Long road for Iowa’s Brody Teske leads to one last wrestling postseason appearance

IOWA CITY — Brody Teske’s college wrestling career has been a long road with a few twists and turns.

The winding path began as a highly-touted and highly-recruited four-time state champion at Fort Dodge. The first stop was Penn State before a couple seasons before landing at Northern Iowa. Teske’s final destination, however, was the University of Iowa.

Teske is closing his sixth season and last year of eligibility in the postseason for the third-ranked Hawkeyes at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday at University of Maryland in College Park, Md. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier, looking to grab one of the conference’s seven automatic national tournament berths at 133 pounds.

Teske (11-4) has reflected on the route he has traveled, which could end this weekend or extend to the NCAA Championships March 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo.

“Certainly, I remember what I’ve been through,” Teske said. “It hasn’t been sunshine and rainbows. It motivates me and excites me. It gets me prepared and brings that excitement to me to finish strong.”

Teske redshirted one season with the Nittany Lions, returning to his home state after a semester the next year. He joined a group of high school teammates at UNI, becoming a Big 12 champion and two-time conference finalist at 125. Teske entered the transfer portal with two seasons left and landed with the Hawkeyes, qualifying for the NCAA tournament again in 2023.

The time has come for one last ride. Teske said he is excited to compete and leave it all on the mat. He noted he is healthy, strong and ready.

“I’ve been in the best form I’ve ever probably been in right now,” Teske said. “I’m excited for the opportunities that are going to be presented this weekend and then, day by day, continue to get ready to go. Do what I need to do.

“Let it all play out as God has it intended. He has already got it all mapped out. Go live it.”

Teske has plenty of college postseason experience. Age and attrition do not make success a certainty, though. Wrestlers enter college better and more equipped than ever to contend with the best immediately. Success might hinge on what wrestler has the mentality to peak this weekend.

“Everything that you do well today helps you for tomorrow and if you stumble today then you have to get up and go tomorrow also,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “So, really, you write your own ticket, regardless of if you have experience, more experience. We have some guys who have seven years now. We have guys that have six years now.

“There’s no guarantee, so just go out and be ready to go every time out. Control the things you can control. Have a blast. Score points and you know what, put on a display of awesomeness for your fans and your family.”

Brands said Teske is more comfortable with the coaches, especially Brands himself. Teske’s idea of how he wants to wrestle aligns with the program’s philosophy.

“We know that he can do it,” Brands said. “He’s done it at the highest level. We’re looking for his best performance and he’s looking for his best performance and it’s time to go.

“I would say Brody Teske and Iowa wrestling know what we want both of our wrestling to look like. We’ve seen it at a high level from him. Now, we’re at the time of year where we need it. He needs it ...”

As Teske has navigated bumpy stretches in the road, this season has included its share. He faced challenges and some unexpected setbacks. Teske also had to fend off teammate Cullan Schriever, who shared time and competed for the starting spot. He doesn’t overlook what it has taken for him to get this chance.

“Every time you have the opportunity there is an appreciation,” Teske said. “For me, I’ve been the guy all along. I had to show it a few extra times and earn it, I guess, so to say, but for me I prepared to be wrestling in championship season. That’s where we’re at.”

Teske enters the tournament as the No. 14 seed, despite a resume that would place him higher. He won wrestle-offs with Schriever after the regular-season finale at Oklahoma State.

Due to the timing of the wrestle-off and a procedural issue with submitting Teske as the Hawkeyes’ representative at 133, he was saddled with the worst seed. Sometimes pre-seeds can be opened for a vote of Big Ten coaches, but this instance did not qualify, according to Brands.

Teske isn’t concerned with the number attached to his name.

“As far as the seeding and all that stuff goes, it’s championship season for a reason,” Teske said. “Nobody’s going to come and just lay down. Everyone’s coming to fight, so be ready to bring the fight. If you’re not, you probably should stay home.”

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