K.J. Pilcher

The Hawkeyes had an interesting weekend. Plus, Coe and Upper Iowa picked up impressive wins, Brad Smith got his 700th dual victory and the IHSAA released regional dual pairings.

Ella Brown is Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s most experienced wrestler. She understands the responsibility that comes with that distinction, recruiting classmates to come out before the season, sharing her knowledge with teammates in practice and performing in competition.

Spencer Lee recorded his fifth straight pin and third over a top-eight opponent, igniting the second-ranked Hawkeyes to their 14th straight dual win and 14th in a row against No. 11 Nebraska.

Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Alex Bumba dedicated more time to the offseason. He qualified for the Junior Nationals in freestyle at Fargo, N.D., last summer. The improvements are a direct result of his spring and summer wrestling.

Erika Brokovich followed her mom’s suggestion to attend a wrestling practice and became hooked. She posted a big victory Thursday night, beating Cedar Falls’ fifth-ranked Lauren Nicholas.

Nelson Brands balances his offseason climbing quests with the intense wrestling season. The Iowa 174-pound wrestler has scaled 22 14,000-foot mountains.

This week’s Pinning Combination podcast starts with some reminiscing — our favorite wrestling memories in 40 years of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Plus, we look back at the week in college and high school wrestling in Iowa.

Iowa high school wrestling notebook: Williamsburg’s season started with some uncertainty. Strong work ethic and a business-like approach has propelled the Raiders to No. 7 in the latest Class 2A dual rankings.

Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association dual rankings will help determine regional dual sites and pairings over the next two weeks. The latest rankings were released. High school and college action highlighted the weekend.

WIlliamsburg 120-pounder Gavin Jensen continued his senior season success with a title at the Loyd Shaffer Marion Invitational. He pinned his way through the bracket and improved to 26-4 overall

Iowa won seven matches and defeated Northwestern, 27-9, to remain unbeaten. The Hawkeyes are 10-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten.

Class 1A second-ranked Alburnett posted identical Tri-Rivers Conference dual wins, beating both No. 3 Lisbon and North Linn, 50-24, Thursday night at Lisbon.

Max Murin has transformed a lesson from Terry Brands into results in his final college campaign. He already has a career-best nine bonus-point victories entering second-ranked Iowa’s dual against No. 11 Northwestern on Friday night.

In a little more than a month, longtime Lisbon and Iowa City High head coach Brad Smith will add one more accolade to a long list. Smith will lead the famed Grand March, escorting the 336 medalists to be recognized by the crowd before the finals of the 2023 traditional boys’ state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Watch or listen to the January 11, 2023 Pinning Combination podcast, talking all things wrestling in Iowa. On this episode: Big wins for Iowa, UNI and Iowa State and a packed weekend of high school tournaments.