Iowa men’s wrestling sets postseason lineup, ready for Big Ten Championships

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s depth afforded the opportunity to multiple wrestlers to see action at most weights.

It also provided some competition for a few spots. Any questions have been answered as the postseason nears.

The Big Ten Conference announced pre-seeds for the conference wrestling tournament March 9-10 at University of Maryland in College Park, Md., revealing who will represent the Hawkeyes, especially at a handful of contested weights.

Senior Brody Teske will compete at 133 pounds, sophomore Caleb Rathjen will man the 149 spot, redshirt freshman Aiden Riggins is at 184 and heavyweight Bradley Hill will wrestle.

“That’s the way it worked out,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said during the program’s weekly media availability Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “I understand that people want a glimpse on the inside, but that’s the way it worked out. We have a lot of good people. We’re deep in some weights and that’s a good thing for us.”

Many of the staples are in play. Drake Ayala is the No. 2 seed at 125, while NCAA finalist and defending Big Ten champion Real Woods is the No. 3 seed at 141. Rathjen, Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174) and 197-pounder Zach Glazier are also No. 3 seeds.

Glazier enters the tournament with a 20-1 record with his lone loss coming to Penn State’s three-time NCAA champion and top-ranked Aaron Brooks. This is Glazier’s first postseason, wrestling behind NCAA finalist Jacob Warner, previously.

“It’s continuation of everything this season and everything before that,” Glazier said. “The years building up to now. It’s nothing too different. Everything that’s been working. Little things in how you live and preparation and on the mat. Those things stay the same and keep rolling like you do every match. I’m excited.”

Freshmen Gabe Arnold and Ben Kueter both saw action this season but maintained their redshirts. Arnold posted an 8-1 overall record at 174 and 184, beating two All-Americans in the regular season. Kueter, a linebacker for the Iowa football team, went 3-1, joining the team after the Hawkeyes concluded the football season with a bowl game. They have four years of eligibility remaining.

“There are a lot of things that go into those decisions,” Brands said. “They’re certainly capable. We have other guys that are capable there as well. There are different reasons for both of them. When you look at each individual reason the bottom line is at the end of this process this program and this guy really like the idea of both of those guys having four years at the end of this year.”

Brands asked if there were discussions with football about a mutually beneficial decision, regarding Kueter’s decision. He said no and that Kueter is a very capable student-athlete.

“I think both programs are really excited about him and his future,” Brands said. “When the time to talk is upon us, we’ll talk. My favorite people on campus are Kirk Ferentz and his staff, for a lot of reasons. This is just something that makes us a little bit tighter. There’s a little bit more in common.

“We’ll cross that bridge — communication-wise — when we get there.”

Hill has been a regular for the Hawkeyes. He is 21-9 overall and possesses the talent, capability and explosiveness to succeed, according to Brands, who also noted they joked about the seventh-seeded Hill taking himself more seriously.

“He’s a fun, popular guy in that locker room, but he’s also serious about his development,” Brands said of Hill. “He’s been serious about his development. The conversations that we have with him you don’t have to worry about if you have to have follow-up conversations with him because you may have bruised his ego or damaged his feelings. He is very accountable and he owns it. Very thick-skinned in the right way.

“And he’s honest. He’s honest with himself and he’s honest with us when the conversations are direct and go in that direction. We love him.”

Jared Franek is seeded fourth at 157 for Iowa, which is looking to improve last season’s runner-up team finish. Penn State is a huge favorite with five top-seeded wrestlers and all 10 at sixth or better.

The Hawkeyes ended the regular season with a 22-9 victory at then No. 2 Oklahoma State. The dual was one of their top performances and could be a springboard into the postseason, if they have the same approach of being ready from the first whistle.

“We’ve had a little bit of ups and downs, maybe, if you want to call it that from outsider perspective anyways,” Glazier said. “That was a little bit of an up. I think it puts us in a good spot, leading into this weekend.”

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