Iowa’s Gabe Arnold has overcome challenges on and off the mat

IOWA CITY – Gabe Arnold displays an electric and fun personality that matches his ability on the wrestling mat.

His state title run at Iowa City High was a prime example, thrilling spectators in the finals and then bounding up the Wells Fargo Arena to hug and celebrate with family.

Iowa’s 184-pound redshirt freshman displays a similar demeanor as a competitor and citizen. Those are some of the traits that endeared him to fans, teammates and coaches.

“I think that I'm obviously a super outgoing person,” Arnold said. “I march to the beat of my own drum.

“The easiest way to describe it in one word I would say is that I'm a very brick-by-brick person. And, basically, what that means, is whatever gets thrown in my way I'm going to find a way to figure it out.”

Arnold has applied that mentality to the physical challenges of the sport and the mental tussle that accompany being an NCAA Division I and college student. He has demonstrated a penchant to overcome the struggles in all areas of life.

“I’ve got ‘Everything means everything’ tattooed on my back,” said Arnold. “It’s something my dad talks about a lot and just everything comes in waves and different forms. It's all about how you how you take it, how you deal with it and I'm learning to deal with it the healthy way. That's asking for help, going to therapy, doing different things.

“It’s a process and it's a battle, but like I said, I think I'm on the winning side of it. I'm proud of myself for that.”

Arnold had a successful start to his Hawkeye career last season. He went 8-1 overall, including a 3-1 dual mark and winning his lone Big Ten Conference dual match. Arnold endured the difficulties that many freshman face, handling adversity in school, wrestling, relationships and mental health.

Mental health used to be a taboo subject in sports, but Arnold took it down like one of his opponents.

“Right now, I'm in a spot where this is a brand new year and I'm proud of the growth that I have made,” Arnold said. “I am still (growing) and it's definitely something that doesn't get talked about a lot, especially in college athletics, but mental health is really important.

“And that's something I have come to prioritize as I've been in dark seasons of my life and have fought many demons that don't really get talked about enough.”

Arnold relied on a strong support system provided by parents, Iowa’s coaching staff, teammates and friends. He said they love and care about him as a person as much as a wrestler.

“At the end of the day, everyone that I have in my circle wants the best for Gabe Arnold,” Arnold said. “My parents have been a big stronghold for me. They've always kept me at the top as best as they possibly can.

“I turned 20 (Tuesday). It's my birthday, so it’s been 20 years of life. It's been high and low, but without them I don't know where the hell I'd be.”

Wrestling can nurture and create perspective and mental development. The sport also places a huge emphasis on mental toughness, which can blur the lines between that and mental health. Arnold said that is another layer to address but it is all about perspective.

“It's done a lot and it does put those barriers in it, but it's all about how you look at it,” Arnold said. “For me, wrestling has done a lot for me and has always been my outlet and will continue to be my outlet. It’s all about finding what my personality is without the sport but the sport does a lot to help me figure out that.”

Arnold was a two-time national prep champion with Wyoming (Pa.) Seminary before transferring and winning the Class 3A 182-pound crown in 2023. He even won a national freestyle champion and was a U.S. World Team Trials runner-up.

Arnold is ranked fifth nationally by Flowrestling with a 10-1 mark, entering Saturday’s home dual against No. 4 Ohio State (11-0, 3-0) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, starting at 1 p.m. His only loss a medical forfeit to teammate Angelo Ferrari in the Soldier Salute finals. Arnold is 6-1 all-time against ranked college foes and has a penchant for exciting the crowd for No. 2 Iowa (8-0, 2-0).

“He loves the limelight,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “He loves to compete. He loves to put on a show. He's a showman. He's an entertainer.”

Arnold is thankful for the ability to wrestle and contend with anyone in the country, attempting to give fans their money’s worth of action. He said he is no stranger to competition and performing, using a slight cry to get his brother, Caleb, who is eight years older, in trouble with their parents.

“I think it just I comes from loving what I do,” Arnold said. “We're in this however million-dollar room right now. This is something to be thankful about, so why not put on a show for you guys, all the fans and donors that donate so much to this program that do so much for us why not give you guys a show? It’s hard for you guys to report when I’m out there winning one-point matches.

“I’ve got to go hit a slick duck and do all this and that. I’ve got to perform. Tom talks about it all the time about performing, and that's what I strive to do every single day is perform.”

Arnold’s wrestling resume speaks for itself. He was one of the nation’s top recruits and an All-American candidate for a reason. Arnold has a knack to connect with others. He is a strong ambassador for the Hawkeye program.

Brands was abroad during the summer when he needed someone to give a group of supporters a tour of the new Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center. He called Arnold and it was a perfect choice.

“I got 40 compliments on him from that group, and that was a group of Iowa's best fans. I'm not talking about Iowa wrestling's best fans. I'm talking about Iowa athletics’ best fans, and it was football season.

“He represents himself well and that's a good pickup.”

Interestingly, Arnold wrestled as a true freshman, looking to break into the lineup before redshirting. Now, he is the older wrestler vying for the starting spot with Ferrari. Arnold isn’t fazed by the competition and said he loves it.

“We're climbing levels together and it's not about who's going to be the guy,” Arnold said. “It's about who's the best guy that is going to go out there and put results out on the mat. And if that's not me, that's not me, but I got a good feeling that it is me.

“I got a good feeling that me and Angelo have a great relationship and no matter what happens, however the lineup shakes out, we're still going to be in each other's corner, fighting for every single point, every single call. You name it. It's good to be surrounded by that and there's no reason to shy away from competition.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com