The Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling team aims to end their weekend strong at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Iowa is trying to bounce back after subpar showing in the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
Iowa is in fourth place with 77 points. Penn State is first with 169 points, Nebraska is second with 109 points, and Oklahoma State is second with 94.5. Iowa will have three top-ranked wrestlers going for gold on Saturday night.
Let's Wrestle.
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Session VI begins at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, and the Hawkeyes will be represented in three weight classes.
Drake Ayala (133 pounds)
No. 2 seed Drake Ayala will compete in the finals at 133 pounds. Ayala will compete against No.1 Lucas Byrd from Illinois. This will be a rematch of the 133-pound Big Ten Championship match where Byrd upset Ayala.
Ayala made the championship match after beating No. 14 Zan Fugitt in the semifinals. Fugitt pushed Ayala early, but Ayala turned it on in the second period. He took Fugitt down twice in the second round to take a 6-1 lead heading into the final period.
Ayala closed out the match and punched his ticket to the finals.
Michael Caliendo (165 pounds)
No. 3 Michael Caliendo will compete in the finals in the 165-pound weight class. Caliendo punched his ticket after upsetting No. 2 Peyton Hall from West Virginia in the semifinals.
Caliendo jumped on Hall early and led 6-1 after the first period. He kept adding points in the second period and led 10-5. The match got closer late in the third period, but Caliendo ultimately came out on top 14-10
Caliendo will take on No.1 Mitchell Mesenbrink from Penn State in the 165-pound finals. This will be a rematch of the 165-pound championship match from the Big Ten Tournament.
Stephen Buchanan (197 pounds)
No. 2 Stephen Buchanan will compete for the Hawkeyes in the 197-pound weight class. Buchanan punched his ticket after beating No. 3 AJ Ferrari from CSU Bakersfield.
Ferrari had already beaten Buchanan twice, but Buchanan was determined not to drop another one. It was a 0-0 stalemate going into the second period. Buchanan picked up a late point in the second period to take a slim 1-0 lead.
Buchanan held off a late furry by Ferrari and won 3-0 to move on to the finals.
Iowa must have their remaining wrestler pick up as many points as possible if they want to catch Nebraska or Oklahoma State.