Iowa Wrestling Weekend That Was: Iowa suffers setback; Iowa State and UNI handle West Virginia

Michigan handed Iowa its first loss, Iowa State and Northern Iowa were unkind hosts to West Virginia, Wartburg thumped Coe, plus final thoughts on the IGHSAU state tournament in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

Iowa falls to Michigan

Iowa suffered its first dual loss of the season. The Wolverines won seven matches, including the first five, for a 24-11 victory. It was just the second Michigan dual win against Iowa in their last 12 meetings.

The Wolverines were grossly underrated. They were short-handed when they lost to South Dakota State by five on Jan. 4. They fell to Penn State, which travels to Carver-Hawkeye Arena Friday. Ohio State edged Michigan by one thanks to an upset at heavyweight.

The way Michigan won was a bit surprising, earning bonus points in three matches. Sergio Lemley shocked previously top-ranked Real Woods. Lemley posted a 14-2 major decision. Shane Griffith added a major over Patrick Kennedy at 165 and heavyweight Lucas Davison capped the dual with a major against Bradley Hill.

Iowa also dropped two matches in tiebreaker periods. Another was decided by three points — the points of a takedown, which was scarce in the first half of the dual.

Michael Caliendo (165) got Iowa on the board and Aiden Riggins won his second straight Big Ten matches with a decision at 184.

Zach Glazier was a bright spot, recording a 19-4 technical fall over Bobby Striggow. He improved to 19-0 with 13 bonus-point wins. Glazier has been a consistent scorer, tallying seven technical falls so far. He faces the biggest challenge Friday. Glazier is ranked 10th nationally and is expected to wrestle three-time NCAA champion and No. 1-ranked Aaron Brooks.

ISU, UNI handle West Virginia

West Virginia made a swing through Iowa for two Big 12 duals. Iowa State welcomed the Mountaineers with a 29-11 thumping Friday at Hilton Coliseum. UNI beat West Virginia, 26-12, on Sunday at McLeod Center.

The Cyclones won seven matches, including four by bonus points. M.J. Gaitan recorded a first-period pin at 174. Cody Chittum (157) returned to the line and won by major decision. A concussion kept him from previous duals at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

The Panthers had similar success. They won seven bouts, receiving technical falls from No. 1 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen and Julian Farber at 133. Sixth-ranked Cael Happel beat No. 11 Jordan Titus, 11-3, at 141. Wyatt Voelker (197) and heavyweight Tyrell Gordon closed the dual with consecutive decisions. Gordon scored a takedown and nearfall in sudden victory for his win. Voelker has won three straight conference matches.

UNI wrestles at Cal Baptist on Friday. Iowa State hosts UNI on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.

Wartburg dominates

Wartburg rebounded from its loss to rival Augsburg in the “Battle of the Burgs” dual. The top-ranked Knights may have taken out their frustration on No. 5 Coe. Wartburg won nine bouts for a 40-3 victory. The Knights posted four technical falls, two major decisions and a pin.

Coe’s lone win came from former West Liberty prep Will Esmoil at 165. Esmoil, a 2022 All-American, defeated Daniel Meeker, 9-6.

Wartburg has won 39 straight duals against Coe and leads the all-time series, 52-6.

The Knights are 14-1 overall and lead the American Rivers Conference with a 7-0 mark. Coe and Loras are both 6-1 in the conference. The Kohawks (10-2) beat the Duhawks, 21-19, on Jan. 20. Loras (10-6) hosts Wartburg Friday.

Another electric atmosphere at IGHSAU state tournament

The second Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state wrestling tournament was held Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The event was exciting with an electric atmosphere.

The level of wrestling and depth of talent continues to grow. Nearly half of the top seeds did not reach the finals. The breakdown of champion seeds includes three No. 4 seeds, one No. 2 and a No. 3 seed. Saydel’s Colbie Tenborg entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed at 130 pounds. She defeated the seventh, second, third and eighth seeds for the title.

One of the notable features is the winner signing the brackets after a win. Some wrestlers chose not to for various reasons. Maybe next year, programs can designate a manager or assistant coach to sign for wrestlers concerned with poor penmanship or solely focused on competing. Wouldn’t mind seeing the boys do it as well.

Participation numbers will continue to grow. So will the tournament. Multiple classes could come sooner than later. IGHSAU officials were already asking what tweaks could be made and what would make the experience better for the event that sold out the opening session and had about 3,600 fans for the finals.

The three days of the IGHSAU tournament and Iowa High School Athletic Association state duals tournament has turned into a three-day wrestling festival. The action and atmosphere were fantastic from Thursday morning to Saturday evening. It should be a destination for high school wrestling fans in the future.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com