Let's Talk About the 2019 Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling Team

Last weekend, I flew up to northeast Ohio to see the Iowa Wrestling team take on Cal State Bakersfield and Kent State to open up their season. My wife may say that I flew up to Ohio for our baby shower, but there wasn't a chance I was flying up to the cold and snow unless I got to see some wrestling while I was there. Iowa predictably dominated their two meets, winning 19 of 20 matches, and doing it while not wrestling three of their starters. Here are some quick notes after the first weekend on what to expect the rest of the year.

125 - Spencer Lee
Lee got two tech falls, each of which occurred in the first period. It already seems like a foregone conclusion that he's going undefeated on his way to his second National Title this year. Honestly, I would be surprised if anybody held him to a regular decision, as I see him scoring bonus points in every single match this season. He's on such a different level than any other wrestler at 125, so sit back and enjoy the show.

133 - Austin DeSanto
DeSanto transferred from Drexel last year after a controversial Freshman season. Although some people from other teams may not like his attitude, it's kind of nice having him on our side as all he wants to do is win. Hell, he even stopped Spencer Lee from four state titles in their final high school match. The big takeaway is the guy has a motor, and he's going to be aggressive for all seven minutes of every match that he is in. In the first match, he tech falled a top-20 wrestler early in the second period. In the second match, he got down early, but eventually wore his opponent down and controlled the match in the end. He's going to be fun to watch, but he's probably a level below the top three guys at this weight.

141 - Max Murin
Murin redshirted last season and ended up breaking two bones in his face during a practice halfway through the season. I saw an interview where he couldn't stop laughing about breaking two bones in his face; that would not be my reaction to breaking any bones anywhere, so I can confirm that Max Murin is tougher than me. Also, he looked great in his first two matches of the year. He won by 14 points in both matches which is both great and super aggravating (get one more for the tech, Max). I really think Murin is going to surprise people this year as he is strong, quick, and his technique looked great. I think he has all the tools to be an All-American in his first year, and I'm very excited to see him develop.

149 - Patricio Lugo
Lugo had the lone blemish on Iowa's opening weekend as he lost a close match to the wrestler from Cal State Bakersfield. It was a very disappointing result, and I feel like Lugo might be a wrestler that could beat anybody but could also lose to guys that he should beat. He does a lot of upper body work, because he's built like a fire hydrant, so he will occasionally get big moves, like the pin against Kent State or struggle to get to his offense like what happened in his first match. He's scheduled to take on the #1 ranked guy in the nation in Matt Kolodzik from Princeton this weekend. Last year, Lugo won their match, so it will be interesting if he can bring some chaos to 149, which I think is one of the weakest weight classes in the nation this year.

157 - Kaleb Young
I am very excited to see what Kaleb Young can finally do as a starter this season. He looked very strong during his redshirt season at 165 but was overshadowed by super prospect, Alex Marinelli. Then, he tried his luck up at 174 but barely lost out to Joey Gunther. Now, instead of being undersized at 174, he's looking svelte at 157. He dominated his opponents, even getting a pin in his second match, so it will be very interesting to see how the new weight treats him as the season goes along. It's a tough weight class, but I think Young has the talent to compete for All-American status.

165 - Alex Marinelli
Marinelli made it very clear why they call him The Bull, as he ran through his opponents. He looks bigger this season, so the question becomes how much he can improve on last year's sixth place finish. He's beaten two-time defending champion, Vincenzo Joseph before, but he's also been dominated by second-ranked Evan Wick, so we really won't know about his progress until much later in the season.

174 - Michael Kemerer
Kemerer was the first of three starters that did not wrestle at this meet, but Myles Wilson looked like a capable backup with two victories. The big question with Kemerer will be how he adjusts to switching to a weight class that is 17 pounds heavier than he has wrestled the previous two seasons. The top two guys at this weight, Zahid Valencia and Mark Hall, are two of the best wrestlers at any weight class. I have always been a huge fan of Kemerer, but even I have trouble seeing him wrestling on Saturday night at the NCAAs at the new weight class.

184 - Cash Wilcke
Wilcke is making the opposite move from Kemerer as he is dropping 13 pounds from 197 to wrestle at 184 this year. This move makes a ton of sense as Wilcke was always undersized at 197. He managed to make the Round of 12 the past two years despite a significant size disadvantage so I see no reason he can't improve on his results this season. 184 is another weak weight class, so I fully expect Wilcke to be an All-American this season. But as I've said before, we won't know much about Wilcke until much later in the season as Iowa has an incredibly weak schedule that won't provide many challenges.

197 - Jacob Warner
Warner also did not wrestle this weekend, mostly so Iowa had a reason to keep him away from second-ranked Kyle Conel, from Kent State. This ended up not mattering as Conel reaggravated a shoulder injury during his match against Cal State Bakersfield so he was unable to compete against the Hawkeyes. Instead, Iowa sent out Mitch Bowman in the first match and Connor Corbin for the second. Bowman was wrestling up a weight but kept a high pace and looked impressive despite a size disadvantage. Corbin will be a solid backup, but Iowa needs Warner in the starting lineup to be dangerous at this weight. The weight has Bo Nickal at the top, but a lot of beatable guys beyond that. Warner showed he can compete with anybody, even dominating the current fifth-ranked wrestler, Willie Miklus, during his redshirt season last year. He's a guy who puts up big points, and I'm looking forward to seeing him make his official debut this weekend.

Heavyweight - Sam Stoll
Stoll was the final Iowa wrestler that did not wrestle this weekend, but at least he had a hilarious excuse as he was shot in his leg. He claimed that he shot himself in the leg, but then he was charged with falsifying a police report, so there's a good chance that somebody else did it (allegedly Vince Turk, but outside of his matching suspension, I have no evidence). Anyway, all the top heavyweights graduated, so Sam Stoll enters the season ranked #1. Sam Stoll has had terrible luck throughout his college career. Injuries near the end of the season derailed his first two years, but he finally was healthy and manged to become an All-American last year. So this year he gets shot in the leg to start the year. I don't think he'll go start to finish as number one, but he'll wrestle close with anybody, and here's to hoping that his luck finally comes together during that one weekend that matters in March.

It's a really exciting time to be an Iowa wrestling fan as this team has potential at every weight class and the best guy at any weight class in Spencer Lee. Penn State is going to be tough to beat, but if anybody can do it, it's gonna be the Hawkeyes.