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Iowa men’s wrestling will host Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin for 2025-26 Big Ten duals
The Hawkeyes will wrestle duals at Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Purdue; Final schedule will be released at a later date
Jun. 16, 2025 3:51 pm, Updated: Jun. 17, 2025 7:37 am
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University of Iowa and Penn State have produced the top rivalry in college wrestling in recent years.
They are the only teams to win NCAA team titles in the last decade and are contenders for the Big Ten Conference dual championship every year.
The series will return to Iowa City. The Big Ten released the conference opponents Monday for the 2025-26 men’s wrestling season.
The Hawkeyes will host the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa owns a 28-14-2 record against the Nittany Lions. They wrestled in five No. 1 vs. No. 2 duals with Penn State earning a 3-2 advantage with last season’s 30-8 win at Happy Valley, Pa. The Nittany Lions have won the last four duals and six of the last eight.
The Hawkeyes are 83-8-3 overall record against the Badgers, including a 42-4-1 mark in Iowa City. Iowa has won the last 13 meetings and 44 of the last 45, dating back to 1975.
Border rival Minnesota returns to CHA. Iowa won last year’s dual, 23-11, in Minneapolis. Iowa is 81-28-1 all-time against the Golden Gophers, taking the last 11 meetings.
Michigan returns to the Iowa schedule after a year hiatus. The Wolverines have not traveled to Iowa City since 2023. The Hawkeyes won that dual, 33-8.
Iowa will compete in road duals at Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Purdue. The Buckeyes are coached by former Hawkeye Tom Ryan, while Humboldt native and former Hawkeye Tony Ersland leads the Boilermakers.
Iowa was ranked second last season. The Hawkeyes posted a 14-1 overall dual record and was 7-1 in the conference under Coach Tom Brands.
Iowa also placed third at the Big Ten Championships. The Hawkeyes were fourth at the NCAA Championships in March, producing five All-Americans, three national finalists and an NCAA titlist in Stephen Buchanan. Drake Ayala and Michael Caliendo, a U23 national freestyle champion, return after national runner-up finishes.
Conference dates and times and non-conference schedule have not been finalized and will be announced at a later date.
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