UI Athletics news release
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team sent four wrestlers to the semifinals at the 2026 Big Ten Championships on Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Hawkeyes are in fifth place with 44.5 points after the first session.
Iowa went 8-2 in first round matches before going 4-4 in the quarterfinals and 1-0 in the consolations to finish Session I with a 13-6 record.
The Hawkeyes posted bonus points in six wins, including one pin, two technical falls and three major decisions.
No. 8 seed Dean Peterson opened the day for Iowa at 125 pounds with a 6-2 decision over Michigan’s No. 9 seed Diego Sotelo. Top seeded Luke Lilledahl of Penn State then defeated Peterson, 8-3, in the quarterfinals.
At 133 pounds, No. 5 seed Drake Ayala punched his ticket to the semifinals with a 21-6 technical fall over No. 12 seed Blaine Frazier of Indiana in the first round, followed by a 10-3 quarterfinal win over No. 4 seed Zan Fugitt of Wisconsin.
No. 4 seed Nasir Bailey advanced to the semifinals at 141 pounds with two wins. He defeated No. 13 seed Carson Exferd of Wisconsin, 8-4, before adding bonus points with a 9-1 major decision over No. 5 seed Dylan Ragusin of Michigan.
At 149 pounds, No. 8 seed Ryder Block earned a 4-1 win over No. 9 seed Michael Gioffre of Illinois. Block then dropped a tight 5-4 quarterfinal decision to top seeded Shayne Van Ness of Penn State after a late stall call.
At 157 pounds, No. 10 seed Victor Voinovich III fell to No. 7 seed Brandon Cannon of Ohio State, 6-0. Voinovich received a bye in his first consolation match.
Third seeded Michael Caliendo advanced to the semifinals at 165 pounds with a pin of No. 14 seed Jack Conley of Michigan State in 1:39, then added a 14-5 major decision over No. 6 seed Braeden Scoles of Illinois in the quarterfinals.
At 174 pounds, No. 3 seed Patrick Kennedy used a pair of bonus point wins to move into the semifinals. Kennedy posted a 19-4 technical fall over No. 14 seed Seth Digby of Maryland before earning a 9-1 major decision over No. 11 seed Lenny Pinto of Rutgers.
No. 8 seed Angelo Ferrari earned a 9-3 decision over No. 9 seed Sam Goin of Indiana in his first match of the day at 184 pounds, then fell 3-2 in tiebreakers to top seeded Rocco Welsh of Penn State in the quarterfinals.
At 197 pounds, No. 13 seed Gabe Arnold lost 4-1 to No. 4 seed Branson John of Maryland on a last second takedown. Arnold rebounded in his first consolation match with a 5-1 win over No. 12 seed Dylan Connell of Illinois.
TEAM STANDINGS THROUGH SESSION I
1. Penn State, 81.0
2. Ohio State, 69.5
3. Nebraska, 59.5
4. Minnesota, 46.0
5. Iowa, 44.5
6. Michigan, 44.0
7. Wisconsin, 23.0
8. Illinois, 20.0
9. Indiana, 18.0
9. Rutgers, 18.0
11. Purdue, 8.0
12. Maryland, 6.5
13. Michigan State, 5.0
14. Northwestern, 4.0
SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS
133 – #5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #1 Marcus Blaze (Penn State)
141 – #4 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) vs. #1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #7 Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers)
174 – #3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs. #2 Christopher Minto (Nebraska)
CONSOLATION ROUND TWO MATCHUPS
125 – #8 Dean Peterson (Iowa) vs. #10 Dedrick Navarro (Northwestern)
149 – #8 Ryder Block (Iowa) vs. #7 Andrew Clark (Rutgers)
157 – #10 Victor Voinovich III (Iowa) vs. #8 Luke Mechler (Wisconsin)
184 – #8 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) vs. #10 James Rowley (Purdue)
197 – #13 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) vs. #3 Remy Cotton (Rutgers)
285 – #10 Ben Kueter (Iowa) vs. #9 Josh Terrill (MSU)
ROUND ONE RESULTS
125 – #8 Dean Peterson (Iowa) dec. #9 Diego Sotelo (Michigan), 6-2
133 – #5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) tech. fall #12 Blaine Frazier (Indiana), 21-6
141 – #4 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) dec. #13 Carson Exferd (Wisconsin), 8-4
149 – #8 Ryder Block (Iowa) dec. #9 Michael Gioffre (Illinois), 4-1
157 – #7 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) dec. #10 Victor Voinovich III (Iowa), 6-0
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) pinned #14 Jack Conley (MSU), 1:39
174 – #3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) tech. fall #14 Seth Digby (Maryland), 19-4
184 – #8 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) dec. #9 Sam Goin (Indiana), 9-3
197 – #4 Branson John (Maryland) dec. #13 Gabe Arnold (Iowa), 4-1
285 – #10 Ben Kueter (Iowa) dec. #7 Koy Hopke (Minnesota), 5-2
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
125 – #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) dec. #8 Dean Peterson (Iowa), 8-3
133 – #5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec. #4 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin), 10-3
141 – #4 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) major dec. #5 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), 9-1
149 – #1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec. #8 Ryder Block (Iowa), 5-4
165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) major dec. #6 Braeden Scoles (Illinois), 14-5
174 – #3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) major dec. #11 Lenny Pinto (Rutgers), 9-1
184 – #1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State) dec. #8 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa), 3-2 TB2
285 – #2 AJ Ferrari (Nebraska) dec. #10 Ben Kuter (Iowa), 5-1
CONSOLATION ROUND ONE RESULTS
197 – #13 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) dec. #12 Dylan Connell (Illinois), 5-1