Iowa men’s wrestling learns Big Ten Conference duals foes for 2024-25 season

The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team has learned its Big Ten Conference dual opponents for the 2024-25 season.

The conference announced Tuesday the dual pairings for the upcoming men’s wrestling season.

The Hawkeyes will host Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State. They will wrestle road duals at Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin.

The dates and times are still to be determined. Iowa’s full schedule will be released after non-conference and conference competitions are finalized, according to the UI Sports Information Department release.

Iowa was 12-2 overall last season, including a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes placed fourth in the Big Ten tournament and fifth at the NCAA Championships with four All-Americans, including national finalist Drake Ayala.

Transfers could give Iowa men’s wrestling a different look

Iowa’s lineup could look a little different this season. The Hawkeyes have added All-America middleweight Kyle Parco and 2024 157-pound NCAA finalist Jacori Teemer from Arizona State. All-American Stephen Buchanan, who has wrestled 197 at Wyoming and Oklahoma, is listed in the Iowa directory and has been named in media reports about incoming Iowa transfers.

Add in All-American Nelson Brands, who is expected to return for his final year after missing last season.

The Hawkeyes’ 197-pound Big Ten finalist Zach Glazier has announced that he will be transferring to South Dakota State for his final season. Glazier, who wrestled at Albert Lea (Minn.) High School, will have one year of eligibility left.

“I was recruited by (SDSU) Coach (Damoin) Hahn and his staff in high school and I had a lot of respect for them then, so now it seemed like a natural transition for me at this point in my career,” Glazier said in a message to The Gazette. “They are building a track record of developing wrestlers and that’s easy to see. I have a lot of long time relationships with many of the athletes and their families at SDSU so that was another draw and also adds to making the transition that much easier.”

Glazier posted a 25-4 record last season in his first as a full-time starter. He led the team with 50 dual points scored and tallied 16 bonus-point victories, including seven technical falls and seven major decisions. Glazier victories helped Iowa secure six dual wins last season.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com