MADISON — In a dominant display of wrestling prowess, the Iowa Badgers overwhelmed Wisconsin by a score of 45-0 at UW Field House on January 12, 2025. The Hawkeyes controlled the action from start to finish in this key conference matchup.

Early Hawkeyes Momentum

The action began at 125 pounds where Joey Cruz (Iowa) won by decision (8-2) to give the visitors an early lead at Wisconsin 0, Iowa 3. The 133-pound bout saw Drake Ayala (Iowa) won by technical fall in 6:07 (21-6), extending the visitors' advantage at Wisconsin 0, Iowa 8. The 141-pound bout saw Jace Rhodes (Iowa) earned a decision (6-3), extending the visitors' advantage at Wisconsin 0, Iowa 11.

Key Middle Bouts

The momentum firmly shifted to Hawkeyes beginning at 125 pounds, as the visitors put together a crucial streak of 10 consecutive victories. At 125 pounds, Joey Cruz won by decision, followed by Drake Ayala with a technical fall at 133 pounds, followed by Jace Rhodes with a decision at 141 pounds, followed by Kyle Parco with a technical fall at 149 pounds, followed by Miguel Estrada with a decision at 157 pounds, followed by Michael Caliendo with a technical fall at 165 pounds, followed by Patrick Kennedy with a technical fall at 174 pounds, followed by Gabe Arnold with a pin at 184 pounds, followed by Stephen Buchanan II with a pin at 197 pounds, and at 285 pounds, Ben Kueter capped the run with a major decision, pushing the score to Wisconsin 0, Iowa 45.

Sealing the Victory

With the team victory already secured for Iowa, at 184 pounds, Gabe Arnold (Iowa) pinned his opponent in 1:27, followed by Stephen Buchanan II at 197 pounds who earned a fall, In the final bout at 285 pounds, Ben Kueter won by major decision (8-0), making the final score Wisconsin 0, Iowa 45.

Takedown Statistics

In the takedown battle, Iowa led with a 29 takedown advantage. Overall, Wisconsin finished with 2 takedowns to Iowa's 31. Michael Caliendo (Iowa) led all wrestlers with 7 takedowns, followed by Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) with 6 takedowns and Drake Ayala (Iowa) with 5 takedowns.

Bout-by-Bout Analysis