Brody Teske, 1 of Iowa’s 6 Big Ten semifinalists, books NCAA wrestling return

COLLEGE PARK, Md, — The college wrestling career of Iowa’s Brody Teske certainly has taken many twists and turns since he won four state championships for Fort Dodge High School in 2018.

That road to a fourth NCAA qualification added another twist when the senior ignored a No. 14 seed and won his first two matches at 133 pounds Saturday at the 2024 Big Ten Championships at the Xfinity Center.

With an 11-5 victory over Purdue’s Dustin Norris in his second match of the first session, Teske qualified for Saturday night’s semifinals, which means he’ll finish as high as sixth in the Big Ten and automatically earn a spot for the Hawkeyes at the 2024 NCAA Championships, March 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo.

Overall, Iowa sent six wrestlers to the semifinals as the Hawkeyes stood in third place behind tournament-leading Penn State and Michigan. The finals are set to begin Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

This marks Teske’s second national qualification for Iowa — after he also wrestled in last year’s NCAA Championships — and fourth in his career. Teske, who spent two years at Penn State (2018-20) before wrestling two years at Northern Iowa (2020-22), also qualified for the 2021 and 2022 NCAAs for the Panthers.

But Teske might not have reached this opportunity had he not opened the Big Tens with a stunning come-from-behind 15-13 first-round victory over Ohio State’s No. 3 seed Nic Bouzakis.

Teske trailed 10-2 midway through the second period and was down 13-7 after the Buckeye freshman scored his third takedown of the match with 1:19 left in the bout.

But after earning an escape, the Hawkeye scored his second takedown with 53 seconds left, then locked up a reverse cradle as the two wrestlers rolled around for the rest of the bout — a hold that eventually gave Teske a four-point nearfall and 15-13 victory.

Bouzakis was able to break the pinning hold with about five seconds left and was also close to scoring a reversal, which would have tied it up. That led to a video review, but the challenge was not upheld and Teske held on for the victory.

What was Teske’s thought when he down by six with a minute left?

“Win,” said Teske. “I bring it to the front. I remember what I’ve been through and it’s going to get me to where I want to go. I’m becoming a stronger man through it all.”

Despite Teske’s past national experience, he stood 9-3 on the season before the Big Tens as he split varsity time with teammate Cullan Schriever this season. He did not lock up a postseason spot for Iowa until winning a wrestle-off less than two weeks before the Big Tens. Teske’s late entry into the tournament by Iowa meant that he would receive the lowest seed at the Big Tens.

Teske said he made the most of his last chance.

“I’m an opportunist, not a pessimist,” Teske said. “I look forward to opportunities and capturing what’s ahead of me and that’s what we’re doing. We’re moving forward.”

Iowa in Big Ten wrestling first round

133: Brody Teske dec. Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State), 15-13

141: Real Woods tech. fall Felix Lettini (Wisconsin), 16-0

149: Caleb Rathjen dec. Jake Harrier (Illinois), 12-6

157: Jared Franek dec. Luke Mechler (Wisconsin), 5-3

165: Mike Caliendo pinned AJ Rodrigues (Maryland), 5:30

174: Patrick Kennedy tech. fall David Ferrante (Northwestern), 19-4

184: Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) pinned Aiden Riggins, 1:02

197: Zach Glazier major dec. Josh Otto (Wisconsin), 14-3

285: Bradley Hill dec. Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska), 4-2

Iowa in Big Ten wrestling quarterfinals

125: Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) dec. Drake Ayala, 4-2

133: Brody Teske dec. Dustin Norris (Purdue), 11-5

141: Real Woods dec. Danny Pucino (Illinois), 13-9

149: Ethen Miller (Maryland) dec. Caleb Rathjen, 7-6

157: Jared Franek dec. Peyton Robb (Nebraska), 7-3

165: Mike Caliendo dec. Cameron Amine (Michigan), 5-2 SV-1

174: Patrick Kennedy major dec. Jackson Turley (Rutgers), 12-2

197: Zach Glazier dec. Luke Geog (Ohio State), 8-2

285: Nick Feldman (Ohio State) inj. Bradley Hill, 5:54

Iowa in Big Ten wrestling consolation first round

184: Aiden Riggins dec. James Rowley (Purdue), 2-1

Big Ten wrestling team scores after first Saturday’s first session

1. Penn State 83 1/2

2. Michigan 70 1/2

3. Iowa 57 1/2

4. Nebraska 46 1/2

5. Minnesota 34 1/2

6. Rutgers 31 1/2

7. Ohio State 28 1/2

8. Maryland 20 1/2

9. Wisconsin 17

10. Indiana 16

11. Michigan State 16 1/2

12. Illinois 10 1/2

13. Northwestern 7 1/2

14. Purdue 4