IOWA CITY — The Iowa wrestling team defended home territory with a 37-3 victory over the visiting Northwestern at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 16, 2025. The event drew a crowd of 12807 fans. The Hawkeyes claimed victory in this important conference dual meet.

Early Wildcats Momentum

The action began at 157 pounds where Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) earned a decision (4-1) to give the visitors an early lead at Iowa 0, Northwestern 3. The 165-pound bout saw Michael Caliendo (Iowa) won by technical fall in 3:28 (19-4), giving the home team the lead at Iowa 5, Northwestern 3. The 174-pound bout saw Nelson Brands (Iowa) dominated with a tech fall in 5:18 (21-5), extending the home team's advantage at Iowa 10, Northwestern 3.

Key Middle Bouts

The momentum firmly shifted to Hawkeyes beginning at 165 pounds, as the home team put together a crucial streak of 9 consecutive victories. At 165 pounds, Michael Caliendo won by technical fall, followed by Nelson Brands with a technical fall at 174 pounds, followed by Gabe Arnold with a major decision at 184 pounds, followed by Stephen Buchanan II with a technical fall at 197 pounds, followed by Ben Kueter with a technical fall at 285 pounds, followed by Joey Cruz with a decision at 125 pounds, followed by Jesse Ybarra with a decision at 133 pounds, followed by Cullan Schriever with a major decision at 141 pounds, and at 149 pounds, Kyle Parco capped the run with a decision, pushing the score to Iowa 37, Northwestern 3.

Sealing the Victory

With the team victory already secured for Iowa, at 133 pounds, Jesse Ybarra (Iowa) prevailed by decision (7-3), followed by Cullan Schriever at 141 pounds who earned a major decision (9-0), In the final bout at 149 pounds, Kyle Parco secured a decision victory (9-2), making the final score Iowa 37, Northwestern 3.

Takedown Statistics

In the takedown battle, Iowa led with a 34 takedown advantage. Overall, Iowa finished with 35 takedowns to Northwestern's 1. Nelson Brands (Iowa) led all wrestlers with 7 takedowns, followed by Michael Caliendo (Iowa) with 6 takedowns and Ben Kueter (Iowa) with 6 takedowns.

Bout-by-Bout Analysis