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Iowa’s Ben Kueter, Patrick Kennedy capture national freestyle wrestling titles
Hawkeye duo sweeps opponents in best-of-3 finals series; former Iowa City West prep Hunter Garvin and Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Voelker win Greco-Roman crowns; ISU’s Paniro Johnson wins freestyle gold
Jun. 2, 2024 6:55 pm, Updated: Jun. 3, 2024 9:04 am
Ben Kueter won a world championship his senior year at Iowa City High.
The University of Iowa’s wrestling heavyweight and dual-sport athlete has earned a chance for another.
Kueter posted a 5-0 record, sweeping a best-of-3 series with Virginia Tech’s Jimmie Mullen to win the 125-kilogram men’s freestyle title at USA Wrestling’s U20 World Team Trials on Saturday at Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy won the U23 79-kilogram freestyle title, while former Iowa City West prep Hunter Garvin and Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Voelker made the Greco-Roman U23 national team.
Kueter earned 5-4 and 5-3 victories to secure a spot to compete in the age-level World Championships sept. 2-8 at Pontevedra, Spain.
“I was joking with my coach,” Kueter said in a post-match interview with USA Wrestling. “I don’t remember the last time I wrestled five matches in a day. It’s funny. (Iowa assistant coach Ryan) Morningstar, he coaches us in Junior Duals. I think that was the last time I wrestled five matches in a day. It’s a good three years ago.”
Kueter, who was 3-1 for the Hawkeyes in his redshirt season, opened with a 10-0 technical superiority over Indiana’s Connor Barket and outscored his first three foes by a combined 29-9. He beat Mullen in the first two bouts, avoiding a winner-take-all finale.
“It felt good,” Kueter said. “I think my first match was my slowest and sluggish. After that I just kept getting better. My composure was better.”
Kueter also plays linebacker for the Iowa football team. The World Championships conflicts with the Iowa-Iowa State football game on Sept. 7. Kueter was able to train and compete at Worlds in 2022 and returned to play for the Little Hawks’ football team. He has hopes it will work with the Hawkeyes but will trust the football and wrestling staffs to make the best decision.
“It might be a little different this year,” Kueter said. “Maybe I can’t go. Just talk to the coaches but the football coaches are all about wrestling and the wrestling coaches are all for football.
“At the end of the day, they’re going to make it work. I’m there to compete for the University of Iowa.”
Kennedy went 7-0 to win the 79-kg title. He blanked Cornell University’s Julian Ramirez, of Spartan Combat Regional Training Center, 10-0, in two straight matches in the best-of-3 series.
Kennedy scorched the competition, outscoring his opponents, 75-4, overall. He said Iowa Coach Tom Brands preaches a lifestyle to help look back and be able to accept with the results. Kennedy was.
“I feel satisfied with how I competed,” Kennedy said. “So, it was good.”
Interestingly, Kennedy wasn’t expecting to compete until a conversation with Iowa NCAA finalist and Hawkeye Wrestling Club member Jacob Warner. Kennedy was considering an international tournament when Warner expressed his regret not getting to compete in a past U23 tournament due to injury.
“That was kind of the turning point,” Kennedy said. “It’s never hard for me to be in the room and be around the guys but sometimes you need expert advice, and Jacob Warner has expert advice.”
Garvin, a three-time state champion and four-time finalist for West and an All-American for Stanford in March, won Greco-Roman and Freestyle titles. He earned the 77-kg spot on the U.S. National Team, competing at the U23 Pan American Championships on June 21-22 in Colombia.
Garvin swept Brendon Abdon, of Arkansas RTC, recording a pin in the first match and ending it with an 8-4 decision.
“I love it,” said Garvin, who added a freestyle national crown. “I’m out there having fun. I’m having a blast. I love that I’m just trying to put on a show for people, my teammates, friends, loved ones or whoever just watching.”
Garvin was joined by Voelker, a former West Delaware two-time state champion, who competed at the U20 World Championships in 2023. Voelker beat New York Athletic Club’s Michael Altomer, 7-5 and 8-0, for the 97-kg spot.
UNI’s Cory Land and John Gunderson and Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson won age-level titles. Johnson claimed the U23 70-kg championship in freestyle.
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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