The annual Soldier Salute wrestling tournament concluded with the Iowa Hawkeyes dominating most of the individual matches for both men’s and women’s brackets.
Held at Xtream Arena in Coralville over Dec. 29 and 30, the Hawkeyes hosted 11 schools for the men’s bracket and eight schools for the women’s bracket. The semifinals and finals were held on Dec. 30, spanning 10 different weight classes each. Despite Iowa securing first place in 12 of the 20 weight classes, men’s head coach Tom Brands and women’s head coach Clarissa Chun have already turned the page.
The Hawkeye men secured seven of 10 first-place finishes in individuals: Drake Ayala at 133, Kyle Parco at 149, Michael Caliendo at 165, Patrick Kennedy at 174, Angelo Ferrari at 184, Stephen Buchanan at 197, and Ben Kueter at 285…