116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Massoma Endene posts ranked win, Iowa blanks Pittsburgh, 36-0
No. 8 Endene scores late takedown to edge No. 4 Mac Stout, 5-4, at 197 pounds
Nov. 22, 2025 3:37 am
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IOWA CITY – Massoma Endene transformed a relatively passive crowd into a powder keg.
Iowa’s 197-pounder ignited fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a frenzy. A reaction the three-time NCAA Division III champion turned Hawkeye graduate transfer has never experienced.
“I lifted my arms up, hyping the crowd up,” Endene said. “That was awesome. The best part is I get done, I turn around and see my whole entire team, literally the whole team, embracing me. It’s a feeling you cannot replicate. You won’t get that anywhere else, truly.”
Eighth-ranked Endene recorded a thrilling comeback victory, scoring a takedown in the final seconds to beat No. 4 Mac Stout, 5-4, and highlighting No. 3 Iowa’s 36-0 dominance over No. 19 Pittsburgh Friday night.
Endene could feel the energy from the crowd and made out the words of encouragement as he stalked Stout and eventually scored the decisive takedown with five seconds left.
“I feel like I hear everything when I wrestle,” Endene said. “I hear the coaches. I heard, ‘Let’s go, Mo! Let’s go, Mo!’ That’s just amazing.
“I come from Iowa Lakes (Community College). There was probably 20 people in the crowd. At Wartburg College, we get a lot of people but this is the No. 1 wrestling college. So many people and this was like a smaller dual. Having those people rooting behind me, a family you could say, people that want me to win. That’s awesome. It gives me courage. It’s great.”
Endene continued his hot start as a Hawkeye, improving to 6-0 and beating three ranked wrestlers in the last five matches.
“When it’s bright-light time, he doesn’t want to be left out of the party,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “That was the highlight match. Keep it going.”
Stout took an early advantage with the first takedown in the opening minute. Endene remained confident and looked for opportunities to get back in the match.
“It took me a while to get that other opportunity, but that’s what it’s about,” Endene said. “Just keep going forward and going forward.”
Endene chipped away with escapes in the first two periods. Stout escaped in the third for a two-point lead. Endene was persistent and pressed Stout, who attempted to keep his distance by backpedaling across the mat.
“You’re a predator. You’re a hunter,” Brands said. “He hunted that guy down. Good wrestler there.”
Endene said he recently talked to former Iowa NCAA champion Stephen Buchanan about seeing an opponent break during a match. He sensed Stout was trying to hold on to his lead and started to get out of position. Endene pounced on his chance, shooting and finishing on the edge.
“We’ve been training really hard, preparing for these situations,” Endene said. “Every sport does it. You put yourself in situations that you don’t want to be in at practice so that in a match your brain doesn’t go cuckoo. You know exactly what to do there. You’ve been there before. You seize the moment.”
Iowa sophomore Gabe Arnold seized his moment as well. He warmed up the crowd, making his season debut stepping in for top-ranked Angelo Ferrari at 184. Arnold said he learned Wednesday that he was getting the chance.
“We preach here a lot being ready no matter what,” said Arnold, who almost left the program in the offseason. “A guy could slip on a fricking banana peel out there. Before you know it your name is being called. That’s funny talk but it’s real. It’s real life.
“Tom told me I was the guy going. With what I’ve had going on the last few months, damn it feels good.”
Arnold wrestled with energy and aggressiveness, handling Chase Kranitz, 15-5. He pulled away with three takedowns in a 12-point third period. Both Arnold and Brands noted he missed a potential technical fall.
“Carpe diem,” said Arnold, an NCAA qualifier last season. “Seize the moment. Go out there and be freaking Gabe Arnold. I can go out there and score points. It doesn’t matter if it’s a guy who’s not ranked. It doesn’t matter if it’s the No. 1 guy in the nation. I can score points. It’s reminding me of that (and) how fricking good I can be and coming back to that moment.”
The Hawkeyes (5-1) only trailed briefly in one match before 197. Dean Peterson opened the dual, scoring a takedown off an extended scramble in sudden victory for a 4-1 decision over Tyler Chappell.
Drake Ayala (133) tallied four takedowns in a 13-4 major decision over Evan Tallmadge. Two matches later, Ryder Block added another major decision, getting three takedowns for a major decision at 149.
Nasir Bailey (141) and 157-pounder Victor Voinovich III posted decisions for a 17-0 lead at the midway point.
NCAA finalist Michael Caliendo and All-American Patrick Kennedy kicked off the second half of the dual with bonus-point victories. Caliendo thumped Dylan Evans, 22-6, for a technical fall at 165. Kennedy notched three takedowns for an 11-2 major decision over Luca Augustine in a rematch of a Round of 12 bout at last season’s NCAA tournament. Kennedy improved on the one-point win in March.
Sixth-ranked heavyweight Ben Kueter returned to the mat and capped the dual with a 2-0 decision over No. 12 Dayton Pitzer, using an escape and a riding-time point after a third-period rideout.
Iowa owned a 99-32 edge in match points and a 27-2 advantage takedown against the Panthers (3-1).
“Had to work hard but the points were being scored,” Brands said. “A little bit of progress there because it was still hard and putting points on the board.”
Iowa returns to action with the Cy-Hawk Series dual against Iowa State on Nov. 30 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
AT IOWA CITY
Iowa 36, Pittsburgh 0
(Individual takedowns in parentheses)
125 pounds – Dean Peterson dec. Tyler Chappell, 4-1 SV1 (1,0); 133 – Drake Ayala major dec. Evan Tallmadge, 13-4 (4,0); 141 – Nasir Bailey dec. Anthony Santaniello, 4-2 (1,0); 149 – Ryder Block major dec. Kade Brown, 12-2 (3,0); 157 – Victor Voinovich III dec. Vince Bouzakis, 11-6 (3,1); 165 – Michael Caliendo tech. fall Dylan Evans, 22-6 (7,0); 174 – Patrick Kennedy major dec. Kuca Augustine, 11-2 (3,0); 184 – Gabe Arnold major dec. Chase Kranitz, 15-5 (4,0); 197 – Massoma Endene dec. Mac Stout, 5-4 (1,1); Hwt. – Ben Kueter dec. Dayton Pitzer, 2-0 (0,0).
MEET STATISTICS
Takedowns – Iowa 27, Pitt 2. Reversals – Iowa 0, Pitt 1. Escapes – Iowa 13, Pitt 24. Nearfall points – Iowa 0, Pitt 0. Penalty points (awarded) – Iowa 1, Pitt 0. Riding-time points – Iowa 4, Pitt 0. Match points – Iowa 99, Pitt 32. Attendance – 11,424.
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