It's Senior Night in Iowa City and we're gonna blog it live! The Hawkeyes host the Wolverines in Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the last home dual of the 2025-26 college wrestling season for Iowa! 

The action is scheduled to start at 9PM ET, and so is the blogging! You can read a preview of this dual by yours truly here. 

Probables

125: #6 Dean Peterson or Joey Cruz, Iowa vs #27 Diego Sotelo, Michigan

133: #8 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs Gauge Botero, Michigan

141: Kale Petersen, Iowa vs Dylan Ragusin, Michigan

149: #13 Ryder Block or Kael Voinovich, Iowa vs #17 Lachlan McNeil, Michigan

157: #15 Jordan Williams or Victor Voinovich, Iowa vs #13 Cam Catrabone, Michigan

165: #3 Michael Caliendo, Iowa vs Justin Gates, Michigan

174: #3 Patrick Kennedy, Iowa vs #7 Beau Mantanona, Michigan

184: Gabe Arnold, Iowa vs #7 Brock Mantanona, Michigan

197: Brody Sampson or Harvey Ludington, Iowa vs #20 Hayden Walters, Michigan

285: #9 Ben Kueter, Iowa vs #5 Taye Ghadiali, Michigan

And now that Penn State has lambasted the Buckeyes, it's time for the Iowa vs Michigan dual!

And we're starting at 141. Not the usual place to start a Big Ten dual but I'm not mad at it. 

141: Kale Petersen, Iowa vs Dylan Ragusin, Michigan

1st period: And Michigan gets on the board first with a nice arm drag to a low double and Ragusin leads 3-0 early in the bout. A flurry at the edge of the mat and Petersen does a nifty roll to free himself with riding time right at the 59 second mark. 3-1 Ragusin still leading. Another nice clearance of the head and hands from Ragusin but he runs out of real estate before he can collect his second takedown. And the period ends 3-1. 

2nd period: Ragusin starts on bottom. And he's out quickly to make it 4-1. A nice flurry with a minute left but they wrestle back to neutral. Slick reattack for Ragusin and he's on a leg. Dive roll from Petersen but Ragusin times it and it's another three to make it 7-1. Rideout for Ragusin and we go to the third, same score, 1:22 of RT for Dylan. 

3rd period: Petersen back underneath, and he's out in no time to make it 7-2, RT at 1:26. Petersen picking up the pace. Another reattack from Ragusin and they engage in an extended scramble. Potentially dangeorus the call, still 7-2 with 45 sconds left on the clock. Petersen keeps attacking, has a leg. Petersen still on a leg as the clock winds down, but now Ragusin locks up a cradle, and with a a few seconds to go he makes it 10-2, plus the riding time and it's a major for Ragusin!

Ragusin over Petersen, 11-2

Michigan 4, Iowa 0

Clutch at the final buzzer.#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/VGCKHpxUAz

— Michigan Wrestling (@umichwrestling) February 14, 2026

149: #13 Ryder Block, Iowa vs #17 Lachlan McNeil, Michigan

1st period: Halfway through the period we get an extended scramble. It's a Tasmanian Devil situation as they tumble across the mat. And just on the boundry it's McNeil that comes up with the takedown. Great effort from both wrestlers. On the restart, McNeil breaks Block down, figure fours a leg and rides out the period. 3-0 McNeil after 3 minutes. 

2nd period McNeil takes a turn on the bottom. Two big mat returns and McNeil is out on the third attempt. 4-0 McNeil, who also has 30 seconds of RT. Block shoots and has a leg but it's stalemated with 30 seconds left in the period. Back to neutral, still 4-0. That's how the period ends. 

3rd period: Block decides to go neutral. He fires off shots at an impressive pace but McNeil parries them away for the first minute. No Stall calls. No Block in deep, picks it up, front trips and it's a takedown for Block. He cuts McNeil to make it 5-3 with 40 seconds left. Shot by Block, stall warning on McNeil. 20 seconds to go, riding time not.a factor. Shot by Block with 10 seconds left, McNeil downblocks, runs behund and that takedown will ice it. 8-3 decision by Lachlan McNeil!

McNeil over Block, 8-3

Michigan 7, Iowa 0

157: #15 Jordan Williams, Iowa vs #13 Cam Catrabone, Michigan

1st period: Williams back on the mat for the Hawks. This is a crucial bout for the dual meet. The style both wrestlers possess means this has a good chance of being a wild one. Williams moving Catrabone around the mat. Halfway thru the period and Catrabone goes out of bounds. No stall call, much to the dismay of the fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Double leg from Williams, that's deep. Williams finishes for three but Catrabone is out quickly, 3-1 Williams leads. Headgear issues for Jordan. Gonna take a minute to get a headgear that won't fly off like a poorly built car's steering wheel. 15 seconds remain. Hi-C from WIlliams, but crazy defense from Catrabone and the period ends, still 3-1. 

2nd period: Catrabone chooses down. He's out in no time and it's 3-2, Williams with just 12 seconds of RT. One minute later and it's still 3-2, not a lot of action. Catrabone hasn't done much shooting and gets hit with a stall on Williams' last shot. Catrabone climbs over Williams, locks around the clock and avoids a takedown as we hit the third period.

3rd period: Williams has choice and takes neutral. A slow first minute of the period. Now Catrabone is in deep. Williams counters, they're in a scramble. Williams trying to roll Catrabone through. Catrabone rebalances, and he'll collect the go-ahead points! Catrabone rides until the final five seconds, and Catrabone will take it 5-4!

Catrabone over Williams, 5-4

Michigan 10, Iowa 0

Comeback Cam.#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/ItbEkstLpj

— Michigan Wrestling (@umichwrestling) February 14, 2026

165: #3 Michael Caliendo, Iowa vs Justin Gates, Michigan

1st period: Caliendo takes the mat to right the Hawkeye ship. He's got a takedown in the first 20 seconds. Escape and another takedown makes it 6-1 after a minute of wrestling. Free escape for Gates but a blast double shortly thereafter makes it 9-2. Rinse and repeat makes it 12-3 with 1:12 left in the first period as we have to stop for blood time for Gates. Optional start, escape, then another takedown. 15-4 Caliendo, who is looking for an assassin. gates kicks free and they're in a scramble, but now we have to pause for more blood time. Free escape again on the restart, takedown Caleindo and he rides out to take an 18-5 lead into the third. 

2nd period. Gates underneath, he's let out, and Caliendo gets the takedown for a tech-fall in his final match in Carver-Hawkeye!

Caliendo techs Gates, 21-6

Michigan 10, Iowa 5

CALIENDO'S SENIOR NIGHT. pic.twitter.com/NQT2drixnP

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) February 14, 2026

174: #3 Patrick Kennedy, Iowa vs #7 Beau Mantanona, Michigan

1st period: One of the marquee matchups of the duals, and a pivotal one at that. Early shot from Kennedy and they're in on a scramble. They're out of bounds. Another scramble but that's stalemated. Good action in the first period but no scores yet. Another wild scramble, BeauMan with a nifty roll, almost peterson-esque. Not sure how to explain it but anyway, it was eventually stalemated. The period ends 0-0, though it flew by with plenty of action. 

2nd period: Mantanona underneath. Kennedy riding tough. Beau gets to his feet but Kennedy brings him back down. Over a minute of riding time for PK. Clock down to 40 seconds as Beau needs blood time. Kennedy back on his smothering ride. And It'll stay 0-0 at the buzzer, PK with 2 minutes of riding time. 

3rd period: Kennedy chooses bottom and Beau cuts him. Mantanona being held at bay by Kennedy. Less than a minute to go in regulation and Kennedy continues to frustrate BeauMan. But now Mantanona is in on a leg, Kennedy over the top, Beau fighting, and Mantanona has it. With 20 seconds left, Mantanona leads 3-1! But RT is locked up. And now Mantanona is being counted for not coming up. He'll get hit with stalling. 3 seconds left when stalling is called! Michigan challenges. It's 3-2 but Kennedy's RT will make it 3-3. Call confirmed on the review. BeauMan rides the final seconds so we go to overtime! Crazy match. 

Sudden victory: Kennedy fires off a shot early, he's close. Mantanona though, he's pulling out some crazy defense. Now he's close. It's a BeauMan takedown for the win! Mantaona spoils Kennedy's last match in Carver in one of the craziest matches of the week!

Mantanona over Kennedy, 6-3

Michigan 13, Iowa 5

Battered and bloody, but kept wrestling. 🩸#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/to9eKqugFL

— Michigan Wrestling (@umichwrestling) February 14, 2026

184: Gabe Arnold, Iowa vs #7 Brock Mantanona, Michigan

1st period: We'll get back to action after intermission. One minute in and not much action. Another minute down and nothing but handfighting. Slightly different pace than the last match. And we get no scores and no stall calls after three minutes. 

2nd period: BrockMan chooses bottom for our first look at mat wrestling between these two. A mat return or two and now BrockMan is out with 36 seconds of riding time for Arnold. Not much for another minute, now Arnold is in on a hi-c. BrockMan locked around the crotch and they start scrambling. They roll over a few times but no scores. Entertaining scramble though. The period ends still 1-0 for Brock.

3rd period: Arnold gets a turn underneath. He's out in under ten seconds to make it 1-1. Down to the final minute of regulation, same score. Lots of handfighting but not much else so we get another overtime bout!

Sudden victory: Two more minutes on the clock and we're in neutral. BrockMan with a couple of half shots, Arnold on a nice reattack on the last one but no scores. One minute left as they go out of bounds. BrockMan picking up the pace, and Arnold gets dinged for stalling, just a warning, but the crowd doesn't like it. And we get to zeroes again, still 1-1, and we're off to tiebreakers. 

Tiebreaker 1a: BrockMan underneath. Forward roll after the whistle is stopped. Up to his feet, sit out and BrockMan is free after 13 seconds. Nothing in the rest of the period. 

Tiebreaker 1b: Arnold goes underneath. He needs to escape in less than 13. He stands and he's out in 3 seconds. BrockMan with some time to work. Arnold crowds Brock, gets a body lock, chewing up some clock. And he'll run it down for the win. Gabe Arnold in Tiebreakers!

Arnold over Mantanona, 1-1, riding time

Michigan 13, Iowa 8

197: Harvey Ludington, Iowa vs #20 Hayden Walters, Michigan

1st period: True freshman Ludington using his 5th varsity date, so he can still keep his redshirt. No scores after a minute but good handfighting. Another minute in and we get a nice scramble, no scores though. Now Ludington is in on a leg. Walters fighting but Ludington collects three before time runs out in the period. And Walters keeps fighting and he escapes with even less time left on the clock. 3-1 Ludington going into the second. 

2nd period: Ludington goes underneath. Harvey does a good job dropping to a leg and running Ludington down to keep him on the mat. Riding time getting close to a minute as the period gets close to the end. But then a text book switch from Ludington and he's out with just a couple of seconds left in the period. 4-1 as we head to the third. But first, a challenge from Tom Brands saying Walters had locked hands as Ludington was hitting a switch. And the rule that there was a technical violation. Locked gives Ludington another point. It'll be 5-3 for the final period. 

3rd period: Ludington chooses down. Walters rides until his RT gets to 1:04. Ludington now leads 6-3. Walters on the attack, but the shots are getting through Ludington's defenses. A win here would be huge for the Hawkeyes. Walters getting desperate. Ludington gets hit for stalling but it's his first. Ludington will hold on to win 6-3!

Ludington over Walters, 6-3

Michigan 13, Iowa 11

285: #9 Ben Kueter, Iowa vs #5 Taye Ghadiali, Michigan

1st period: With Iowa favored at 125 and 133, this is a much win for Michigan. After over a minute of wrestling, Ghadiali gets in on a deep shot. Good defense from Kueter but better finishing technique for Ghadiali and he'll get the first points of the match. Ride out for Taye and he'll take a 3-0 lead into the second. 

2nd period: Kueter chooses bottom. Ghadiali breaks Kueter down flat. A few mat returns keeps Kueter back from escaping. Taye does get hit with stalling but it looks like he's going to get the full second period ride out. Still 3-0 but with 3 and a half minutes of riding time. 

3rd period: Ghadiali's turn to try bottom. And Kueter is putting a ride on Ghadiali. Not sure what the startagey is for either wrestler. Ghadiali needs to get bonus points for the team and Kueter needs to get match points to win the bout. Riding didn't do either wrestler much good. Taye escapes with 40 seconds left in regulation to make it 4-0. 10 seconds left in regulation and Ghadiali has a body lock. He takes Kueter to the mat, he'll get the three plus swipes. Two nearfall before time runs out, plus the riding time and it's a 10-0 major!

Ghadiali over Kueter, 10-0

Michigan 17, Iowa 11

125: #6 Dean Peterson, Iowa vs #27 Diego Sotelo, Michigan

1st period: Iowa needs to win the next two. Step one belongs to Peterson, a transfer from Rutgers. Sotelo is a transfer from Harvard. Both wrestlers are in their last year of eligibility. Lots of handfighting but not a lot of attacks or flurries from either wrestler. No scores, no stalls, bagels on the scoreboard after three minutes. 

2nd period. Sotelo chooses bottom. He's out in 4 seconds to make it 1-0. Peterson in deep with about a minute left. They're on the edge. Peterson stands up with Sotelo drappd over his back. He carries him to the center. Then keeps going to the other side of the mat before trying to cartwheel him over. There was no easy way to bring Sotelo back down to the mat without picking up a slam so they end up going out of bounds with no scores. Period ends still 1-0 for Peterson. 

3rd period: Peterson on bottom. He's out in two seconds to make it 1-1. A couple of short shots and mini flurries but we're getting yet another overtime bout!

Sudden victory: In neutral, one minute in. Peterson grabs a leg. Front trip for Peterson, dive roll for Sotelo, Peterson crunches him down. Peterson is behind for three! Or is he? Fast call on the takedown. Sotelo may have recovered in time and threw in a whizzer. The call on the mat is a takedown but they'll review. Call upheld, Peterson wins in overtime!

Peterson over Sotelo, 4-1

Michigan 17, Iowa 14

133: #8 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs Gauge Botero, Michigan

1st period: It's up to Ayala to save the day in his last match in Iowa City. Conversely, if Botero can keep things to a decision it will go to criteria, and someone else will have to tell me. Okay just saw that it will come down to most match points and Michigan leads that by 11 right now. So Ayala has to win by a major, and Botero has to win or loss by only a decision. Ayala goes to work early and gets a takedown in the first half of the first period. Quick escape makes it 3-1. Botero does his best to keep pace with the two-time NCAA finalist. Botero shoots and Ayala counters to make it 6-1 with 30 seconds left in the period. Ride out for Ayala makes it 6-1 with close to a minute of RT going into the second. 

2nd period: Drake wants neutral. He shoots off the whiste and collects a quick three. Ayala cuts Botero and it's 9-2 with 90 seconds left in the third. Catch in release for 12-3, make that 15-4 as Ayala does it again. Now 18-5 as Ayala cuts Botero one more time. The crowd knows another takedown and the Hawkeyes win. And there it is! Iowa closes out their home schedule with a dramatic win! Ayala by tech-fall!

Ayala techs Botero, 21-5

Iowa 19, Michigan 17

Two tech-falls from two seniors powered the Hawkeyes to a come from behind victory in their last home dual of the season. The Hawkeyes didn't lead until the final match was wrestled. 

That's all the blogging for this Friday night. Thanks for reading, apologies for the typos and see you next time!