Iowa
Iowa wrestling sees several departures, weight changes on 2024-25 roster
Iowa coach Tom Brands NCAA Finals press conference
Iowa’s Tom Brands discusses team result at NCAA’s, says team and coaching staff will self reflect with season concluded
Iowa wrestling released its roster ahead of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, showcasing several departures and weight changes for the team.
Zach Glazier and Aiden Riggins have both departed for new programs. Glazier confirmed to the Register that he is headed to South Dakota State, while Riggins told the Register he has joined the Iowa State program. Departing alongside them, according to the roster and an Iowa spokesperson, are Bradley Hill, Cobe Siebrecht, Cade Siebrecht and Drake Rhodes, while Stephen Buchanan is on the way in.
More: Iowa wrestling: Oklahoma’s Stephen Buchanan, a top returner at 197, on Hawkeye roster
Hill and Cobe Siebrecht both qualified for the NCAA Championships for the Hawkeyes, Hill doing so in 2024 and Cobe Siebrecht accomplishing the feat in 2023 before sitting out the 2024 campaign due to the controversial gambling suspensions handed to several wrestlers in the program. Cobe Siebrecht has one year of eligibility remaining, while Hill has three.
Hill was praised by the Iowa staff a year ago for his role in stepping up for the suspended Tony Cassioppi, and despite often being overlooked for Ben Kueter, coach Tom Brands lauded the Bettendorf native any chance he got.
“Bradley Hill… he is not chop liver,” Brands said. “He’s a capable, talented and explosive heavyweight that we love.”
With Kueter dedicating a full season to wrestling after qualifying for another U20 World Championships, Hill appears to be looking for other options.
Cobe Siebrecht was a potential option for Iowa at 157 pounds after Jared Franek’s departure, but he and his brother Cade, who were both multi-time Iowa state champions for Lisbon, are looking for new homes as well. Rhodes, who was 16-5 in four tournaments last year, is in the same boat as a 157/165-pound depth guy.
Departures, however, were not the lone notable roster change. Drake Ayala, an NCAA finalist at 125 pounds, was also listed at 133 pounds. That signals a weight change for the Fort Dodge native, who wrestled at the weight at U23 Nationals this summer. If 133 pounds is Ayala’s weight, that changes a few things for Iowa.
More: Former Iowa wrestling national champion Marlynne Deede named assistant at Grand Valley State
First, 125 pounds would now be an open competition between sophomore Joey Cruz, senior Jesse Ybarra and freshmen Dru Ayala (Drake’s brother), Kenyan Hernandez and Anthony Lavezzola. Second, 133 pounds would be filled by Drake Ayala’s talent and experience, likely pushing Kale Petersen and Cullan Schriever to a battle for the 141-pound spot. Petersen and Schreiver both got starts last season and would be the presumptive favorites. Ryder Block was once considered an option at 141, but at this moment, is listed at 149 pounds on the roster.
Granted, the weights on the roster are not the end-all, be-all for the season. Riggins was a 157/165 pound wrestler on the roster last year, before wrestling at 174 or 184 pounds. Patrick Kennedy was listed at 165 pounds before taking over at 174 pounds.
This can all change, but the weight change for Ayala does signal what the Hawkeye coaching staff may be thinking ahead of 2024-25.
The full roster can be viewed on hawkeyesports.com.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him atEmckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
Iowa
Iowa Boys High School Basketball Substate Finals Locked In For 4A
The fourth and final bunch of Iowa high school boys basketball substate championship games are now set after the second round of Class 4A games were completed on Friday, February 27.
Substate championships in Iowa’s largest classification will take place on Tuesday, March 3, with the higher seed serving as host in all eight games. Winners advance to Des Moines, Iowa and the Casey’s Center to compete in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament beginning March 9.
Three-time defending 4A state champion Valley was eliminated by Ankeny, 72-36. The Tigers, who lost all five starters from a year ago, won just one game prior to earning a victory in the opening round of postseason play.
Cedar Falls, who has held the No. 1 spot in 4A throughout the season, scored a dominating 78-45 decision vs. Iowa City High to move on.
Colin Rice, a Nebraska commit for Fred Hoiberg, scored a single-game school-record 50 points as Waukee Northwest topped Iowa City Liberty, 101-58.
Council Bluffs Lincoln, Ames, North Scott, Dowling Catholic, Dubuque Senior, Johnston, Linn-Mar, Muscatine, Norwalk, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Des Moines Roosevelt, Urbandale and Waukee all joined them in the next round after winning games at home.
The 1A and 2A substate finals will take place on Saturday, February 28 while the 3A games go down on Monday, March 2.
Here are the Iowa boys high school basketball Class 4A substate finals for Wednesday, March 3.
Wednesday, March 3
Class 4A
Iowa
The One Game That Will Define Iowa’s 2026 Season
When it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes 2026 football season, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium.
No one knows at this stage where the Buckeyes will be come Oct. 3, but Iowa has a chance to make an early impression against a team that is no stranger to winning the big one.
Iowa’s B1G schedule couldn’t get off to a worse start as they head to Michigan and then welcome the Buckeyes to Kinnick.
Hopefully for Iowa’s sake, their first three games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa are enough to get them prepared. If not, things could get ugly.
ESPN Believes Ohio State is Iowa’s Biggest Opponent in 2026
The Michigan game will certainly be a test, but hosting the Buckeyes is a different animal. That gives the Hawkeyes an advantage like no other, and if there was ever a time to give OSU a run for their money, it’s in Iowa City on Oct. 3.
“The Hawkeyes haven’t faced Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium since 2017, when Nate Stanley threw five touchdowns as they stunned the Buckeyes 55-24. An early October win over Ohio State could propel Iowa into the Big Ten title and playoff conversations,” Jake Trotter wrote.
To put things into perspective, Indiana and Oregon were the other two teams that had the Buckeyes listed as their defining game in the 2026 season. Shockingly, Iowa was actually selected against a team, that being Minnesota. Seeing as that’s for the Floyd of Rosedale, it makes complete sense.
Iowa Can’t Let Regular Season Opportunities Go To Waste
Last year was seemingly the Hawkeyes’ first time to actually make the College Football Playoffs. They came up short as their losses to No. 16 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon and No. 17 USC all added up. Sure, those were by a combined 15 points, but that doesn’t matter, as it’s bad enough that a three-loss team made the playoffs.
Iowa ended with a bang as they took down No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 34-27. Now, all eyes are on either Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown. One of those men will have a chance to make their first B1G start at the Big House in Michigan.
It doesn’t get any tougher than that, as Iowa is immediately putting their new QB into deep water. They’ll have three games prior to that to get up to speed, but other than that, it’s go time as OSU awaits after their trip to Michigan.
Don’t forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!
Iowa
Kee High School remembers legendary coach Gene Schultz
MANCHESTER, Iowa — The state of Iowa lost a titan of the prep coaching world this week. Former Kee High School baseball coach Gene Schultz died on Monday at the age of 80.
Schultz spent 45 seasons as the baseball coach at Kee, helping turn the program into an Iowa dynasty. He won 9 State championships (not counting 2 fall titles, which the IHSAA doesn’t recognize in the record books), and took the Hawks to 19 State tournaments, which is also the most in Iowa history.
His 1,754 wins are not only the most in Iowa history, but the most of any high school baseball coach in the country.
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