Iowa

Wrestling mailbag: Is Iowa wrestling falling behind in recruiting? Who to watch at Fargo

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2024

Press Room

Wrestling mailbag: Is Iowa wrestling falling behind in recruiting? Who to watch at Fargo

Hello again, wrestling fans of Iowa!

Before we hop into our mailbag questions, I want to take a quick moment to highlight my recent story on the culture of wrestling in Iowa. In this 2,600-word article, I chronicled the history of wrestling in the state of Iowa and how the sport became so beloved. It was a project that took about a month and a half of research, interviews and writing. I had the privilege to speak with some amazing people for this, including Dan Gable, Jim Gibbons, Terry Brands, Mike Chapman and many others. A huge thanks to them and everyone who had a hand in it. If you haven’t had a chance, check it out!

Wrestling season is in a bit of a lull as we await the 2024 Olympics, but a big weekend in Fargo is coming and recruiting continues to heat up, so there’s plenty still to discuss.

Is Iowa wrestling falling behind in recruiting?

Let’s do an exercise here. Here’s where Iowa ranked by year in Flowrestling’s recruiting class rankings dating to 2012, followed by the team’s finish in that year’s NCAA Championships.

2012 – 1st (class rankings) and 3rd (NCAA Championships finish)
2013 – 21st and 4th
2014 – 12th and 4th
2015 – 9th and 2nd
2016 – 3rd and 5th
2017 – 2nd and 4th
2018 – 9th and 3rd
2019 – 21st and 4th
2020 – 2nd and canceled due to COVID-19
2021 – 3rd and 1st
2022 – 4th (counted Cody Chittum before late flip to ISU) and 3rd
2023 – 3rd and 2nd
2024 – 6th (includes Kyle Parco as a transfer) and 5th

As you can see, fairly static finishes in recruiting and NCAA finishes over the last 13 years, give or take a class here or there.

However, take the four recruiting classes into account from before the 2021 NCAA title for Iowa, the bulk of which made up the championship squad, vs. the four classes that made up the majority of the 2024 team from this past season.

If you average the rankings out, the classes that made up the bulk of the 2021 squad (2nd in 2017, 9th in 2018, 21st in 2019 and 2nd in 2020) averaged between 8 and 9 on a given year. In 2024 (2nd in 2020, 3rd in 2021, 4th in 2022, 3rd in 2023), it averages out to a ranking of 3rd.

The 2021 team won a team title. The 2024 squad took 5th.

Even when taking out the outlier year of 2019 when the class ranked 21st due to a small size, while still including three eventual NCAA qualifiers in Abe Assad, Zach Glazier and Cobe Siebrecht, 2021’s classes average between 4th and 5th. Any way you want to look at it, it was perceived that when those guys left high school, Iowa’s classes weren’t as good in the 2021 season as they were in 2024, even though the final result was a team title in 2021.

The point I’m making here is that finding the right guys for your program and developing them is more important than talent alone. Take for example the 2017 class of Spencer Lee, Max Murin and Jacob Warner. That was rated the same as the 2020 class that is headlined now by Patrick Kennedy and Cullan Schriever, while Jesse Ybarra, Bretli Reyna and other top recruits of that class haven’t panned out how they were expected to as of yet.

Bradley Hill, from the 2022 class, is a guy that Tom Brands has pointed to time and again as an example of someone they identified early in the process and got committed before he became a bigger name after winning a Fargo title. Hill was missing from some recruiting big boards but rose late after his commitment and has won NCAA matches for Iowa.

“We liked him early on and he proved us right in his last tournament in high school,” Brands said in December. “We’re relying on him heavy now. We need him.”

Understandably, when you compare Iowa’s 2024 haul to Penn State’s with a pair of Olympic Team Trials members in Connor Mirasola and Luke Lilladahl as well as Cole Mirasola and Zack Ryder (beat Gabe Arnold for U20 World Team spot), the Nittany Lions outdid the Hawkeyes as of now. The talent coming in to Happy Valley is an absurdity at this point.

I think with David Taylor heading to Oklahoma State to coach, we’re going to see some top-end talent start to head back to Stillwater. This generation of young wrestlers grew up watching Taylor, and they might be drawn to the idea of wrestling for him. With Lee’s stardom growing, future recruits might be enticed by the idea of working out with him at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.

The talent pool in each recruiting class could start to spread out more, particularly in an age where NIL and the transfer portal create more fluidity in rosters than ever.

Even before we could see some of that residual effect, the Hawkeyes’ early returns on their most recent classes have been solid, like 2023’s class. Arnold was a thrill last season. Ben Kueter is about to compete for another World title. Ryder Block should be back from injury. Kale Peterson competed strongly as a true freshman against veterans Schriever and Brody Teske.

The Hawkeyes have a really nice base of talent, but guys like Angelo Ferrari, Block, Kueter, Miguel Estrada, etc., need to start to pop as the Warners, Murins and Cassioppis did to uplift Iowa in the following years. If they do and Iowa wins an NCAA title, nobody will remember the Hawkeyes finishing behind Penn State in recruiting.

Glazier was nearly outside the top 100 of his recruiting class, and he’s a Big Ten finalist now and will be expected to become an All-American next season. Hill was 87th on Matscouts’ big board but won some matches at NCAAs as a redshirt freshman. On the flip side, Kolby Franklin was a top-30 guy, and injuries derailed his career through no fault of his own. Reyna was a massive recruit as a Super 32 champion, he’s now at Chattanooga looking to capitalize on a fresh start.

College recruiting in any sport can be a total shot in the dark. Rankings and accomplishments serve as a baseline and show potential, but it doesn’t mean a guy will live up to those expectations.

That’s why you’re seeing schools like Iowa be more reliant on the transfer portal, too. Most coaches, in any sport, will tell you that you either use the portal to fill holes or you fall behind. Brands added two All-Americans in Jared Franek and Michael Caliendo when the gambling probe wrecked havoc on the roster, and it’s fair to say Caliendo is now one of their core pieces for the next two seasons. When you use the portal for guys who have wrestled at the college level, you know what you’re getting.

Sure, the Hawkeyes might have liked grabbing some more blue-chip guys for the 2024 class. But I think they really like what they have coming down the pipeline and will continue to invest more time and energy into the transfer portal to land “sure things” such as Real Woods, Parco, Caliendo, etc.

Iowa fans just have to hope Kueter, Ferrari, Arnold, etc., continue to live up to their billing to fill out future lineups, along with some surprise risers from the Otto Blacks, Brody Sampsons and Kael Voinoviches of their classes.

What’s your projection for Drake Ayala? 125 or 133 pounds?

For those unfamiliar, Ayala wrestled at 61 kilograms (around 134 pounds) at U23 Nationals, up from his 125 pounds from the college season. That suggests Ayala could be trying to make a move up to 133 pounds for the upcoming collegiate year.

There’s been a lot of chatter about Iowa’s lineup and where guys should slot in. 174 pounds seems to be a logjam. Gabe Arnold has said 174 is his preferred spot, but has also said he will do whatever the staff asks of him. Patrick Kennedy secured a World Team spot around 174 pounds, and Nelson Brands told Flowrestling he wants to wrestle at 174. 141 pounds also has a lot of options.

As Nelson Brands said in his interview with Flowrestling, these things have a tendency to work themselves out. Heck, even Kennedy was still vying for the 165 spot in late December. Iowa will find a way to get its best guys in the lineup by the postseason. I don’t think there should be any cause for concern for Hawkeye fans.

With who is on the roster currently, I think Ayala’s best spot for the team is at 125. That allows a veteran in Cullan Schriever to slot in at 133. He was the preferred option at one time and submitted into the Big Tens over Brody Teske before Teske won a late wrestle-off and made the bloodround at NCAAs. That allows Kale Petersen and Ryder Block to fight it out for 141. If healthy, either would be a solid starter in my opinion.

If Ayala were to bulk to 133, that would leave Joey Cruz as the probable guy at 125. He took seventh at U23 Nationals with losses to Iowa State’s Ethan Perryman and UNI’s Trever Anderson. Both are good wrestlers, but neither was an NCAA qualifier. Ayala at 133 would also leave only 141 for Schriever, Block and Petersen.

For the team’s sake, Ayala at 125 makes more sense to me at this time. If the weight cut is too tough, it may force Iowa’s hand.

Is David Carr one of Iowa State’s most impactful wrestlers ever?

I think so.

Carr winning the Big 12’s Bob Bowlsby Award for his leadership and excellence on and off the mat this past year got me thinking about this and a portion of a story I wrote back in March after NCAAs:

(Carr) joined this program shortly after Dresser took over. Then, the Cyclones weren’t even finishing in the top 40. Saturday, the Cyclones ended the season with four All-Americans (Carr, Evan Frost, Anthony Echemendia and Casey Swiderski), the most the program has had since 2009. With team trophies handed only to the top three programs instead of the long-standing four, the Cyclones fell short of their ultimate goal of getting that piece of hardware. However, this was the first time since 2007 that the Cyclones finished ahead of rival Iowa in the final standings at the NCAAs.

That right there is what Nate Carr Sr. wanted to instill in his son, referring to a quote he once heard that has stuck with him though the years.

“Legacy is not what you leave for someone, it’s what you leave in someone,” Nate Carr Sr. said.

Carr, a two-time NCAA champion, isn’t the most accomplished wrestler at Iowa State. That goes to Cael Sanderson and his four NCAA titles. Even his father, Nate Carr Sr., has more with three NCAA titles of his own. And of course we all know Dan Gable wrestled for the cardinal and gold.

However, when you look at how Iowa State wrestling got back to what it is now, Carr is perhaps the biggest piece of that.

If you ask Yonger Bastida why he came here from Cuba, most of the reason was Carr’s recruitment of him. Suddenly, the Cyclones have an influx of high-end Cuban talent with Bastida, Anthony Echemendia and now Osmany Diversent. Carr played a major factor in a lot of the guys who are on the roster now coming to Iowa State, a team that was finishing outside the top 40 before he got here and placing as high as fourth by the time he stepped off the mat for the final time. The roster coming back for Iowa State next season and the foreseeable future is going to be one to reckon with in the NCAAs as a result of that.

There’s an argument out there for Carr to be thought of as one of the most impactful wrestlers at Iowa State for the work he did to help Kevin Dresser bring this program back to relevancy.

Reese Larramendy is training with Kennedy Blades?

NCWWC champion Reese Larramendy of Iowa is Kennedy Blades’ training partner for the 2024 Olympics. Blades is just 20 years old and will represent Team USA at 76 kilograms after defeating six-time world champion Adeline Gray for the spot. Kennedy’s younger sister, Korina, is also a U15 world champion and junior world medalist. The Bladeses are among the most talented wrestlers the U.S. has right now.

Both sisters considered Iowa for college, along with North Central College and Arizona State. The Sun Devils do not have a women’s wrestling program, but the Bladeses decided to attend ASU for college and train with the Sunkist Kids RTC in 2022.

However, their connection with many of Iowa’s wrestlers runs deep. They attended Wyoming Seminary in high school along with Ava Bayless and Larramendy. Incoming freshman Rianne Murphy also attended Wyoming Seminary. The school is known for producing some of the country’s best wrestlers. Larramendy and Kennedy Blades became close friends and are now training partners ahead of the Olympics.

Not only a cool opportunity for Larramendy to go through the Olympic process with one of her best friends, but she also will get the best training she could possibly find ahead of the 2024-25 college season for Iowa.

Larramendy wrestled as well as anyone on Iowa’s roster last season, pinning or winning by technical fall in each of her matches at nationals. Train with the country’s best athlete in the weight class is only going to continue her rapid development.

Wrestlers to watch at Fargo

Starting Saturday, 16U and Junior Nationals will get underway for the nation’s best youth wrestlers. The state of Iowa is sending more than 200 wrestlers to Fargo, according to USAWrestling. Here are some I’m really interested in watching.

The Hawkeye men have Kael Voinovich, Brody Sampson and Dru Ayala competing in Fargo. Watching Voinovich this past high school season, I felt he was getting overlooked a bit nationally in recruiting as he rolled against Iowa competition. This will be a good chance to see if I’m right. Sampson, a late-depth addition for the Hawkeyes at 197 pounds, has a chance here to show improvement. At Junior Duals, Sampson was 7-2, so we’ll see how it carries over.

The other Hawkeye-to-be I am watching is Kiara Djoumessi. She has said previously that she felt her freestyle was always much stronger than her folkstyle capabilities, so this is a good measuring stick of that ahead of her freshman season. Her sister, Amalia, is competing in the 16U division. Kiara Djoumessi said her sister takes her down in practice often, so this could be a great opportunity for Amalia Djoumessi on the national stage.

Daniel Herrera will represent for the Cyclones and should be a threat at Fargo. “Peanut” rolled everyone he faced in his lone high school season in Iowa and has some really high potential as he looks to be Bastida’s heir at heavyweight.

As for some high schoolers I’ll be interested in watching, the Schwab brothers Hayden and Hendrix of Don Bosco will be competing in the same weight class (106 pounds) in the 16U division. Hayden made the U16 World Team this spring and will be a threat. They are both entertaining wrestlers to watch, emulating a bit of what their father did in his time.

Another young guy from Don Bosco to watch is Dawson Youngblut. He’s a nationally relevant recruit after winning a state title in his freshman season.

Another name that will be familiar to Iowans is Calvin Rathjen, brother of Hawkeye Caleb Rathjen. Like his brother did in high school, Calvin Rathjen competes with the Sebolt Wrestling Academy.

Southeast Polk’s Nico DeSalvo and Humboldt’s Broedy Hendricks are a pair of youngsters who really impressed me this past season for their high school teams. This will be the first time I can evaluate them better on a national stage, so I’m interested to see how they wrestle.

On the girls side, Violet Diaz and Katie Biscoglia are in the 16U freestyle division. Each time they wrestle, it is a barnburner, going down to the wire twice during the high school season. Biscoglia is ranked 10th nationally in her weight class, but Diaz is just behind her in 20th nationally. Look for both of them to be in contention for making the podium.

Wahlert Catholic’s Isabella Miller is described by many Iowa coaches as a phenom. I’m excited to see that potential on a national stage as well after she pledged that she would be a four-time state champion in Iowa after winning her first last winter.

Dubuque Wahlert freshman Bella Miller confident in her skills

Dubuque Wahlert freshman Bella Miller: “I’m going to be a four-timer, I promise you that.”

There are many more names I could list here such as Jake Knight, Chloe Sanders, Kyler Knaack, etc., but those are a few I will be keeping a close eye on. Full rosters can be seen here.

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

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

‘¿Habla español?’ Iowa schools look overseas to find Spanish teachers

Published

4 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

‘¿Habla español?’ Iowa schools look overseas to find Spanish teachers

The Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain helps schools find qualified Spanish teachers.
World language teaching positions are hard to fill in rural areas.

The sounds of Dallas Center-Grimes High School Spanish students singing “¿Por Que Te Vas?” by Jeanette with varying levels of gusto and prodding by teacher Antton Zuazu Hernández may seem like an unusual way to learn.

But the sing-along is how Zuazu Hernández, a native of Spain, helps engage his students and share his culture as part of a teacher-exchange program.

“I feel I’m a messenger in a way, and this is part of the program,” he said. “We’re expected to both bring our culture here and bring your culture back to Spain.”

Zuazu Hernández — who taught English in Spain — is among 26 bilingual teachers in Iowa as part of an exchange program between the Iowa Department of Education and Spain’s Ministry of Education and Culture.

“(The program) was created to address the shortage of qualified Spanish teachers in the state and helps expose students to different world cultures,” said Heather Doe, the department’s spokesperson. “… The Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program has been very successful in helping schools, especially in rural communities, hire highly qualified Spanish teachers.”

Iowa has nearly 1,200 world language teachers in kindergarten through college, according to the Iowa World Language Association website.

Some foreign language teachers in Iowa moved to the U.S. and later obtained teaching credentials. Others were recruited to work in Iowa schools.

Iowa schools, including Waukee Community School District, even offer financial incentives as a recruitment tool for hard to fill positions.

“Many of them, like me, will arrive with teaching experience from our home countries, but in the process of validating the credentials in the U.S. we find obstacles,” said Elizabeth Bulthuis, a Waukee High School world languages teacher who immigrated from Ecuador in 2003, “and the validating of credentials also can be lengthy and costly, because of all the educational systems and how they are structured differently.”

Exchange program is beneficial to schools, superintendent

The Spain exchange program — which brings hundreds of teachers to schools across the U.S. — comes with several requirements.

The Spanish teachers must be certified in the language with at least two years of experience, Doe said. Additionally, candidates go through a vetting process at the federal, state and local levels. Teachers also attend a three-day state orientation.

Schools and districts participating in the program pay an $895 fee to offset licensing and orientation costs, Doe said.

The program is a blessing for rural areas struggling to fill positions teaching foreign language, special education, math and science.

“It’s very difficult to even get an applicant,” said Deron Stender, the superintendent at the rural Creston Community School District, “… When I say it’s difficult to even find (the candidates) they don’t exist. And if they do, they’re probably going to be in a larger metro, urban, suburban areas where there’s just more opportunities.”

St. Anthony’s conducts bilingual class for its students

St. Anthony’s Catholic school brings Spanish speaking teachers to the U.S. to teach students the language.

Zuazu Hernández taught Spanish and drove a bus at Creston during the 2024-25 school year. But falling enrollment and budget cuts resulted in his position being eliminated.

A program drawback is teachers only have three-year visas, he said.

“When you have a very good individual that comes to your district from a foreign country after the third year, you still have that need again,” Stender said. “So, we just open it back up to the same program, but you’re doing another refresh of the process, and while that’s a challenge, it’s still better than not having a teacher in the classroom.”

Not every world language teacher comes from Spain

Another issue schools have faced is filling teaching positions for immersion programs.

In the early 2000s, St. Anthony’s started a Spanish-immersion program after several families with children of Honduras and Guatemala descent wanted their kids to have a Catholic school education and maintain their connection to the Spanish language.

“A lot of teachers go to school to teach Spanish, but they go to school to teach it as a standalone Spanish class,” principal Jennifer Raes said. “… We were really searching for teachers that could come here and teach in any subject, just a regular teacher, but also has the skills of teaching in Spanish and English.”

Marisol Guerra, a Honduras native, came to the U.S. in 2010 to help start St. Anthony’s program. Guerra manage to come to the U.S. as part of that year’s Spain exchange program cohort.

More than a decade later, the school offers classes in English and an immersive track where 85% of the students’ day is spent learning in Spanish. While families were hesitant in the beginning to take part in the immersion program, there is now a waitlist of almost a dozen families.

“There was uncertainty, (but) they wanted their children to learn a second language,” Guerra said, “and they wanted without knowing, I think, they also were exposing them to other cultures and opening their minds to other things.”

The over the years, St. Anthony’s has employed teachers who moved to America from Spain, Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The over representation of teachers from Spain likely is due to other countries not offering similar exchange programs, said Bulthuis, a member of the Iowa World Language Association.

It took several years for the veteran teacher — who came to Iowa in 2005 — to become credentialed to teach in the U.S. because she was not part of an exchange program.

“I think that world language teachers can be difficult to recruit because the pool of candidates is relatively small, so teachers need a strong language proficiency, cultural knowledge and all the teaching certifications,” said Bulthuis, who left Ecuador in 2003 because of the country’s financial crisis, “(but) many people who speak another language also have opportunity in other careers.”

Bulthuis does not recommend loosening the criteria to teach in Iowa but suggests improving or streamlining the process for an international teacher to obtain a state teaching license.

“… Not every Spanish speaking country is going to have (an exchange) program like that in place to help their community,” Bulthuis said,

Cultural exchange

Educators say employing international teachers goes beyond language skills.

“International educators can bring tremendous cultural and linguistic expertise to the classroom, which is an incredible skill and very valuable for students,” Bulthuis said.

That cultural exchange can carry over into a school’s lesson plans.

Zuazu Hernández often lets his American students’ interests drive what he teaches them about Spanish culture. These questions have ranged from wanting more insight into bullfighting, the Spanish school system, stereotypes and politics.

“Sometimes, they are more interested in me as a person, or the things I can tell them about Spain than the actual Spanish language,” he said, “but they have that curiosity that I think all teachers, we have to take advantage of.”

While reading “¡Viva el toro!” by Lisa Ray Turner and Blaine Ray, a novel about bullfighting, Zuazu Hernández talked to students about his family’s love of the cultural spectacle and how it is losing popularity in Spain because of how the bulls are treated.

Zuazu Hernández is open about his perspective on the practice to his students.

“To me, bullfighting is not worth sustaining just because it’s a tradition — traditions are not always good or acceptable — but rather because it’s an art, and it expands the depth of human understanding of the most intense truths in life, with death as the scariest of all,” he told the Des Moines Register in an email.

His students appreciate his candidness and the chance to learn from teachers with different lived experiences.

“I like having different teachers because they have different experiences, and I think it adds to the overall class,” said Grace Heston, an 11th grader Dallas Center-Grimes High School. “When you’re learning about Spanish, you’re not just learning about a language, you’re learning about the culture associated with it.”

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com.

Source link

Iowa

NCAA Wrestling Championships at-large bids announced

Published

16 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

NCAA Wrestling Championships at-large bids announced

The 330 wrestlers competing in Cleveland at the NCAA Championships are now set.

After the conference tournaments established the lion’s share of wrestlers, the NCAA announced the at-large bids on Tuesday, March 10, completing the rest of the field.

Brackets and seeds will be announced on March 10, but here’s a look at the contingents each state of Iowa program will be sending after the at-large bids were announced.

Iowa wrestling NCAA qualifiers

For the third year in a row, Iowa wrestling will be sending nine to the NCAA Championships. Victor Voinovich did not earn an at-large bid at 157 pounds after finishing ninth at the Big Ten Championships, one place outside of NCAA automatic qualification. He concludes his season with a 12-6 record.

Voinovich narrowly earned the starting job over Jordan Williams at 157, with Iowa coach Tom Brands saying it was very close, but Voinovich had shown a little more “fight” this year. Now that Voinovich hasn’t qualified for NCAAs, it’s a decision that will go further under the microscope.

What’s done is done, however, for Iowa. They’ll take Dean Peterson (125), Drake Ayala (133), Nasir Bailey (141), Ryder Block (149), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), Angelo Ferrari (184), Gabe Arnold (197) and Ben Kueter (285) to Cleveland in hopes of salvaging what has been a tough season.

Iowa State wrestling NCAA qualifiers

For the first time since 2010, Iowa State will send all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Vinny Zerban earned an at-large bid at 157 pounds despite falling short of the automatic qualifying threshold at the Big 12 Championships. Zerban suffered a concussion and medically forfeited out of the tournament after his first match in Tulsa. His health status will be worth monitoring NCAAs inch closer, from March 19-22.

The Cyclones look poised for one of their best postseasons in recent memory with their 10 qualifiers ―Stevo Poulin (125), Garrett Grice (133), Anthony Echemendia (141), Jacob Frost (149), Zerban, Connor Euton (165), MJ Gaitan (174), Isaac Dean (184), Rocky Elam (197) and Yonger Bastida (285). The loss of Evan Frost hurts the Cyclones, considering his pedigree and season as a whole, but Grice’s has earned several ranked wins since entering the lineup in February and could still add some much-needed team points as the team chases a team trophy.

Behind title contenders Elam and Bastida, proven podium threats in Poulin, Echemnedia, Jacob Frost and Zerban (if healthy), Iowa State will be in the mix for a top-four finish in Cleveland.

UNI wrestling NCAA qualifiers

Northern Iowa will send five to the NCAA Championships. Automatic qualifiers Julian Farber (133), Caleb Rathjen (149) and Ryder Downey (165) will be joined by Jared Simma (174) and Nick Fox (184), who each earned at-large bids. The number of qualifiers could extend to six, with Trever Anderson (125) being the alternate at 125 pounds for NCAAs. However, he had to medically forfeit out of the Big 12 Championships, so his health status would be in question if he got called up.

With that, Max Brady (141), Cael Rahnavardi (157), John Gunderson (197) and Adam Ahrendsen (285) will have their seasons come to an end. Brady, a true freshman, will still have three NCAA chances in his career after showing promising moments in relief of Cory Land’s season-ending injury. Gunderson, a U23 World team member, will return for next season as well. Rahnavardi and Ahrendsen were both in their final seasons of eligibility.

Following injuries to Land and Wyatt Voelker, it’s been a hard year for the Panthers. This is half the number of NCAA qualifiers that UNI had last season when they qualified 10 for the first time since 1986. The last time UNI had five or fewer qualifiers was 2016.

However, all five of their wrestlers have each shown moments of brilliance, either this season or in prior NCAA Championships. They may be a smaller crew than normal, but Downey, Rathjen, Farber, Simma and Fox are all ones to watch in Cleveland.

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.

Source link

Iowa

DCI agent say he was fired for questioning Iowa college gambling probe

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

DCI agent say he was fired for questioning Iowa college gambling probe

A former Iowa investigator is suing the state, claiming he was fired for criticizing a high-profile college sports gambling probe.
Mark Ludwick alleges his termination was retaliation for testifying that investigators conducted illegal searches and were told to mislead students.
The gambling investigation, which led to charges against dozens of student-athletes, has faced legal challenges over its methods.

A longtime investigator for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says he was forced out of the agency because he voiced reservations about a high-profile investigation into gambling in college athletics.

Mark Ludwick was hired by Iowa’s top investigative agency in 1997 and was terminated in November 2024, according to a lawsuit filed Feb. 20 in Polk County. According to his complaint, Ludwick was fired after two “frivolous” investigations, one claiming he’d exceeded the speed limit driving to a murder scene, and the other for assistance he provided to a domestic abuse victim.

The real reason, Ludwick alleges, is that officials were embarrassed after Ludwick testified under oath about what he regarded as weaknesses in their sports wagering investigation, which resulted in dozens of Iowa State University and University of Iowa student-athletes facing suspensions, 25 being criminally charged and 19 pleading guilty to underage gambling.

Ludwick testified in early 2024 he believed investigators had conducted illegal searches to identify the online gamblers and that he and other agents had been directed to lie to students about whether they were subjects of the investigation. He also alleged that stress about the case contributed to another agent’s fatal heart attack, although the agent’s relatives disputed the connection.

Now Ludwick is accusing the state of violating Iowa’s whistleblower protection statute. He declined through his attorney to comment. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office also declined to comment, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which includes the DCI, did not respond to an inquiry about the case.

Gambling investigation raised constitutional concerns

In the gambling investigation, DCI investigators used software tools provided by GeoComply, a Canadian company that contracts with online sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings, to look for evidence of illegal gambling activity. Using a GeoComply system, the investigators created a so-called “geofence” around college athletic facilities that allowed them to detect student athletes using wagering accounts registered to parents and friends to place bets ― sometimes on their own games.

Although the investigation resulted in numerous arrests and suspensions, it also drew controversy, in particular for agents’ failure to obtain warrants before conducting their location searches. GeoComply, which had encouraged Iowa to use its service, responded by cancelling the state’s access.

A large group of current and former students sued the state, accusing investigators of violating their constitutional rights. In November 2025, a federal judge ruled that the state’s investigation “does not comport with the Fourth Amendment,” which provides protection from illegal searches.

Nonetheless, the court dismissed the lawsuit, finding the officers involved were entitled to immunity. An appeal is pending.

Ludwick’s reservations emerge in depositions

Ludwick was an experienced investigator for the DCI, working on high-profile cases including the 2015 murder of Shirley Carter, whose son was tried and acquitted, and the 2017 deaths of two girls in a fire started by a relative.

While not the lead agent on the 2023 gambling investigation, Ludwick was tapped to assist by interviewing some of the student athletes. He later testified he grew concerned that the state’s geofence searches amounted to illegal, warrantless searches, and declined to participate in the case any further. He alleges that other DCI agents shared his concerns and also maneuvered to avoid being involved in the case.

Ludwick says he reported his concerns to his superiors. In January 2024, he was deposed by defense attorneys for four of the students, and “testified truthfully during his deposition that he believed an illegal search had been conducted.” Defense attorneys cited Ludwick’s remarks within days in filings covered by numerous media outlets, including the Des Moines Register, which “caused embarrassment and increased scrutiny for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Bayens, and other employees,” Ludwick’s suit states.

According to the complaint, officials launched an investigation into Ludwick for speeding on March 5, weeks after the embarrassing testimony was reported. On Aug. 8, officials initiated a second investigation after, Ludwick says, “he attempted to help a victim of domestic abuse flee her abuser.” He denies his actions violated Iowa law or department policy.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

Source link