Penn State's Shayne Van Ness defeats Iowa's Kyle Parco, 17-6 during their 149 pound match at the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 31, 2025. Joe Hermitt | [email protected] Joe Hermitt | [email protected]

There's no sugarcoating Iowa wrestling' s loss to No. 1 Penn State on Friday. The No. 2 Hawkeyes got walloped in a 30-8 loss on the road, dropping eight of 10 bouts. Coach Tom Brands didn't mince his words about his team's performance in State College, Pa.

FIRST PERIOD: Penn State's returning national champion Greg Kerkvliet picks up the first takedown of the match to earn a 3-0 with over two minutes to go in the period. He notches another takedown to end the period with a 6-1 lead in short time and asserts his dominance at the start of this final match.

Working itself back into winning ways, the No. 3 Iowa men’s wrestling program welcomes another nationally ranked Big Ten opponent to town this weekend. The Hawkeyes dropped to third in the NCAA Division I Coaches Poll with a 10-1 record and 375 points.

Cael Sanderson’s top-ranked wrestling team made quick work of No. 2 Iowa last Friday night in State College, winning 30-8 before a sellout crowd. Obviously, PSU remains No. 1 in the updated InterMat team rankings.