No. 2 Iowa Remains Undefeated, Tops No. 4 Ohio State

Iowa sophomore No. 28 Joey Cruz began the dual for the Hawkeyes at 125 pounds against No. 16 Brendan McCrone (OSU). Both wrestlers made quick hits throughout the beginning of the first period, with Cruz getting a deep hit on McCrone for an ankle shot to lead 3-1 at the end of the first period. Cruz began the second period aggressively and scored another takedown, flipping McCrone on his back. Cruz upset McCrone with a 6-4 win by decision.

Ben Davino (OSU) defeated Keyan Hernandez by technical fall at 4:54 at 133 pounds. The win was Davino's first Big 10 win according to Ohio State Athletics records. At 141-pounds, No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OSU) defeated No. 31 Ryder Block by a 19-2 technical fall (5:10). The win is Mendez's ninth technical fall this season and included a four-point near fall as he attempted to get a win by pin over Block.

No. 2 Kyle Parco (149) got the Hawkeyes back on track in his match against No. 9 Dylan D'Emilio (OSU). Parco put quick pressure on D'Emilio leading to an early three-point takedown. In the last 20 seconds, Parco got a takedown to defeat D'Emilio 8-3.

At 165 pounds, No. 2 Michael Caliendo won by an 11-3 major decision over No. 9 Paddy Gallagher (OSU). Caliendo stayed patient in his attacks waiting out Gallagher's consistent hand-fighting to get the win.

No. 5 Patrick Kennedy (174) looked to remain undefeated in his match with No. 6 Carson Kharchla (OSU). Kharchla got a late takedown in the second period and finished the match with another takedown and escape, defeating Kennedy 7-.

In the only sudden victory match of the afternoon. No. 5 Gabe Arnold (185) defeated No. 19 Ryder Rogotzke (OSU). Arnold got several attacks on Rogotzke, but none were enough to get a lead to win in regulation. The match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, and Arnold got the takedown after reversing Rogotzke's attempted shot on his legs. It was Arnold's second sudden victory win in his career.

Iowa's first technical fall of the afternoon was at 197 pounds by No. 1 Stephen Buchanan over Seth Shumate (OSU) at 5:52. Buchanan had an early takedown and back points to begin the match and a late takedown at the end of the first period. Shumate was given a stall warning late in the second period after Buchanan scored another takedown. With a minute in the period to go, Buchanan scored a three-point near fall to end the match 18-1.

No. 11 heavyweight Ben Kueter closed out the dual for the Hawkeyes against No. 6 Nick Feldman (OSU). The two were scoreless after the first period, but Kueter began the second period with a takedown and an escape. Feldman got a two-point reversal, which Kueter responded to with an escape to secure the 5-3 upset win.

Up Next

The Hawkeyes will travel to No. 1 Penn State (9-0, 3-0 Big 10) on Friday, Jan. 31., for what will be the biggest dual of the season for both teams. The match will kick off at 6:00 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on the Big 10 Network.

At the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championship, the Nittany Lions surpassed Iowa's long-standing team points record of 170, set in 1997, finishing with 172.5 points. Iowa head coach Tom Brands and Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson have led the rivalry between the two schools since 2009. Currently, Penn State leads the series 7-5.