We will never stop believing in our team and what they are capable of achieving. That belief fuels everything we do and sets the tone for how we march on each day.
Our entire program—starters, backups, coaches, medical personnel, and support staff—are all poised and focused on the details of winning razor-thin matches. Everything matters when the margin of victory is so small, and it’s that shared understanding that keeps everyone aligned and pushing forward together.
Associate Head Coach, Terry Brands, talks to our athletes regularly about their head–heart connection, linking their innate wisdom and their competitive spirit in order to pour everything into their preparation and competition. His message reinforces the mindset that preparation and belief must work hand in hand.
We know you are with us in pursuing our goals, sharing in the belief, commitment, and pride that define this program. Your energy and support fuel every step of the journey. Thank you for standing with our Hawkeye Wrestlers—together, we march on with belief!
Spencer Lee (57kg), Austin DeSanto (61kg) both brought home medals from the UWW second Rankings Series Tournament in Albania this past week! GOLD & BRONZE!
Spencer won in dominant fashion, winning all four of his bouts via technical superiority, outscoring his opponents 10-0, 15-4, 14-4, 10-0 respectively in pursuit of his second Ranking Series GOLD Medal!!
He opened the tournament versus Todkar (IND), and then faced Dingashvili (GEO) in the quarterfinals, Lehr (GER) in the semifinals, and then finished off his impressive tournament with Gamzatov (RUS) in the championship finals.
Austin DeSanto won bronze and his 3rd international medal of the 2025-26 freestyle season!
In the opening round Austin beat 2025 World silver medalist Almaz Uulu (KGZ) 14-11. Then defeated Meirambek Kartbay (KAZ) a 2024 Paris Olympian in a tight, yet controlled 3-2 quarterfinal match. In the semifinals DeSanto fell to 4x World and Olympic Champion, Zaur Uguev of Russia in the semifinals 0-5. Austin bounced back with a dominant win over fellow American, Nathan Tomasello 8-0 in the bronze medal match.
Stephen Buchanan just represented the HWC at RAF06 where he wrestled Givi Macharashvili of GEO. Givi is a U23 Champion, a 2-time SR World Bronze Medalist and Olympic Silver Medalist. Stephen competed well but fell 3-3 on criteria Saturday evening. Buchanan scored with a push-out and a takedown but Givi countered with a pushout of his own and a late chest lock to edge out Stephen in the 3rd period.
Our Hawkeyes leave tomorrow morning for the B1G Tournament this weekend in State College, PA at the Bryce Jordan Center. The B1G was allocated 87 automatic NCAA qualifiers by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee. The pre-allocation spots for the National Championships are listed in the chart below. You can also read the full NCAA release here.
The Hawkeyes have won 37 team conference titles, more than twice as many as the next closest school (Illinois—17). The complete tournament brackets and official seeds will be released Friday afternoon following the B1G Conference coaches meeting. You can get an idea of the seeds here, with the 2026 B1G Pre-Seeds.
Our lineup has shifted several times throughout the 2025-26 season with multiple athletes stepping in for critical duals. We had 21 athletes contribute in dual meets this season but only 10 can get the nod for B1G & NCAA’s. Shout out to Kael Voinovich, Jordan Williams, Leo DeLuca, Massoma Endene, Gage Marty, Joey Cruz, Easton Fleshman, Harvey Ludington, Keyan Hernandez, Kale Petersen and Brody Sampson for stepping up when called upon this past season!
Our post season lineup features 8 nationally ranked wrestlers, putting us into the #6 slot in the team race. We will never stop believing in our team and what they are capable of achieving. That belief fuels everything we do and sets the tone for how we march on into the post season!
125 Dean Peterson (#7)
133 Drake Ayala (#9)
141 Nasir Bailey (#13)
149 Ryder Block (#14)
157 Victor Voinovich
165 Michael Caliendo (#3)
174 Patrick Kennedy (#3)
184 Angelo Ferrari (#2)
197 Gabe Arnold
285 Ben Kueter (#9)
You can follow all the action 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships Central.
Our next major event is just 2 months away, and we want you there! Our Annual Banquet — Clubmen’s Dinner on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing. Register today for this exciting event — enjoy hor d’oeuvres, and a buffet style dinner, mingle with friends, family, and Hawkeye legends from years past, all while supporting your favorite team!
Our final social of the season will be in partnership with the University of Iowa I-Club between sessions on Friday, March 20th at the NCAA Tournament, just blocks away from Rocket Arena at Whistle Cleveland. Hope to see you there!
Annual Banquet | Saturday, May 2 — Hyatt Regency — Coralville, IA — Open Now!
Riverside Golf Outing | Monday, June 29 — Blue Top Ridge Golf Course — Open Now!
Inner Circle Tailgate Party | Saturday, September 12 — Goschke Training Center — Open Now!
Sporting Clays Shoot | October 2026 — Highland Hideaway — Open Soon
Thank you for supporting our Hawkeyes through another season of wrestling! The postseason is going to be so much fun! After the final whistle blows on March 21st, we hope to see you again very soon at our Annual Banquet–Clubmen’s Celebration to pay tribute to all our athletes!
We greatly appreciate you and your support — GO HAWKS!
Chad Beatty
Executive Director
HAWKEYE WRESTLING CLUB
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