K.J. Pilcher

Real Woods has been forged in the fires of his experiences. The successful and smooth stints have been much more prevalent than the rough and bumpy stretches, but both have built him into the wrestler — and person — he is today.

Parker Keckeisen has applied the work ethic he learned from his parents to his wrestling career. His dedication and relentless pursuit of his best has elevated Northern Iowa’s three-time All-American to the top of college wrestling’s 184-pound weight class.

Iowa, Iowa State, UNI and former Iowa preps have compelling stories that could play out at the NCAA Division I Wrestlin Championships this week at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Coe’s Cade Hornback ran the gauntlet just to face another. Hornback survived a regional field that included four wrestlers in the top six nationally and advanced to his first berth to the NCAA Division III Championships at La Crosse, Wis., beginning Friday at 11 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel didn’t have a win in his first two Big 12 Championships appearances. Happel reversed the trend by winning his first three bouts Saturday to reach the 141-pound finals at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Iowa State went 14-3 in the opening session of the Big 12 Championships Saturday at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Cyclones have seven semifinalists with six earning automatic NCAA berths. UNI has four semifinalists and was fourth in the team standings.

McKendree’s Cam Guerin realized wrestling was going to be a lifelong endeavor at an early age. She excelled at the high school level, winning four state titles in Washington, a national title and two Pan-Am titles. The two-time U.S. Junior World Team member was in search of her fourth NCWWC title

North Central’s Jaslynn Gallegos won the 116-pound NCWWC title last season and dropped down to 109 to coincide with the Olympic weights for later this spring. Kendra Ryan was an All-American at 109 for the Cardinals last year. Both are vying for the same prize this season.

Brody Teske’s college career has included three programs in two states. He has also earned three trips to the NCAA Championships. In his sixth and final season, Teske will represent Iowa at 133 pounds for the Big Ten Championships this weekend at Maryland.

Doug Streicher lifted Linn-Mar wrestling to new heights. After 27 seasons, Streicher has decided to retire as a head coach. He plans to remain close to the program and help in different roles.

A big weekend is ahead for wrestling fans in the state of Iowa. The National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships come to Cedar Rapids and the Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa men compete in their respective conference tournaments. We preview them all on this week’s episode of the Pinning Combination podcast.

Iowa has six wrestlers seeded third or better and the competition for postseason spots has been settled. The Hawkeyes will look to try to improve last year’s runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships March 9-10 at Maryland.

Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia (141) and Casey Swiderski at 149 and Northern Iowa 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen earned No. 1 seeds for the Big 12 Wrestling Championships this weekend at Tulsa, Okla.

The Big Ten Conference announced the pre-seeds Monday for conference tournament this weekend at University of Maryland in College Park, Md. The Hawkeyes have six seeded third or better.

The road to the NCAA Division III national tournament is tough for midwest programs compared to other regions in the country. Pre-seeds have been released for the Big Ten and Big 12 conference tournaments. Grand View men’s team wins 12th NAIA title. Upper Iowa advance two to nationals in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.