Days After Finessing Cyclones With a Weight-Class Switch-Up, Iowa Hawkeyes’ Prodigy Wrestler Claims Prestigious Accolade

The eternal saga of rivalry between the wrestling programs of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones recently received its newest chapter. The Iowa Hawkeyes prevailed over the ISU Cyclones once again, earning the Hawkeyes another victory lap.

The Hawkeyes and the Cyclones had a really close encounter this time, with ISU almost overturning the result. According to a social media post, a Hawkeyes wrestler has bagged a prestigious honor for his flamboyant performance in the high-voltage dual. In fact, the Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling superstar has claimed the honor of defeating a ranked wrestler of the ISU.

Iowa Hawkeyes freshman leaves renowned rival in the dust

The Iowa Hawkeyes faced the Iowa State Cyclones on 26 November in an on-road match. The team under head coach Tom Brands made the latest wrestling dual a repeat telecast of their previous runs, taking their winning streak against ISU to 19. A freshman from the Iowa Hawkeye, Gabe Arnold, performed exceptionally well in his first bout against his team’s eternal rivals. Big Ten Wrestling tweeted the result of the ‘Wrestler of the Week’ honor, naming Arnold as the winner.

Arnold defeated Iowa State’s Will Feldkamp in the 184-pound weight class. Interestingly, Feldkamp is the sixth-ranked NCAA wrestler in this weight class. In fact, Arnold claimed a win by decision despite moving up a weight class to beat the sixth-ranker.

Gabe Arnold is a homegrown wrestling star for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He had claimed the Iowa High School 3A State Championship this year as well. Arnold didn’t allow Feldkamp to close the tiny gap of 3-2 in his wrestling bout despite being a freshman. While this gave his team a major boost, it plunged a nasty dagger into the hearts of the ISU who lost by 18-14. 

Delivering Iowa State its first loss of the season

While the Hawkeyes now move with a flawless campaign of 3-0, the Cyclones were made to swallow their first-season loss. The Iowa Hawkeyes won all six matches by decision. Despite not winning even a single bout, ISU had almost tied the Hawkeyes in points. 

Speaking on this, Tom Brands said, “Onward. Competitors focus on what they can control. We’ve got guys that have tremendous scoring ability and I’m not sure that showed out there. We got beat up in the stall call department, so we have a lot of work to do. That’s where I am at. We are moving forward.” 

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The statement from Brands showcases the high expectations he has from his boys, where a victory alone doesn’t suffice. ISU head coach Kevin Dresser had complimented this drive of Brands before both sides clashed as well. Will Tom Brands be able to help the Hawkeyes win this year’s NCAA Championship?

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