IOWA CITY -- The No. 2 Iowa men's wrestling team hosts No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday in a weekend of top tier duals in the state.
No. 5 Northern Iowa hosts No. 3 Oklahoma State on Friday and No. 22 Oklahoma on Saturday while No. 13 Iowa State hosts the Sooners on Friday and Cowboys on Sunday.
On Tuesday head coach Tom Brands said he expected the Hawkeyes (8-0, 2-0 Big Ten) to see a spirited Buckeyes (11-0, 3-0 Big Ten) squad in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"They are fired up I am sure," Brands said. "Tom Ryan, as far as colleagues go, (is) definitely one of my favorites for sure. We have to be ready."
Ohio State finished third, behind Oklahoma State and Nebraska, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational last month, led by a first-place finish from reigning Big Ten champion Jesse Mendez at 141.
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And, the Buckeyes have picked up wins over No. 21 North Carolina, 23-11, and No. 14 Iowa State, 29-10, since the tournament.
Mendez enters Saturday's dual as the top-ranked wrestler at 141 while five other Ohio State wrestlers rank inside the top according to Intermat. Nick Bouzakis ranks 10th at 133, Dylan D'Emilio ranks 9th at 149, Paddy Gallagher sits at 9th at 165, Carson Kharchla ranks 6th at 174 and Nick Feldman ranks 6th at heavyweight.
When asked whether or not facing a talented Buckeye team is advantageous for Iowa with a road dual against No. 1 Penn State looming next week, Brands said he did not feel the schedule should have that level of impact on his team.
"The way that you are wired, as a top-flight competitor, I think you keep that perspective anyway," Brands said. "It is maybe tough to stray when you are not tested. Maybe, Ohio State can test us, but we are in the Big Ten now. So, we are going to get everybody's best shot. We have to be ready to go."
The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 42-4, including 34 consecutive wins from 1967-2011, and owns a 15-1 all-time record in Iowa City. The Buckeyes' lone road win over Iowa occurred in 1929.
The Hawkeyes won the last meeting between the programs. 21-12, in Columbus, Ohio in 2022.
The sold-out dual will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and the Hawkeye Radio Network.
Teemer nears return
Arizona State transfer Jacori Teemer exited Iowa's dual against Iowa State due to injury and has not returned to the Hawkeyes' lineup since.
In his place, freshman Miquel Estrada took over at 157 and picked up wins over Princeton's Cody Tavoso, Wisconsin's Luke Mechler and Illinois's Jason Kraisser, the 20th ranked wrestler at 157.
Teemer, ranked No. 1 by Intermat and FloWrestling, returned to the Hawkeyes probable lineup for the upcoming dual against Ohio State alongside Estrada.
"We are going to not sacrifice health," Brands said. "But, it is important if he can go. If he cannot go, the most important thing is to continue to build him so he can go. We are at that point where we have gotten to that point where he could go.
"He is a character. It (his recovery) has been really good."
Caliendo's Hot Start
After finishing third at 165 at the 2024 Big Ten Championships and fourth at the NCAA Championships, junior Michael Caliendo opened the 2024-25 season 12-0, including a first-place finish at the Soldier Salute last month and four ranked wins.
The former North Dakota State transfer is up to No. 2 in the nation across all four major ranking services at 165 in his second year with the program.
"I can feel myself getting better," Caliendo said. "With the results that I have put on the mat, and just how I am feeling in the wrestling room, how I am feeling just practicing and then taking the stuff that I have learned from the practice room and implementing it into my live wrestling -- that is a whole different thing as well -- I can really just show the work that I have been putting in in the practice room."
The 184 Decision
Top-10 ranked Gabe Arnold, who wrestled at 174 during the 2023-24 season, discussed the Hawkeyes' log jam at 184 during a media availability on Tuesday.
"Tom said it perfectly, 'There is nothing wrong with friendly competition,'" Arnold said. "At the end of the day, that is all it is. I think people get caught up like this and that. ... At the end of the day, we are brothers. We are going to bang it out in this room every single day.
"Of course, there is tension. Of course, everybody wants to be the guy. But, you say you want to be the best, yet you shy away from competition when you got a guy chasing the same goal as you? I love it."
Former 2024 No. 1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler Angelo Ferrari owns a 10-0 record at 184 this season.
"I am a competitive guy," Arnold said. "Me and Angelo are going to help each other grow to levels that you guys cannot even think of, I cannot even think of, Tom, Terry, Morningstar cannot even think of.
"It is not about who is going to be the guy. It is about who is the best guy that is going to go out there and put results out on the mat. And, if that is not me, that is not me, but I have a good feeling that it is me, and I have a good feeling that me and Angelo have a great relationship, and, no matter what happens, we are still going to be in each other's corner."
Brands also discussed Arnold's comments.
"We are going to put the best team on the mat," Brands said. "We want our individuals to succeed and be successful. So, we are going to give them their best chance. We have a little bit of a log jam there. We will see how it shakes out."
Brands called the depth at 184 and across his roster as important for the team.
"It is critical. It is crucial," Brands said. "You do not take health for granted. You have to have the next man up when it is time to have that next man up. And, you want reliable people. You want reliable wrestlers."
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Ethan Petrik is a University of Iowa beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at ethan.petrik@wcfcourier.com.
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