Six former high school wrestling standouts locked into first lineup for Iowa Hawkeyes

Second-ranked Hawkeyes kickoff their season on Saturday night at Oregon State in dual action

Drake Ayala returns to the Iowa wrestling team this season after placing second at the NCAA Div. I Championships last winter. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tom Brands and the University of Iowa wrestling program have made it their mission to bring in the best of the best from around the country. But that does not mean they have ignored those who compete within their own borders.

The second-ranked Hawkeyes begin the 2024-25 season on Saturday night with a dual at Oregon State. They released a probable lineup for the Beavers, with six former Iowa high school standouts slated for action.

Kale Petersen, Drake Ayala, Ryder Block, Nelson Brands, Gabe Arnold and Ben Kueter are all listed, with Petersen being joined by Joey Cruz for the 125-pound spot.

A former three-time state champion at Greene County, Petersen is a redshirt freshman for the Hawkeyes. He went 3-2 attached last year and was 6-4 overall.

Ayala, a junior at 133, was the NCAA runner-up at 125 pounds last year and placed third at the Big Ten Championships, going 27-5 overall. He earned seven wins over Top-10 wrestlers following a 13-1 season in 2022-23 competing unattached. He was 17-8 in 2021-22 filling in for Spencer Lee and won three state titles at Fort Dodge Senior High.

Block, a redshirt freshman, was a three-time state champion at Waverly-Shell Rock, going 159-1 overall. he was also the state runner-up once and will wrestle at 141.

Brands returns for his graduate senior season after being forced away from the team last year due to the illegal gambling situation. He was an NCAA All-American in 2022-23 and won three state titles for Iowa City West. His father, Terry, is the associate head coach.

Arnold is a redshirt freshman competing at 174 pounds after starting his prep career in Georgia before finishing it out at Iowa City High, winning a state title. He was 8-1 attached and 12-1 overall last year.

Kueter has decided to focus on wrestling this year after coming to Iowa to play football and compete on the mats. The heavyweight went 3-1 for the Hawks last year after winning the U20 World Wrestling Championships in 2022.