This is Iowa's first loss to Minnesota since 2013. The Hawkeyes drop to 9-4 overall.
No. 4 Iowa men's wrestling couldn't overcome an early hole, falling to the rival No. 9 Minnesota Gophers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday.
It marks the Hawkeyes' first loss to Minnesota since the 2013-14 season and their second consecutive home defeat, having lost to No. 1 Penn State two weeks ago.
The Hawkeyes fall to 9-4 on the season.
125 pounds: The dual began with a bout between No.10-ranked Jore Volk of Minnesota and unranked Joey Cruz for the Hawkeyes. Both wrestlers settled in for most of the first period until Volk recorded a takedown with 39 seconds left in the frame to draw first blood.
The Iowa faithful screamed for a stalling foul to be called on Volk early in the second, and he responded by taking complete control of the match, recording an escape and another takedown. Volk rode the momentum to an 8-0 major decision to give the Gophers the early lead.
Team score: Minnesota 4, Iowa 0
133 pounds: Desperate to get the home crowd into the dual, No. 9 Drake Ayala delivered. The senior wasted little time, recording two takedowns in the opening period to seize control. Chris Cannon tried to stay in it with some escapes and reversals, but Ayala completely overpowered him with two additional takedowns in the opening seconds of the third to pull away for a 21-6 triumph.
Team score: Iowa 5, Minnesota 4
141 pounds: Next up was a showdown between Iowa's No. 11 Nasir Bailey and No. 9 Vance VomBaur for Minnesota. Multiple injury timeout slowed the early momentum of the bout, but VomBaur managed to sneak in a few one-pointers to build a 3-0 lead early in the second.
VomBaur maintained that lead for the rest of the frame, and after Bailey was warned for stalling, he capitalized and secured a takedown in the final minute to extend his lead to 6-0. That was all VomBaur needed, and he coasted to an 11-1 major decision.
Team score: Minnesota 8, Iowa 5
149 pounds: Sophomore and No. 16-ranked Ryder Block got his turn to bounce back against No. 24 Drew Roberts, and his match began inauspiciously when Roberts collected a a takedown with 1:13 left in the first frame.
Roberts' lead grew to 4-1 near the end of the third, which is when Block decided to rally. He tallied an escape with 1:23 left to ignite the Carver-Hawkeye crowd, but a late rush was all for naught, and Roberts secured a 4-2 victory.
Team score: Minnesota 11, Iowa 5
157 pounds: The pressure was now completely on No. 12 Jordan Williams, but he fell into an early 3-0 hole after allowing a takedown to No. 21 Charlie Millard at the 1:39 mark.
Williams fought back with a reversal and an escape to trim Millard's lead to 4-3 by the end of the second, setting up an eventful third. Like Block, Williams was denied of a comeback win when Millard registered an escape and a takedown to pull away for the win.
Team score: Minnesota 15, Iowa 5
165 pounds: After the intermission, No. 3 Michael Caliendo took the mat against No. 10 Andrew Sparks of Minnesota. Iowa needed a win in the worst way possible, and Caliendo was up to the challenge. The senior jumped out to a 3-1 lead after one and never looked back, recording three takedowns in the second to extend his edge to 13-4.
Caliendo coasted to an easy win after that, and the Hawkeyes finally had life.
Team score: Minnesota 15, Iowa 9
174 pounds: The energy in Carver-Hawkeye continued to grow after Caliendo's win, and No. 3 Patrick Kennedy fed off it in his bout against No. 24 Ethan Riddle. The fifth-year senior was all over Riddle from the start, jumping to a 6-1 lead and never looking back, winning in an 12-3 rout.
Team score: Minnesota 15, Iowa 13
184 pounds: With Iowa suddenly holding all the momentum, sophomore Gabe Arnold faced the daunting task of beating No. 4 Max McEnelly. After a scoreless first, McEnelly drew first blood with an escape. Arnold tied the bout with an escape early in the third, and it would come down to sudden victory.
Both wrestlers battled for two minutes, but it was McEnelly who had the last laugh. With less than 30 seconds left, he registered a match-winning takedown to turn the tide back to the visitors.
Team score: Minnesota 18, Iowa 13
197 pounds: With the outcome of the dual hanging in the balance, it was up to Harvey Ludington to keep the Hawks alive. Gavin Nelson quickly put a hole in those hopes with a takedown in the first, but Ludington continued to fight, registering an escape to stay close.
Nelson bounced back with an escape of his own in the second to give himself some breathing room. Ludington bounced back with another escape to give himself a chance in the waning minute, but Nelson held him off to secure the dual win for the Gophers.
Team score: Minnesota 21, Iowa 13
Heavyweight: Though most of the crowd had already filed out of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, it didn't stop sophomore Ben Kueter from ending Iowa's disappointing evening on a high note. The No. 8-ranked Keuter collected a takedown five seconds into his bout against Koy Hopke, and that was all he needed to secure a 5-2 victory.
Final score: Minnesota 21, Iowa 16
Up Next
Iowa returns to action next Friday, Feb. 6 for a road matchup at Ohio State. The dual is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. CST on Big Ten Network.
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