Iowa’s Caleb Rathjen claims 149-pound title at Soldier Salute wrestling tournament

CORALVILLE — The time came to put up or shut up.

Caleb Rathjen made some noise and a strong case to be the University of Iowa’s 149-pounder.

Rathjen posted a 5-0 record, going 2-0 against current teammates, and finishing with a 7-2 decision over Anthony Ferrari for the 149-pound title at the second annual Soldier Salute wrestling tournament Saturday night at Xtream Arena.

“I proved what I know I’m capable of,” Rathjen said. “I came to Iowa to be a national champion. This is just the first step. This is the first time I’ve really got to see it.”

Actions matched his words. Rathjen hasn’t shied away from making his case to be in the lineup. He demonstrated his ability in competition, beating eighth-ranked teammate Victor Voinovich III, 6-3, in the Saturday morning semifinals. He also handled Hawkeye Cade Siebrecht, 18-3, in Friday’s quarterfinals.

“He showed me he’s pretty determined to be the guy,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “Not just because he went through the tournament and is the champion because of some of the (verbal) emphasis.

“He’s letting it be known what he believes himself to be about. Put it that way and that’s a good thing. You have to back it up. He backed it up.”

Rathjen shared that he was dealt a suspension, noting that it was not connected to the sports wagering probe. He said he messed up with some choices over the last year. He did his time but put his nose to the grindstone to make up the ground. He worked to earn this opportunity.

“I didn’t get to wrestle in a couple of the early meets, but I kept my head down,” Rathjen said. “I’m here. I’m here now.”

Competition for the position has created benefits. Rathjen mentioned the battles in practice with other 149-pound Hawkeyes has made all of them better.

“You have to come in every day ready to freaking scrap,” Rathjen said. “We had five 149-pounders in this tournament. They’re all hammers. You don’t get an easy day in that room.

“It jumps a level, not only for me but, every single guy in that room. It’s awesome.”

Rathjen closed the tournament against Ferrari, who has committed to Iowa and has been training in Iowa City but competed unattached. Rathjen scored the first takedown, coming out on top of a scramble. He added a late takedown, countering Ferrari’s last-ditch attempt at a go-ahead takedown on the mat’s edge.

Moments like these remind him of his potential and accomplishments when he was a three-time state champion for Ankeny. He admits there are bigger moments to strive for but this provides motivation.

“They’re the best,” Rathjen said. “The best feeling ever.”

At the conclusion of the match, Rathjen appeared to slightly push off Ferrari when he stood up to return to the center. Ferrari gave a slight shove in the back, inducing a taunting flex and Rathjen’s chest pounding to the Iowa crowd. Competitive juices and a little more were flowing.

“These guys think they were going to come in here and they were going to be the guys,” Rathjen said. “I had other things to say about that.”

The minor dustup was overshadowed by the surprising turn of events after the 197-pound final between Iowa’s Zach Glazier and A.J. Ferrari, who was unattached but recently attended Iowa’s dual against Columbia on Dec. 8 and made an official recruiting visit.

The pair were tied 1-1 in the third period with A.J. Ferrari owning 1:01 of riding time. Glazier received a penalty point on a second stall call that forced overtime when Ferrari earned a riding time point. A.J. Ferrari scored what appeared to be a winning takedown with two seconds left in sudden victory-1.

Glazier pounded the mat in disappointment followed by having his head shoved down by A.J. Ferrari.

Glazier responded with a push and the older Ferrari swiped at Glazier, flashing his middle finger to Glazier and later the crowd.

The official called technical misconduct after the slap or punch, which disqualified the 2021 NCAA champion and awarded Glazier the win.

Glazier and Ratjen weren’t ready to concede spots to the brothers many have suspected will join the Hawkeyes and step into the lineup.

“Both thought they could win and that makes a difference,” Brands said of Glazier and Rathjen. “You don’t take a back seat when you go out there. The good thing is we have guys that believe they can win and that’s important. Believe in yourself. Believe in your ability.”

Iowa had a head-to-head matchup between Michael Caliendo and Patrick Kennedy at 165. Caliendo, an All-America transfer from North Dakota State, posted two takedowns for a 7-3 win over Kennedy, an NCAA qualifier for the Hawkeyes.

The tournament included numerous matches between Hawkeyes. Brands said some are bound to be uncomfortable. A necessary evil, considering the alternative is a double forfeit like the Minnesota finalists at 184 that led to co-champions.

“For me, that’s something you should expect when you’re fighting for a spot,” Brands said. “You don’t shy away from that.

“I think there’s some potential drama there where it becomes personal but that can’t stand in the way of what you’re after.”

Iowa’s top-ranked 141-pounder Real Woods captured a title with a win over North Carolina’s No. 5 Lachlan McNeil. Woods scored two takedowns for an 8-4 decision.

Iowa’s Drake Ayala (125) beat two ranked opponents. He topped Minnesota’s No. 20 Patrick McKee, 5-4, in the semifinals. It was his first win against McKee.

“It was good to get that one back,” Ayala said. “He was up 4-0 on me in matches, so it’s always good to get that one back.”

Ayala followed with a 4-2 decision over Wyoming’s No. 7 Jore Volk for the title. The performance is a springboard into the second half. Ayala plans to continue to build.

“You’re going to see (me) getting better every time on the mat,” Ayala said. “I’ll be ready to go for our next dual.”

Brody Teske (133) and Jared Franek at 157 also won titles for the Hawkeyes, who won the team title with 251.5 points. Minnesota was second at 148.5, 46 more than third-place Columbia.

Iowa’s women’s team also captured a team title. The Hawkeyes tallied 223 points, beating runner-up Life (Ga.) University by 30. Indiana Tech was third at 92.

Five Hawkeye women won titles, including Most Outstanding Wrestler Bella Mir, who won by pin in the 155 final. Iowa’s Sterling Dias (101) and 116-pounder Brianna Gonzalez also pinned finals foes. Ava Bayless was first at 109 and 170-pounder Haley Ward recorded a technical fall in the final.

“Having this competition is a nice springboard into National Duals next weekend, to gain some information on the areas we need to continue working on,” Iowa Coach Clarissa Chun said. “It helps us see the certain areas we need to work on for next week, this will be a big one and we are expecting a lot of tough matches.”

Soldier Salute men’s finals results

125 pounds – Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec. Jore Volk (Wyoming), 4-2

133 – Brody Teske (Iowa) dec. Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska), 5-4

141 – Real Woods (Iowa) dec. Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina), 8-4

149 – Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) dec. Anthony Ferrari (Unattached), 7-2

157 – Jared Franek (Iowa) dec. Cael Swensen (South Dakota State), 4-1 SV-1

165 – Michael Caliendo (Iowa) dec. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 7-3

174 – Gabe Arnold (Unattached) dec. Lennox Wolak (Columbia), 4-1, SV-1

184 – Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota), Max McEnnelly (Minnesota), no contest (co-champions)

197 - Zach Glazier (Iowa) won by disqualification over A.J. Ferrari (Unattached)

285 – Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) dec. Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State), 7-2.

Soldier Salute women’s finals results

101 pounds – Sterling Dias (Iowa) pinned Makayla Young (Indiana Tech), 2:48

109 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) won by injury default over Jenavi Alejandro (Tiffin)

116 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) pinned Morgan Johnson (Unattached), 2:15

123 – Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell) dec. Isabella Ngo (Iowa), 7-6

130 – Sarah Savidge (Life) tech. fall Emily Frost (Iowa), 12-0

136 – Zaynah McBryde (Life) dec. Lilly Luft (Iowa), 5-2

143 – Jamilah McBryde (Life) pinned Reese Larramendy (Iowa), 5:58

155 – Bella Mir (Iowa) pinned Latifah McBryde (Life), 2:05

170 – Haley Ward (Iowa) tech. fall Katelyn Lewis (Unattached), 11-0

191 – Jaycee Foeller (Unattached) tech. fall Alivia White (Iowa), 10-0.

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