University of Iowa moved five into the quarterfinals and finished tied for fourth in the team race after Day 1 of the NCAA Wrestling Championships Thursday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. UNI has all 10 alive with Cael Happel and Parker Keckeisen in the quarterfinals. The Panthers are in seventh place.
College wrestling’s crown jewel is the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. University of Iowa, Iowa State and University of Northern Iowa are competing at the event at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Here are five storylines from Thursday’s opening session.
The Pinning Combination with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Dick Briggs
University of Iowa, Iowa State, University of Northern Iowa and a handful of others with state ties will compete at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia from Thursday through Saturday. Here are five storylines to follow at the national tournament.
University of Iowa’s Drake Ayala was the runner-up at 125-pounds at last year’s national tournament. He will try to improve that finish as the No. 2 seed at 133 at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, beginning Thursday.
Early signs point toward the Hawkeyes being the favorites to win a national title again in 2026. The path to a third consecutive national championship might have some new obstacles, though, especially with the NCAA taking over administration of the sport.
The Pinning Combination with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Dick Briggs
All three state NCAA Division I wrestling programs received at least one at-large berths to the national tournament March 20-22 in Philadelphia. The three schools qualified 27 of 30 starters combined.
For the second straight year, second-ranked Iowa did not crown a champion at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hawkeye trio of Drake Ayala, Michael Caliendo and Stephen Buchanan all earned runner-up finishes in their first conference finals and Iowa toted home a third-place finish.
Graduate transfer Macey Kilty played a key part in Iowa women’s wrestling’s 2024-25 success as the Hawkeyes won their second consecutive national championship.
Photos from the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling championships at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa on Saturday, Mar. 8, 2025.
Top-seeded Stephen Buchanan, No. 1 Drake Ayala and No. 2 Michael Caliendo each advanced to the finals, helping Iowa to third place with 98 points after the opening day of the conference tournament. The Hawkeyes also secured eight automatic berths to the NCAA Championships on March 20-22 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Iowa women’s wrestling has done it again. The Hawkeyes have claimed their second National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships team title in as many years of competition.
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