Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy moves down and moves into Soldier Salute wrestling tournament semifinals

CORALVILLE — Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy spent just 85 seconds in his first match.

The match was the first for him at 165 pounds, the weight he wrestled the last two seasons. He was an NCAA qualifier at 165 in March.

“I just went up, coming back from injury,” Kennedy said about wrestling at 174 in duals after his return from a knee scope. “The team needed me and it was the best for the lineup.

“I’m just out there to compete and get better. I’m just doing it to get ready, get reps and continue to build for the end of the year.”

Kennedy decked Iowa State’s Connor Euton in the first session of the second annual Soldier Salute Friday morning at Xtream Arena. He was one of 14 Hawkeye men’s wrestlers, excluding unattached wrestlers, to reach the quarterfinals.

Iowa led the team race in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. The Hawkeye men’s team had 109 1/2 points, 28.5 more than Minnesota. Northern Iowa was third with 56.

The Hawkeye women tallied 95 points, leading NAIA power Life (Ga.) University by 10 1/2. Indiana Tech was third with 49.

Kennedy was joined in the quarterfinals by teammate Michael Caliendo, a returning All-American who transferred from North Dakota State this season. Two capable competitors at one weight, creating depth and flexibility for the Hawkeyes.

Kennedy made his debut by helping Iowa beat Iowa State with a win at 174. He’s had more mat time and has improved conditioning, though it wasn’t needed in his opener. Kennedy led 6-1 when he put Euton on his back, adjusting patiently until getting the fall in 1:25.

“I felt great,” second-seeded Kennedy said. “It was short.

“He gave me position and I hit it hard. I exploited him and ended the match. You put a guy on his back and always end it with a pin.”

Some of the proceeds of the Soldier Salute go to United Service Organizations (USO) and a development fund targeted toward the continued growth of high school girls wrestling, according to the event website. The event raised $13,000 last season for the USO.

Kennedy has family and friends connected to the military. His grandfather, Bill, was stationed overseas and deployed but didn’t see front-line action during the Korean War. A family neighbor served in Afghanistan from the beginning. He has a lot of respect for those who have served.

“I go out and wrestle hard every time because I do have the freedom,” Kennedy said. “When Veterans Day and Memorial Day comes around, I always reach out to a lot of people I know and say thanks.

“They just want me to go out there and compete the way I know how.”

Iowa 125-pounder Drake Ayala reached the finals last season, falling to Spencer Lee. He wasted little time to advance to the semifinals this year. He posted a 19-4 first-period technical fall over Navy’s Hayden Benter in the quarterfinals.

The Hawkeyes hoarded three of the four 133-pound semifinal spots. Top-seeded Cullan Schriever notched an 8-6 comeback victory over Missouri’s Eric Lovelace. Iowa freshman Kale Petersen, who is wrestling unattached, set a semifinal date with teammate Brody Teske. Petersen beat North Carolina’s Jace Palmer, 2-1, after a 12-5 win over Columbia’s 20th-ranked Angelo Rini. Teske reached the semifinals with a pin in his first match and a 4-0 decision over Minnesota’s Jake Gliva in the quarterfinals.

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Iowa NCAA finalist Real Woods stormed into the semifinals. The top-seeded 141-pounder posted two technical falls, outscoring his opponents, 31-0.

Caleb Rathjen and Victor Voinovich both reached the 149 semifinals for the Hawkeyes and will face each other for a finals berth. Jared Franek (157) and Michael Caliendo (165) were No. 1 seeds. Both reached the semifinals for the Hawkeyes.

Franek, a returning All-American, will face Iowa State’s Jason Kraisser, an NCAA qualifier, in the semifinals.

Kraisser was the Cyclones’ only official semifinalist. Kraisser won his first contest by major decision and pinned Navy’s Jonathan Ley in the quarterfinals.

Iowa freshman phenom Gabe Arnold was the top seed at 174. He opened with a 17-3 major over Nebraska’s Adam Thebeau and moved into the semifinals with a 12-2 major decision over Bellarmine’s Devan Hendricks.

Zach Glazier (184) rounded out Iowa’s 12 semifinalists. He posted technical falls in each of his two bouts Friday.

Iowa women dominate on Day 1

Iowa’s women were also dominant. The Hawkeyes combined to go a whopping 23-6 in pool rounds during the first session. Sterling Dias (101), Ava Bayless (109) and 116-pounder Brianna Gonzalez each had two technical falls.

Former Charles City state champion Lily Luft, who won an IGHSAU sanctioned state crown in the same arena in February, was also unbeaten in the opening sessions. Luft (136) outscored two foes by a total of 19-0, posting a decision and technical fall.

Reese Larramendy (143) jumped to a quick start with a pin and technical fall in her first two matches.

Bella Mir was the most dominant. Iowa’s 155-pounder posted consecutive pins in the first session. Haley Ward went 5-0 at 170 for Iowa on the first day.

Dias, Gonzalez, Bella Ngo (123), Emily Frost at 130, Anakya Besco (136), Luft, Larramendy, Mir, Ward and 191-pounder Alivia White reached the semifinals.

“It is great to have 10 of our athletes advancing through to the semifinals,” Iowa coach Clarissa Chun said. “Every time we step on the mat, whether it’s at practice or in competition, our goal is to get 1 percent better. I am always extremely proud of their efforts and how they carry themselves on and off of the mat. Coming back from winter break and performing the way they did shows how locked in they are. We are excited to be back in action tomorrow.”

Also of note, Anthony and A.J. Ferrari both advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals. Anthony was the top seed at 149, while A.J. was No. 1 at 197. A.J., who won an NCAA title for Oklahoma State as a freshman in 2021, posted a technical fall over Iowa State’s Cole Carlucci, 21-4, with a minute left in the match.

A.J. declined an interview, opting to wait until after the competition on Saturday.

UNI advances 6 to quarterfinals

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Northern Iowa brought some reserves and placed six in the quarterfinals. True freshman 184-pounder C.J. Walrath delivered a notable victory in the second round. The Class 2A state champion from West Burlington-Notre Dame defeated North Carolina’s No. 2 seed and returning All-American Gavin Kane, 8-2, to reach the quarterfinals.

Much of the scoring occurred in the first 30 seconds. Walrath exploded for an early takedown before surrendering a reversal for a 3-2 lead. Walrath added an escape late in the first and both exchanged escapes the final two periods.

“We tell guys you’re good. You’re there,” Schwab said. “They have to beat somebody sometimes for them to go, ‘You’re right, Coach.’ He was there before this happened but I think it builds confidence.”

Walrath could be the heir apparent at the 184-pound spot that has seen Drew Foster win an NCAA title, followed by Taylor Lujan, who was the NCAA’s top seed when the 2020 nationals were canceled due to COVID-19 and now manned by NCAA finalist and top-ranked Parker Keckeisen.

Walrath has demonstrated he’s ready for the baton when it’s passed.

“He has one of the best partners in the country,” UNI Coach Doug Schwab said of Walrath training with Keckeisen. “It’s almost like who is going to carry the torch at 184. He’s like I’m going to be the next guy and there’s not going to be any drop off. Now, he must follow that up at a high level. That’s a good win for him.”

The Panthers’ Jack Thomsen had a breakout showing at the inaugural Soldier Salute last season. He was wrestling for South Dakota State when he went 3-1 last season and earned a runner-up finish at 165.

Thomsen transferred to UNI and won his opening match, scoring a takedown 40 seconds into sudden victory-1 to topple Iowa’s Drake Rhodes, 4-1.

“They’re not always going to be pretty,” Schwab said. “They don’t have to be. Sometimes you have to find a way to win a tough, hard-fought match. Once you get one underneath your belt you can build some momentum.

“There were some good scrambles in that match. Rhodes is really long and keeps his distance. He (Thomsen) kept attacking. … We’re all trying to make progress and move forward, trying to see how these guys compete.”

Izzy Moreno was the lone Panther to make the semifinals. He beat Andrew Cerniglia, 6-5, in the 165 quarterfinals. He will face Kennedy Saturday morning.

Tournament takedowns

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* Iowa has an impact on many of the coaching staffs in attendance at the Soldier Salute. Former Hawkeyes Troy Steiner is an assistant at Minnesota. Iowa NCAA champions Brent Metcalf and Tony Ramos were coaching. Metcalf is the top assistant at Iowa State, while Ramos is a North Carolina assistant. Ned Shuck wrestled at Iowa and is the head coach at NCAA Division II Bellarmine, where former Iowa City West prep Grant O’Dell wrestles. Former Hawkeyes Jake Kadel and Cash Wilcke coach William Penn’s women’s team. Former UNI wrestlers Cody Caldwell and Blaize Cabell were cornering wrestlers Friday. Caldwell is an assistant for SDSU, while Cabell is a Navy assistant.

* Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson competed Friday. Johnson was one of the Cyclones’ casualties to the sports wagering investigation. Johnson wrestled at 157, opening with a 23-7 technical fall over Isaiah Fenton. He also reached the semifinals, taking on SDSU’s No. 2 seed Cael Swensen.

* O’Dell wasn’t the only former West prep on the mat. Graham Gambrall returned to the Iowa City area. Gambrall wrestled 174 for Oregon State and recorded a 17-2 technical fall over Iowa State’s Caden Schmidt in the round of 16.

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