrick Kennedy – No. 4
- 184: Gabe Arnold – No. 4
- 197: Stephen Buchanan – No. 1
- 285: Ben Kueter – No. 7
Analysis of Iowa wrestling’s lineup choices
The weights that had a question marks for the Hawkeyes were 141, 174 and 184 pounds, but Brands made the expected choices.
Senior 141-pounder Cullan Schriever gets the call over freshman Ryder Block and sophomore Jace Rhodes. Schriever is a veteran who nearly started a year ago at 133 pounds but gets the nod at 141 this time around.
Having some close matchups with some of the weight’s top guys this season, he’s been on the doorstep of success. However, with a 5-8 record, he’s going to have to outperform his No. 11 seeding and finish seventh or better to qualify for NCAAs to keep his season alive.
The largest question came at 174 pounds between Patrick Kennedy and Nelson Brands, two guys who have wrestled well enough to be considered All-American contenders at points in their careers. Given that Nelson Brands was limited with an injury for most of the year (4-2 on the year) and Kennedy found success (10-3), so Kennedy gets the nod.
Barring a late shift between now and Thursday afternoon, this likely stands as the end of Nelson Brands’ collegiate wrestling career that saw him reach the NCAA Championships twice and take fifth back in 2023. In Philadelphia, Kennedy will get the chance to earn his first podium position.
Lastly, at 184 pounds, Gabe Arnold gets the draw over blue-chip freshman Angelo Ferrari in a logical decision for the future of the program. At 13-2 on the year, Arnold will be looking to secure a solid Big Ten finish and set himself up for a run at NCAA All-American status as a redshirt freshman. Ferrari will retain four years of eligibility after going 10-1 in five events this season, including that wild win over No. 3 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State.
All in all, it’s a fairly stout lineup that Iowa will bring to Evanston, Illinois. By the end of Sunday, they hope to have crowned a few guys, like Ayala, Parco, Teemer or Buchanan, as individual Big Ten champions after missing out in 2024.
“We’re always optimistic; we like our team,” Tom Brands said. “Speaking for them, they’re excited. They’re looking forward to the competition.”
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
