Iowa men’s wrestling makes trip to Bellarmine to face former Hawkeye Ned Shuck’s fledgling D-I program

Iowa men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands described Ned Shuck as a detail-oriented, hard-working hustler when he wrestled for the Hawkeyes.

Brands was an assistant for most of the time Shuck was a four-time letterwinner and three-time academic All-Big Ten Conference selection, posting a 17-14 record in open tournaments. Shuck displayed a desire to coach back then and has climbed every rung of the ladder from high school to NCAA Division I at Bellarmine University.

“He had aspirations and he went after it,” Brands said of Shuck. “He went a lot of different routes. He was the head coach at D-III (Wisconsin-Whitewater and Heidelberg). Where am I going to go from here? He went into D-I as an assistant (at Army) and he took the necessary steps. He’s done a good job.”

Shuck has guided Bellarmine through its transitional period as a D-I program to its first season of postseason eligibility. His Knights will open the season Friday by hosting No. 2 Iowa in a non-conference dual in Louisville, Ky (6 p.m., ESPN+).

The event will feature a meet-and-greet and pre-dual talk from legendry former Iowa Coach Dan Gable, Olympic champion Momir Petkovic and the first U.S. Greco-Roman World Championships gold medalist Mike Houck.

Shuck said smoke, lights and pyrotechnics will add to the atmosphere of having one of college wrestling’s most storied programs in town.

“It will be a really cool fan experience for people to come,” Shuck said. “A lot of guys will be there who haven't seen a wrestling match before. Kind of their first exposure, so what a better way to do it than to have a top-ranked team and a local team going at it in a fun atmosphere.”

Iowa’s brand attracts fans from every region in the country. The Hawkeyes have made similar trips to compete at smaller schools, which benefited from a marquee opponent at home. Shuck knows the impact this dual can have on a fledgling D-I program.

“It’s absolutely huge,” Shuck said. “People are going to want to see the Knights. People are going to see the Hawkeyes. In the wrestling media world, the Hawkeyes are king, so it just gives everybody in Kentucky a chance to see big-time wrestling and witness that firsthand. Be able to see legends like Tom and Terry (Brands) and Coach Gable.”

Brands said the best way for a coach, athlete, donor, supporter or fan to promote the sport is to put on an incredible display of wrestling.

“That means that there is carnage left when you’re done,” Brands said. “That’s what we have to focus on. We have to focus on that type of entertainment, that type of wrestling. Scoring points, putting points on the board, building leads and doing it the right way. I think then the promotion takes care of it.”

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Shuck has come a long way from being in the Hawkeye wrestling room to bringing his alma mater to Knights Hall. After his time at Iowa, he coached high school wrestling in Illinois. He moved on to be an assistant at D-III power Augsburg before becoming the head coach at Heidelberg University in Ohio for about three years.

Shuck joined the Wisconsin-Whitewater staff as an assistant, getting to coach with Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic finalist and 1972 champion Ben Peterson, who was a two-time national champion for Iowa State.

The next stop was an assistant position with Army, working his way up to associate head coach. The opportunity to usher Bellarmine to the D-I level came next. Shuck has been with the Knights since July 2021.

“I’m super grateful for the path,” Shuck said. “I’m super grateful for the fight and challenge I’ve had to be here. We’re not done, yet. We’ve got a lot of room to continue to build this program and so looking forward to that.

“It hasn't been easy. A lot of late nights and a lot of battles and a lot of sacrifice from my family to help me kind of pursue my career so I'm really thankful for everyone around me.”

Shuck noted how much he has learned from his coaches at Iowa, Peterson, Houck and others. He improved at every stop and continues to try to evolve into his best version.

“The reality is had I not had that experience and not been around guys like Coach Brands and Coach Gable during my time there, there’s a good likelihood I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I did as a coach.”

Bellarmine has participated in the Soldier Salute but this will mark the first dual between the programs. Iowa (2-0) is off to a strong start, handling ranked Oregon State and Stanford. The Hawkeyes field nine nationally-ranked wrestlers by Flowrestling, including top-ranked JacorI Teemer (157) and Stephen Buchanan at 197. The Knights don’t have a ranked wrestler but 174-pounder Grant O’Dell is a former Iowa City West multiple state medalist.

“Looking forward to a good fight,” Shuck said. “We know they're going to bring it and we know we're going to bring it. Just really looking forward to that.”

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