Iowa men’s wrestling team takes 7 matches in 22-9 dual victory at No. 2 Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. — A team effort and a victory to end the regular season.

Iowa’s men’s wrestling team provided its own springboard into the postseason.

The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes won seven matches, including Michael Caliendo’s decision over No. 3 Izzak Olejnik and a major decision from Patrick Kennedy, in a 22-9 dual win over No. 2 Oklahoma State Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Iowa handed the rival Cowboys their lone dual loss of the season in front of a crowd of 13,721.

“I feel like that was a good step,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said in a news release. “That was an undefeated team here in Stillwater. The environment and all that we handled it. We have to keep getting better.”

Caliendo highlighted a stretch in which Iowa won five of the last six bouts. In a rematch of last season’s NCAA Championships seventh-place bout, Caliendo beat Olejnik again.

Caliendo, ranked No. 7, scored two takedowns in the first period and added an escape in the third for a 7-2 win at 165. He increased the Hawkeyes’ lead to 12-6 with four matches remaining.

Patrick Kennedy posted the only bonus-point victory in the dual. He thumped Brayden Thompson, 12-3, at 174. Kennedy tallied three takedowns and finished with about three minutes of riding time, putting Iowa up, 16-9.

Zach Glazier, ranked 12th, sealed a sixth dual win this season. He took the mat at 197 with Iowa holding a 16-9 lead. Glazier scored an escape and added a decisive takedown in the third for a 4-1 win over No. 16 Luke Surber.

“Instinct takes over for sure, but knowing it’s do or die I better figure it out,” Glazier said. “I feel like we are right where we want to be heading into Big Tens. That was a great dual for us and I think we are ready to go.”

Former Iowa City High four-time state champion and Hawkeye freshman Ben Kueter capped the dual with a 5-1 decision over No. 11 Konner Doucet at heavyweight. Kueter used a reversal and two nearfall to take command in the third and recorded a point for riding time.

Iowa won three of the first five matches. Drake Ayala started the Hawkeyes off with a win, cinching up a cradle and putting Troy Spratley on his back in sudden victory-1 for an 8-1 decision at 125.

Real Woods (141) and Jared Franek (157) both notched decisions, giving Iowa a 9-6 lead at the midway point.

Iowa closed the dual season with a 12-2 overall record. Oklahoma State falls to 14-1.

The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Cowboys, including a win last season at Iowa City. Iowa won its first dual in Stillwater since 2015.

The 13,721 announced attendance is the third largest wrestling crowd at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Iowa will return to action for the Big Ten Championships on March 9-10 hosted by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.

The conference tournament is a national qualifier. The NCAA Championships will be March 21-23 at Kansas City, Mo.

Iowa 22, Oklahoma State 9

AT STILLWATER, OKLA.

(Individual takedowns in parentheses)

125 pounds – Drake Ayala (I) dec. Troy Spratley, 8-1 SV1 (1,0); 133 – Daton Fix (OSU) dec. Brody Teske, 7-2 (2,0); 141 – Real Woods (I) dec. Tagen Jamison, 4-1 (1,0); 149 – Jordan Williams (OSU) dec. Victor Voinovich III, 7-3 (2,0); 157 – Jared Franek (I) dec. Teague Travis, 10-4 (3,0); 165 – Michael Caliendo (I) dec. Izzak Olejnik, 7-2 (2,0); 174 – Patrick Kennedy (I) major dec. Brayden Thompson, 12-3 (3,0); 184 – Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. Gabe Arnold, 5-1 (1,0); 197 – Zach Glazier (I) dec. Luke Surber, 4-1 (1,0); Hwt. – Ben Kueter (I) dec. Konner Doucet, 5-1 (0,0)

MEET STATISTISTICS

Takedowns – Iowa 11, Oklahoma State 5. Reversals – Iowa 1, Oklahoma State 0. Escapes – Iowa 12, Oklahoma State 15. Nearfall points – Iowa 6, Oklahoma State 0. Penalty points (awarded) – Iowa 1, Oklahoma State 1. Riding time points – Iowa 2, Oklahoma State 1. Total match points – Iowa 56, Oklahoma State 32. Attendance – 13,721.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com