Just five days after dropping to the No. 2 Buckeyes 27-12 in the National Duals finals, the Iowa Hawkeyes rallied in style, dominating the Pittsburgh Panthers 36-0. The win marks Iowa’s second shutout of the season after blanking Bellarmine 40-0 in early November.
Here are the five biggest takeaways from Iowa’s performance against the Panthers and what the win says about Iowa’s potential to push for ten All-Americans in March.
Massoma Endene is the real deal
The 197-pound two-time DIII transfer was one of the biggest headlines for Iowa after the National Duals when he won all five of his matches, including victories against ranked opponents in No. 17 Evan Bates and No. 9 Cody Merrill. Endene upped his status at the weight even more against the Panthers when he took down All-American No. 4 Mac Stout in the final seconds of the match to give him the highest-ranked win of his career and keep Iowa’s shutout alive.
Seize the opportunity.
— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)
Endene’s road doesn’t get any easier for the rest of the month, as he’ll have Iowa State four-time All-American Rocky Elam next weekend in Ames, but the new Hawkeye has all the momentum in the world as he prepares for that battle.
This is a big man who brings grit and intensity to the mat. He loves being a Hawkeye, and it shows.
Hawks scored bonus points Iowa-style in five weights
The fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena valued Endene’s fight against Stout, but he was far from the only athlete to bring the crowd to its feet on Friday night. Bonus points for NCAA finalists Drake Ayala and Michael Caliendo as well as All-American Patrick Kennedy, national qualifier Gabe Anrold and sophomore Ryder Block also electrified the Hawkeye faithful and showed that Iowa didn’t just come to win in its fifth ranked matchup over the last week — the team came to make a statement.
Caliendo led the way in team points on the night with his 22-6 technical fall against No. 25 Dylan Evans in a match that looked like a return to form for the national finalist. Known for his pace and offense, Caliendo went 4-1 last week at National Duals, dropping to Ladarion Lockett of Oklahoma State and needing a takedown in sudden victory against Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher for the win.
Against Pitt, Caliendo just kept scoring.
NATIONAL DUALS: Here's how Iowa did against Ohio State in Tulsa last weekend
Teammate and fellow national finalist Drake Ayala put up a similar performance after taking losses at National Duals. The senior 133-pounder majored No. 32 Evan Tallmadge of Pittsburgh 13-4, and his aggression and determination to run up the scoreboard is a good sign for Iowa fans that Ayala has reset and is ready to chase his first national title.
Perhaps the most impressive returning All-American Hawkeye so far this season has been Iowa’s 174-pounder Patrick Kennedy, who is 6-0 on the year with wins over All-American Carson Kharchla and Cam Steed and just added a dominant 11-2 result over Luca Augustine to his resume.
Kennedy is a fighter, and he battled for his spot in the lineup over the last four seasons. Last year, he punched his way onto the podium, and this year he's proving that that result was anything but a fluke. This year’s Patrick Kennedy is wrestling with confidence and power, and his improvements can be quantified through the gap that he’s put between himself and Augustine just in the last six months. Kennedy beat Augustine last year in the Blood Round of NCAA’s 7-6, but this year’s 11-2 result left no doubt. Kennedy’s No. 2 ranking in the country is legitimate, and, if he keeps this pace and consistency throughout the season, he’ll be a third national finalist threat alongside Ayala and Caliendo for the Hawks heading into March.
Depth will be an asset for the Hawkeyes down the stretch
Iowa’s starpower shines bright, but the Hawks also showed that they have a deep bench against the Panthers. Ryder Block's major against No. 20 Kade Brown, and his general ascension to No. 10 in the national rankings despite sitting behind All-American Kyle Parco last year, highlights that. Block is one of several options for Iowa at 149 pounds this year but appears to have separated himself from Kael Voinovich, another solid choice for the Hawks, at the middle weight.
Last year's national qualifier at 184 pounds, Gabe Arnold, also showed he was capable of ratcheting up the offense against the Panthers. Arnold majored Chas Kranitz 15-5, and while he's expected to sit behind No. 1 Angelo Ferrari this year, Arnold has certainly had moments of greatness in his career with the Hawks so far and is an exceptional back-up if Iowa needs him at any point this season. He's someone who, with the right draw, could absolutely contend for a podium spot, and, based on Friday night's performance, he's an athlete who will seize every opportunity he does have in the lineup to make an impact for Iowa.
Arnold is one of two athletes to pick up wins against the Panthers in a weight where Iowa has another athlete on the team ranked in the top ten at the weight with Victor Voinovich at 157 being the other. Voinovich filled in for Round of 12 finisher Jordan Williams against Pitt and notched a solid 11-6 win over Vince Bouzakis to move his record to 1-2 on the year.
Williams and Voinovich split matches at National Duals with Williams beating Seth Mendoza of Missouri before losing to Kannon Webster of Illinois while Voinovich took losses to Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State and Brandon Cannon of Ohio State. Williams could be an All-American contender for Iowa on the right day, though Hawk fans will certainly want to see more of the Little Rock transfer before feeling secure in that possibility. In the meantime, the fact that Voinovich can slot in for Williams in a dual and deliver is key for Iowa heading into the second half of the season
Transfers Peterson and Bailey add decisions
Voinovich and Williams — both transfers from Oklahoma and Little Rock respectively — add depth to Iowa's lineup, as do two more transfers in Dean Peterson and Nasir Bailey at 125 and 141 pounds. Bailey has finished as 4th in his career, while Peterson previously advanced to the Round of 12. Both have All-American potential, and both picked up wins over Pitt in decision fashion, with Peterson beating Tyler Chappell 4-1 in sudden victory and Bailey topping Anthony Santaniello 4-2.
The ability to win close matches like these is essential. Yet, in an Iowa room full of bonus point athletes and title threats, Peterson and Bailey have the capacity to up that pace and add to their offense. Both will be challenged significantly next weekend against the Cyclones too as Bailey will take on No. 7 All-American Anthony Echemendia and Peterson will have transfer All-American Stevo Poulin, the athlete who beat him in the Round of 12 at NCAAs last year. Peterson has proven he can compete with the best at the weight after notching a 5-4 win over NCAA finalist Troy Spratley last weekend. These kinds of close matches may be stressful for Hawk fans, but as long as Peterson keeps coming up on the right end of them and can string together a series of them against ranked opponents, he could remain a threat at the weight.
Bailey's best win of the year, meanwhile is Santaniello, though Echemendia of Iowa State will be an interesting test that could have major implications in a dual that has come down to one or two weights in the last several seasons.
Ben Kueter’s return to the anchor spot gives Iowa security at heavyweight
The Hawkeyes forfeited the heavyweight against Oklahoma State and Ohio State at the national duals last weekend due to injuries to both All-American Ben Kueter and backup Gage Marty, the latter of whom who wrestled against Missouri and Illinois before getting hurt.
Kuter’s return against the Panthers was no doubt a welcome sight for Hawkeye fans.
In his first match of the year, Kueter didn’t need flash or excessive funk to pick up a solid 2-0 win over No. 12 Dayton Pitzer. He'll now head into the Cy-Hawk dual against No. 1 Yonger Bastida without added rust.
The Hawkeyes were favored in nine of ten matches heading into their bout against the Panthers, including at heavyweight. That will not be the case against Iowa State. Iowa has the edge in five weights vs. the Cyclones including 125, 133, 165, 174 and 184 pounds. Flipping another weight, particularly at heavyweight against No. 1 Bastida, 197 pounds against No. 2 Elam or 157 pounds against No. 3 Vinny Zerban will be a challenge. Iowa has not lost to Iowa State in the Brands era, and if the Hawks wrestle like they did against Pitt, they’ll be in a good position to keep that streak alive, but every match will matter.
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