Iowa

Go Iowa Awesome – Ben Kueter To Focus on Wrestling at Iowa For Next 10 Months

Published

2 years ago

June 4, 2024

Go Iowa Awesome – Ben Kueter To Focus on Wrestling at Iowa For Next 10 Months

Ben Kueter, a star local athlete in multiple sports at Iowa City West, was a major get when he committed to Iowa. A four-star football recruit and one of the top prospects in the state, Kueter was an even more elite wrestling prospect, where he was one of the top recruits in the entire nation. (Kueter was also a standout baseball player and track athlete as a prep.) He came to Iowa with ambitious plans: to play football for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football team and wrestle for Tom Brands and the Hawkeye wrestling team.

As of today, though, Kueter’s attention will be on just one sport, as he announced plans to focus on wrestling for the next 10 months.

This decision comes on the heels of a very successful weekend for Kueter in wrestling, as he claimed a U20 national championship at the U20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio. Kueter went 5-0 in the 125 kg division to claim a freestyle national championship — and a spot on the United State team that will compete at the U20 World Championships in Spain this fall.

Kueter’s performance began with a 3-0 showing in the challenge tournament, as he recorded a 10-0 technical fall win over Duke’s Connor Barket, before picking up an 8-7 win over Oregon State’s Aden Attao and an 11-2 win over Michigan commit Nicholas Sahakian. In the best-of-3 finals, Kueter beat Virginia Tech athlete Jimmy Mullen (himself a two-sport athlete in football and wrestling with the Hokies) in two straight matches, 5-4 and 5-3.

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The Calendar Crunch

Qualifying for the U20 World Championship was a tremendous accomplishment for Kueter — but it also introduced a new complication to his plans to compete in football and wrestling at Iowa. The U20 World Championships are set to take place in Spain from September 2-8 this year. Those dates overlap with one Iowa football game (9/7 against Iowa State) and come just a few days after another (the 8/31 season opener against Illinois State).

Not only would Kueter miss both of those football games, but his ability to take part in Iowa football’s fall training camp in August would also be compromised by the need to train for wrestling and prepare for the U20 World Championships. Kueter’s goal at Iowa has been to balance both football and wrestling, but that only works if the schedules aren’t in conflict with one another; when they are, then a choice has to be made.

This time, Kueter’s choice is wrestling. As he said in his announcement, he wants to focus on wrestling for the next 10 months “in order to win a World title, NCAA title, and a NCAA team title.” The World title opportunity will come a the U20 World Championships, while the NCAA title — and NCAA team title — chances will come in Philadelphia next March.

Still, Kueter also emphasized that he isn’t shutting the door on football, either. “This is not the end of my football career,” he said. “I will start back up in spring ball [in 2025].”

The Wrestling Impact

This is a decision that does seem to make the most sense for Kueter this season — for wrestling and for football. The chance to win an age-level world championship is obviously a tremendous opportunity and it’s sensible for Kueter to maximize his chance to win that title.

Focusing exclusively on wrestling for the next 10 months should also put him in the best position to succeed in a black and gold singlet this winter, too. Kueter joined the wrestling team after the football season last year and went 3-1 in very limited action while preserving his redshirt. Kueter’s lone loss was a 9-1 major decision defeat against eventual national champion Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State.

Getting a full training camp ahead of the 2024-25 college wrestling season and being able to compete with the Hawkeyes on the mat for the entire season will give him a much better chance to excel on the mat at the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments next winter. It will also provide an excellent opportunity to assess where Kueter stands with the other top college heavyweights.

The Football Impact

Not competing in football in 2024 also makes a fair bit of sense for Kueter, particularly given the logjam on the depth chart. Iowa returns all three starting linebackers from last year — Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, and Kyler Fisher. The next men in on the depth chart — Jaden Harrell, Jaxon Rexroth, and Karson Sharar — are all players with multiple years in the program as well. Earning playing time at linebacker this fall looked like a very difficult proposition for Kueter.

Next spring is guaranteed to be a time of transition at linebacker for Iowa’s defense — Higgins, Jackson, and Fisher will have exhausted their eligibility, so there will be a need for new faces in the linebacker unit. The competition for playing time will still be fierce — Harrell, Rexroth, and Sharar could all be back, and Kueter will also need to compete against the trio of notable LB prospects in Iowa’s incoming freshmen class (Cam Buffington, Preston Ries, and Derek Weisskopf) — but there should be greater opportunities for playing time with Higgins, Jackson, and Fisher gone.

That said, the long-term picture for Kueter’s ability to do both football and wrestling at Iowa is still unclear. The U20 World Championships won’t overlap with future football seasons, but the ability to balance both football and wrestling — and try to be elite at both — will still be very difficult. But that’s also a problem to sort out in the future, for the next 10 months, Ben Kueter is all in on wrestling at Iowa, which is an exciting development for Kueter and the Iowa wrestling team.

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Iowa

Where to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana today, TV, time

Published

10 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Where to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana today, TV, time

Looking for a second road win this week, No. 14 Iowa women’s basketball heads to Indiana for today’s 4 p.m. contest inside Assembly Hall. BTN will televise the game.

The Hawkeyes (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten Conference) remained perfect in league play with a 67-58 win at Northwestern on Jan. 5, a game in which Iowa survived despite enduring heavy foul trouble.

Meanwhile, Indiana (11-6, 0-5) has reached desperation territory. The Hoosiers have dropped four straight, including two at home, during this extended skid.

Here’s how to watch today’s game.

Watch Iowa vs. Indiana on Fubo (free trial)

What channel is Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana on today?

Iowa vs. Indiana time today

Date: Sunday, Jan. 11
Start time: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

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Iowa

Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals

Published

22 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS − The undefeated start to the Iowa women’s wrestling program has ended after the Hawkeyes lost a dual for the first time in program history at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 10.

A 40-5 win over William Jewell College and a 39-3 victory over Sacred Heart set up a major semifinal clash with rival North Central College on Jan. 10.

Iowa won six of 10 matches in the semifinals. Karlee Brooks beat national runner-up Yele Aycock by a 8-4 decision, 138-pounder Skye Realin defeated a former national champion by a 6-6 score on criteria in Claire Dicugno with a four-point throw at the buzzer, Reese Larramendy knocked off No. 1 ranked and former Hawkeye teammate Bella Mir in a 10-4 decision at 145 and 180-pounder Kylie Welker wrestled and won in just her second match back after a period of rest to start the season.

All of those wins helped put Iowa in front, 21-18, going into the final bout at 207 pounds.

What did the Hawkeyes in was losses by fall at 110, 124 and 207. The 207 loss, with Dasia Yearby pinning Jaycee Foeller in the first period, gave North Central a 23-21 victory despite the Cardinals dropping six of 10 matches. North Central also scored team points in nine of 10 bouts because they scored match points and did not lose by fall.

As a result, the Iowa program’s 42-0 unblemished record in duals was broken.

The final result was eerily similar to the dual between the two teams at the same tournament two years ago, where the Hawkeyes also lost six of 10 bouts, but got crucial bonus points and at least one team point in all 10 bouts to escape with a 21-20 win.

Iowa women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun emphasized to her team two years ago that every point mattered in the win. This time around, it worked against them as the Cardinals got the upset victory.

“Every point does matter,” Chun said. “You can’t replicate those moments in those times, in certain moments and positions. We got to be better at finishing, that’s apparent. We can get to the legs, but we got to continue to wrestle through that to the strong finish.”

Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

Chun said the emotions were raw afterwards, with wrestlers in and out of the lineup taking the loss to heart. Welker, who won her bout 8-2 against Jael Miller, took it hard since she nearly had a pin that could have flipped the final result.

“There was a lot of us that felt it was hard to take a loss, especially for me, and there was a couple other girls that took it pretty hard,” Welker said. “I have girls that look to me, so I’m like, ‘I got to pull myself together and step forward with them, alongside them so we can finish this tournament.’”

Ultimately, the Hawkeyes finished with a win in the third-place bout shortly after by defeating a solid Grand Valley State team, 26-15. The main difference, they said, was the positive energy exuded from the coaching staff to not harp on the past and look for the next best thing.

Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

While the loss brings an unfamiliar feeling to the program, it’s something they knew would come eventually. While it was their main rival today, McKendree will also present a tough challenge to the field when the NCAA Championships come in March.

Behind stars Welker and Kennedy Blades, rising wrestlers like Brooks and Realin, as well as proven veterans in Larramendy, Brianna Gonzalez and Foeller, Iowa will have a good chance to win a third-consecutive team title this season.

Even in a crushing loss, they got some key wins from those like Realin, Larramendy and Brooks that bode well for the Hawkeyes in the future. The places they faltered were spots they’ll have confidence to bounce back or won’t apply come the NCAA Championships, like Nyla Valencia’s loss by fall after controlling most of the bout at 110 pounds, and Welker and Blades giving up team points in their matches.

Regardless, the third-place finish served as a reminder to the program and fans alike that this year is going to bring Iowa’s toughest challenge yet.

“Everyone on our team knows it, this sport has depth,” Chun said. “There are great wrestlers across the entire country.”

Iowa women’s wrestling’s results at NWCA National Duals

Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker’s National Duals press conference

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker discusses program’s first loss

Round of 16: Iowa 40, William Jewell College 5

103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Juliana Alejandro (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
110 – Nyla Valencia (Iowa) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
117 – Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell College) over Harlee Hiller (Iowa) Fall 1:04
124 – Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) over Miyah Palacios (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
131 – Emily Frost (Iowa) over Shelby Kemp (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
138 – Lilly Luft (Iowa) over Zainab Ibrahim (William Jewell College) Fall 2:01
145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Mckinzie Ross (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Paige Barber (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
180 – Katja Osteen (Iowa) over Jianna Chavez (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
207 – Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) over Desiree Hall (William Jewell College) TF 10-0

Quarterfinal: Iowa 39, Sacred Heart University 3

103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Aaliyah Payne-Parris (Sacred Heart) Fall 0:54
110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Tiffany Stoshak (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Tatiana Walker (Sacred Heart) TF 11-0
124 – Cali Leng (Iowa) over Lauren Nguyen (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
131 – Bella Williams (Iowa) over Bella Sowards (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Elleahna Anderson (Sacred Heart) Fall 2:21
145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Selena Sifuentes shaffer (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Love Daley (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Madeline Hodges (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
207 – Josephine Larson (Sacred Heart) over Libby Dix (Iowa) Dec 5-2

Semifinal: North Central College 23, Iowa 21

103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Brianne Graves (North Central College) TF 12-0
110 – Kaelani Shufeldt (North Central College) over Nyla Valencia (Iowa) Fall 5:38
117 – Riley Rayome (North Central College) over Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) Dec 3-3
124 – Sara Sterner (North Central College) over Cali Leng (Iowa) Fall 1:45
131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Yele Aycock (North Central College) Dec 8-4
138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Claire Dicugno (North Central College) Dec 6-6
145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Bella Mir (North Central College) Dec 10-4
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Taylor Graveman (North Central College) TF 11-1
180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Jael Miller (North Central College) Dec 8-2
207 – Dasia Yearby (North Central College) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 1:38

Third-place dual: Iowa 26, Grand Valley State 15

103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State) Dec 7-0
110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Kiely Tabaldo (Grand Valley State) Dec 6-0
117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Libby Roberts (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
124 – Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) over Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) Fall 0:37
131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) Dec 8-3
138 – Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) over Lilly Luft (Iowa) TF 10-0
145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Margaret Buurma (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Noelle Gaffney (Grand Valley State) Fall 3:45
180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Maddison Ward (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
207 – Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 4:47

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

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