The Iowa Hawkeyes are touring to the Empire State for his or her subsequent three duals. They begin their weekend early with a Thursday twin in opposition to Military in West Level.

Afterward, they hit the highway on I-87 and journey up the Hudson for a pair of duals in opposition to Sacred Coronary heart and Buffalo at Journeymen Wrestling’s Armbar on the Armory in Albany. 

Right here’s what Hawkeye followers ought to know earlier than the Hawks sequence of duals.

The Lineup Is Not Fairly In Postseason Form

That is unsurprising because it’s November and the postseason doesn’t begin till March, and nothing is extra essential to a staff’s postseason prospects than a wholesome lineup. Superstars Spencer Lee and Actual Woods are usually not anticipated to be match prepared for this highway journey and thus are uncertain to look within the lineup. 

Search for Aiden Harris and Drew Bennet to plug the holes at 125 and 141 respectively in Lee and Woods’ stead. 

We additionally didn’t see both Nelson Manufacturers or Brennan Swafford in opposition to California Baptist final week so Drake Rhodes is the in all probability starter at 174 once more for these upcoming duals. 

The Lineup Is Nonetheless Packed With Lots Of Firepower

Brody Teske has ably stepped into Austin DeSanto’s sneakers at 133. The UNI switch gained two matches on the final two NCAA Championships. 

Mad Max Murin can also be returning for a remaining 12 months of eligibility at 149. He’s a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time bloodround finisher. Moreover, Redshirt freshman Patrick Kennedy and third-year starter Abe Assad are primed for breakout seasons at 165 and 184 respectively.

And the Hawks can nonetheless rely on their two NWCA All-Star opponents to anchor their lineup. 197-pounder Jacob Warner and heavyweight Anthony Cassioppi have 5 All-American honors between the 2 of them.

Military Shall be Prepared To Scrap

Although they solely have two ranked wrestlers, you’ll be able to wager that Head Coach Kevin Ward can have each starter on his Black Knight squad learn to present the Hawkeyes a match. 

Freshman #22 Ethan Berginc has been a revelation to this point at 125. He’s 7-0 on the season (and his profession) with wins over All-American Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State and two-time nationwide qualifier Liam Cronin of Nebraska.

Military can also be harmful at 174, with two-time nationwide qualifier #21 Ben Pasiuk within the varsity spot. Richard Treanor at 133, Nathan Lukez at 157, Dalton Harkins at 165, and Sahm AbdulRazzaq at 184 are all on the nationwide rankings bubble and will current issues for his or her Hawkeye opponents. 

Buffalo & Sacred Coronary heart Are Going To Be Amped

It’s by no means simple to get one of many bluest of blueblood wrestling packages like Iowa in your schedule, so you’ll be able to wager Buffalo and Sacred Coronary heart are going to need to benefit from their alternatives at Journeymen Wrestling’s Armbar on the Armory.

Six duals will happen on three mats within the night in downtown Albany Friday evening. Two of them will contain the Hawkeyes, first in opposition to the Sacred Coronary heart Pioneers at 6:30pm japanese, then at 8:30 in opposition to the Bulls of Buffalo. 

Buffalo has three wrestlers within the rankings, Tristan Daugherty and Jay Nivison are Honorable Mentions at 125 and 174, respectively, whereas two-time nationwide qualifying senior Michael Petite is #20 at 157. Guiseppe Hoose at 184 can also be on the cusp of a standout season. 

Sacred Coronary heart is led by senior nationwide qualifier Nick Palumbo at 157. Additionally they deliver one of many largest roster within the NCAA that will likely be able to roll after a brief journey from Connecticut’s Gold Coast to New York’s Capital Area. 

Matchups To Watch

Essentially the most aggressive matches primarily based on projected lineups:

125: Aidan Harris, Iowa vs Tristan Daugherty, Buffalo & Ethan Berginc, Military

133: Brody Teske, Iowa vs Richard Treanor, Military

157: Cobe Siebrecht, Iowa vs Nick Palumbo, Sacred Coronary heart, Nathan Lukez, Military & Michael Petite, Buffalo

165: Patrick Kennedy, Iowa vs Dalton Harkins, Military

174: Drake Rhodes, Iowa vs Jay Nivison, Buffalo & Ben Pasiuk, Military

184: Abe Assad, Iowa vs Sahm AbdulRazzaq, Military 

Backside Line

Iowa will likely be closely favored in all three duals, however how a barely depleted Hawkeye lineup stacks up in opposition to three opponents all desperate to show their bona fides will reveal lots about how prepared this Hawkeye squad is for the lengthy haul of the common season.