Showdown between nation’s top teams looms as Hawkeyes head to Happy Valley

Photo: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) will square off in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle with Iowa’s Michael Caliendo at 165 pounds.
NEWTON, Iowa — A showdown between undefeated No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa slated for Friday, Jan. 31 in State College, Pa. boasts 18 wrestlers ranked in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 27 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Both teams stand 9-0 on the season, as the Nittany Lions are coming off a 35-3 road win over Rutgers while the Hawkeyes emerged victorious, 24-13, over Ohio State this past Saturday. Penn State remains the No. 1 team in both the dual-team rankings and in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, which projects where teams could finish in this March’s NCAA Division I Championships … based on individual rankings. Iowa enters Friday’s matchup ranked second in both polls.
The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
Highlighting the 2025 version of this clash of storied Big Ten programs are four potential top-five matchups at 149, 157, 165 and 197 and eight total matchups featuring top-20 ranked wrestlers.
Penn State features three top-ranked wrestlers in WIN’s TPI: Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci (184). Iowa features two No. 1-rated wrestlers: Drake Ayala (133) and Stephen Buchanan (197).
The remaining top-ranked wrestlers at their weights are Purdue’s Matt Ramos (125), Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez (141), Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson (149), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (174) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson (Hwt).
WIN Magazine’s Jan. 27 Top-20 Dual Teams
Rk. | School | W-L | Prev. | Upcoming Action |
1. | Penn State | 9-0 | 1st | Jan. 31 vs. Iowa |
2. | Iowa | 9-0 | 2nd | Jan. 31 at Penn State; Feb. 2 at Maryland |
3. | Oklahoma State | 11-0 | 3rd | Feb. 2 vs. Missouri |
4. | Ohio State | 11-1 | 4th | Feb. 1 at Michigan |
5. | Northern Iowa | 10-1 | 5th | Feb 1 at WVU |
6. | Nebraska | 8-2 | 6th | Jan. 31 vs. Wisconsin |
7. | Minnesota | 7-1 | 7th | Feb 2 vs. Rutgers |
8. | NC State | 9-1 | 8th | Jan. 31 at UNC |
9. | Cornell | 5-1 | 9th | Feb. 1 at Binghamton; Feb 2 at Columbia |
10. | Iowa State | 8-4 | 10th | Off until Feb. 7 vs. ASU; Feb. 9 vs. Pitt |
11. | Virginia Tech | 6-2 | 11th | Jan. 31 vs. UVA |
12. | Illinois | 8-3 | 12th | Feb 1 vs. Purdue |
13. | Rutgers | 11-4 | 13th | Feb 2 at Minnesota |
14. | Pitt | 8-3 | 14th | Feb. 1 vs. Duke |
15. | Michigan | 5-3 | 15th | Feb 1 vs. Ohio State |
16. | South Dakota State | 10-3 | 16th | Jan. 31 at Utah Valley; Feb. 1 vs. Wyoming |
17. | Little Rock | 14-2 | 18th | Off until Feb. 8 vs. Oklahoma State |
18. | Stanford | 7-2 | 19th | Jan. 31 at Oregon State |
19. | West Virginia | 8-5 | 17th | Feb 1 vs. UNI |
20. | Oklahoma | 6-4 | 20th | Feb 1 vs. Missouri |
WIN Magazine’s Jan. 27 Tournament Power Index
Rank | School | Total Rank | Top 8 | TPI Points |
1. | Penn State | 10 | 9 | 138 |
2. | Iowa | 8 | 6 | 95.5 |
3. | Nebraska | 8 | 6 | 69.5 |
4. | Oklahoma State | 10 | 6 | 65 |
5. | Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 63.5 |
6. | Ohio State | 8 | 4 | 49.5 |
7. | Northern Iowa | 9 | 3 | 46 |
8. | Cornell | 4 | 3 | 37 |
9. | Iowa State | 7 | 3 | 33 |
10. | NC State | 6 | 2 | 32.5 |
11. | Virginia Tech | 8 | 1 | 32 |
12t. | Missouri | 5 | 2 | 31 |
12t. | Stanford | 4 | 3 | 31 |
14. | Northern Colorado | 4 | 2 | 29 |
15. | Arizona State | 4 | 3 | 28 |
16. | Illinois | 7 | 1 | 24.5 |
17t. | Little Rock | 5 | 2 | 23 |
17t. | Michigan | 5 | 1 | 23 |
19. | Cal Poly | 2 | 2 | 22.5 |
20. | Purdue | 2 | 2 | 22 |
21. | South Dakota State | 6 | 2 | 20.5 |
22. | Rutgers | 7 | 1 | 18.5 |
23. | Lehigh | 4 | 2 | 17.5 |
24. | West Virginia | 2 | 1 | 15.5 |
25t. | Maryland | 4 | 1 | 14.5 |
25t. | North Carolina | 5 | 1 | 14.5 |
27t. | CSU Bakersfield | 1 | 1 | 13.5 |
27t. | Utah Valley | 2 | 1 | 13.5 |
29. | Ohio | 2 | 2 | 12 |
30. | Navy | 2 | 1 | 11 |
31. | Appalachian State | 1 | 1 | 9 |
32. | Pitt | 5 | 0 | 8 |
33t. | Penn | 3 | 0 | 5 |
33t | Northwestern | 4 | 0 | 5 |
33t | Oregon State | 3 | 0 | 5 |
33t. | Wyoming | 4 | 0 | 5 |
37. | Rider | 3 | 0 | 4 |
38. | Princeton | 2 | 0 | 3 |
39t. | Indiana | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
39t. | Binghamton | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
41t. | Army West Point | 2 | 0 | 2 |
41t. | Lock Haven | 2 | 0 | 2 |
43t. | Central Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
43t. | Drexel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
43t. | Harvard | 1 | 0 | 1 |
43t. | North Dakota State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
WIN Magazine’s Jan. 27 Individual Rankings
125 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Matt Ramos | Purdue | Sr. | 1st |
2. | Richard Figueroa | Arizona State | Jr. | 2nd |
3. | Vincent Robinson | NC State | RS Fr. | 3rd |
4. | Caleb Smith | Nebraska | Grad. | 5th |
5. | Stevo Poulin | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 8th |
6. | Cooper Flynn | Minnesota | Jr. | 6th |
7. | Troy Spratley | Oklahoma State | So. | 7th |
8. | Luke Lilledahl | Penn State | Fr. | 4th |
9. | Jett Strickenberger | West Virginia | Sr. | 10th |
10. | Eddie Ventresca | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 9th |
11. | Dean Peterson | Rutgers | Sr. | 13th |
12. | Sheldon Seymour | Lehigh | Jr. | 11th |
13. | Maximo Renteria | Oregon State | Sr. | 12th |
14. | Kysen Terukina | Iowa State | Sr. | 14th |
15. | Spencer Moore | North Carolina | Jr. | 15th |
16. | Nick Babin | Pitt | RS Sr. | 16th |
17. | Max Gallagher | Penn | So. | 18th |
18. | Tanner Jordan | South Dakota State | RS Sr. | 19th |
19. | Diego Sotelo | Harvard | Sr. | 20th |
20. | Gage Walker | Missouri | Fr. | NR |
133 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Drake Ayala | Iowa | Jr. | 1st |
2. | Zeth Romney | Cal Poly | So. | 2nd |
3. | Lucas Byrd | Illinois | Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Evan Frost | Iowa State | So. | 4th |
5. | Tyler Knox | Stanford | RS Fr. | 5th |
6. | Nasir Bailey | Little Rock | So. | 6th |
7. | Jacob Van Dee | Nebraska | So. | 7th |
8. | Nic Bouzakis | Ohio State | So. | 9th |
9. | Braeden Davis | Penn State | So. | 10th |
10. | Dylan Shawver | Rutgers | Sr. | 8th |
11. | Tyler Wells | Minnesota | So. | 11th |
12. | Julian Farber | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 14th |
13. | Kai Orine | NC State | RSSr. | 13th |
14. | Dominick Serrano | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 15th |
15. | Braxton Brown | Maryland | Jr. | 16th |
16. | Connor McGonagle | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 17th |
17. | Ethan Oakley | North Carolina | Jr. | 18th |
18. | Reece Witcraft | Oklahoma State | Sr. | NR |
19. | Kyle Burwick | North Dakota State | Sr. | 19th |
20. | Anthony Noto | Lock Haven | Sr. | 20th |
141 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Jesse Mendez | Ohio State | Jr. | 1st |
2. | Andrew Alirez | Northern Colorado | Grad. | 2nd |
3. | Beau Bartlett | Penn State | Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Brock Hardy | Nebraska | Jr. | 6th |
5. | Cael Happel | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 5th |
6. | Josh Koderhandt | Navy | Sr. | 7th |
7. | Vance VomBaur | Minnesota | Jr. | 8th |
8. | Jacob Frost | Iowa State | So. | 12th |
9. | Tagen Jamison | Oklahoma State | So. | 4th |
10. | Sergio Lemley | Michigan | So. | 9th |
11. | Sam Latona | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 10th |
12. | CJ Composto | Penn | Sr. | 11th |
13. | Josh Edmond | Missouri | Jr. | 13th |
14. | Joey Olivieri | Rutgers | Jr. | 14th |
15. | Julian Tagg | South Dakota State | Jr. | 15th |
16. | Mosha Schwartz | Oklahoma | Sr. | 20th |
17. | Danny Pucino | Illinois | Sr. | 16th |
18. | Cole Brooks | Wyoming | So. | NR |
19. | Haiden Drury | Utah Valley | Sr. | 17th |
20. | Chris Cannon | Northwestern | Sr. | 18th |
149 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
1. | Caleb Henson | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 1st |
2. | Ridge Lovett | Nebraska | Sr. | 2nd |
3. | Kyle Parco | Iowa | Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Shayne Van Ness | Penn State | Jr. | 4th |
5. | Lachlan McNeil | North Carolina | Jr. | 5th |
6. | Paniro Johnson | Iowa State | So. | 6th |
7. | Chance Lamer | Cal Poly | Jr. | 7th |
8. | Dylan D’Emilio | Ohio State | Sr. | 8th |
9. | Jaden Abas | Stanford | Sr. | 10th |
10. | Colin Realbuto | Northern Iowa | RSSr. | 12th |
11. | Kannon Webster | Illinois | RS Fr. | 14th |
12. | Jordan Williams | Little Rock | So. | 11th |
13. | Ty Whalen | Princeton | Jr. | 9th |
14. | Willie McDougald | Oklahoma | Jr. | 13th |
15. | Ethan Stiles | Oregon State | Fr. | 17th at 157 |
16. | Sammy Alvarez | Rider | Sr. | 17th |
17. | Jesse Vasquez | Arizona State | Sr. | 16th |
18. | Carter Young | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 15th |
19. | Gabe Willochell | Wyoming | Jr. | 19th |
20. | Malyke Hines | Lehigh | Sr. | 18th |
157 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Tyler Kasak | Penn State | So. | 1st |
2. | Meyer Shapiro | Cornell | So. | 2nd |
3. | Jacori Teemer | Iowa | RS Sr. | NR |
4. | Antrell Taylor | Nebraska | So. | 4th |
5. | Ryder Downey | Northern Iowa | So. | 3rd |
6. | Ethen Miller | Maryland | Jr. | 5th |
7. | Tommy Askey | Minnesota | Sr. | 7th |
8. | Peyten Kellar | Ohio | Jr. | 7th |
9. | Cody Chittum | Iowa State | So. | 10th |
10. | Caleb Fish | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 11th |
11. | Joey Blaze | Purdue | So. | 8th |
12. | Ed Scott | NC State | Sr. | 9th |
13. | Trevor Chumbley | Northwestern | RS Sr. | 12th |
14. | Rafael Hipolito | Virginia Tech | RS Fr. | 13th |
15. | Chase Saldate | Michigan | Grad. | 14th |
16. | Vince Zerban | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 18th |
17. | Matt Bianchi | Little Rock | Jr. | 19th |
18. | Johnny Lovett | Central Michigan | Sr. | 20th |
19. | Conner Harer | Rutgers | Fr. | NR |
20. | Jared Hill | Wyoming | Jr. | NR |
165 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State | So. | 1st |
2. | Michael Caliendo | Iowa | Jr. | 2nd |
3. | Peyton Hall | West Virginia | RS Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Terrell Barraclough | Utah Valley | Sr. | 4th |
5. | Julian Ramirez | Cornell | Sr. | 5th |
6. | Will Miller | Appalachian State | Sr. | 6th |
7. | Hunter Garvin | Stanford | So. | 7th |
8. | Cam Amine | Oklahoma State | RS Sr. | 9th |
9. | Nicco Ruiz | Arizona State | Fr. | 8th |
10. | Braeden Scoles | Illinois | Fr. | 11th |
11. | Christopher Minto | Nebraska | RS Fr. | NR |
12. | Cam Steed | Missouri | So. | NR |
13. | Drake Rhodes | South Dakota State | So. | 12th |
14. | Brock Mantanona | Michigan | Fr. | 13th |
15. | Tyler Lillard | Indiana | So. | 10th |
16. | Andrew Sparks | Minnesota | Sr. | 14th |
17. | Maxx Mayfield | Northwestern | Sr. | 15th |
18. | Jack Thomsen | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 18th |
19. | Paddy Gallagher | Ohio State | Jr. | 16th |
20. | Gunner Filipowicz | Army West Point | So. | 17th |
174 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Keegan O’Toole | Missouri | Sr. | 1st |
2. | Levi Haines | Penn State | Jr. | 2nd |
3. | Dean Hamiti | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Lorenzo Norman | Stanford | RS Fr. | 4th |
5. | Carson Kharchla | Ohio State | Sr. | 7th |
6. | Patrick Kennedy | Iowa | Jr. | 5th |
7. | Garrett Thompson | Ohio | Jr. | 8th |
8. | Cade Devos | South Dakota State | RS Sr. | 9th |
9. | Nick Incontrera | Penn | Sr. | 6th |
10. | Danny Wask | Navy | So. | 10th |
11. | Lenny Pinto | Nebraska | Jr. | 11th |
12. | Simon Ruiz | Cornell | Fr. | NR |
13. | Gaven Sax | Oklahoma | Sr. | 13th |
14. | Jared Simma | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 12th |
15. | Luca Augustine | Pitt | Jr. | 16th |
16. | Matt Singleton | NC State | So. | 14th |
17. | Josh Ogunsanya | North Carolina | Sr. | 17th |
18. | Jackson Turley | Rutgers | Sr. | 20th |
19. | Brevin Cassella | Binghamton | Sr. | 19th |
20. | MJ Gaitan | Iowa State | So. | NR |
184 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
1. | Carter Starocci | Penn State | RS Sr. | 1st |
2. | Parker Keckeisen | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 2nd |
3. | Dustin Plott | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Max McEnelly | Minnesota | Fr. | 4th |
5. | Bennett Berge | South Dakota State | So. | 5th |
6. | Chris Foca | Cornell | Sr. | 6th |
7. | Colton Hawks | Missouri | Jr. | 7th |
8. | Silas Allred | Nebraska | Jr. | 8th |
9. | Gabe Arnold | Iowa | RS Fr. | 9th |
10. | Jaxon Smith | Maryland | Jr. | 14th |
11. | Reece Heller | Pitt | Grad. | 12th |
12. | Edmond Ruth | Illinois | Sr. | 11th |
13. | Dylan Fishback | NC State | So. | 10th |
14. | Evan Bockman | Iowa State | Sr. | 13th |
15. | Isaac Dean | Rider | Jr. | 15th |
16. | Brian Soldano | Rutgers | Jr. | 16th |
17. | Gavin Kane | North Carolina | Sr. | 17th |
18. | Ryder Rogotzke | Ohio State | So. | 18th |
19. | Brock Delsignore | Little Rock | Sr. | 20th |
20. | TJ Stewart | Virginia Tech | So. | NR |
197 Pounds
Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
1. | Stephen Buchanan | Iowa | Sr. | 1st |
2. | Jacob Cardenas | Michigan | Grad. | 2nd |
3. | A.J. Ferrari | CSU Bakersfield | Jr. | 3rd |
4. | Josh Barr | Penn State | Fr. | 4th |
5. | Stephen Little | Little Rock | So. | 5th |
6. | Michael Beard | Lehigh | Sr. | 6th |
7. | Luke Surber | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 7th |
8. | Isaiah Salazar | Minnesota | Sr. | 8th |
9. | Andy Smith | Virginia Tech | RS Sr. | 9th |
10. | Trey Munoz | Oregon State | RS Sr. | 10th |
11. | Wyatt Voelker | Northern Iowa | So. | 11th |
12. | Joseph Novak | Wyoming | So. | 12th |
13. | Luke Stout | Princeton | Sr. | 14th |
14. | Mac Stout | Pitt | So. | 15th |
15. | Zac Braunagel | Illinois | Sr. | 16th |
16. | John Poznanski | Rutgers | Sr. | 13th |
17. | Seth Shumate | Ohio State | So. | 17th |
18. | Michael O’Malley | Drexel | Sr. | 18th |
19. | Zach Glazier | South Dakota State | Sr. | 19th |
20. | Evan Bates | Northwestern | Jr. | 20th |
Heavyweight
Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
1. | Gable Steveson | Minnesota | Grad. | 1st |
2. | Greg Kerkvliet | Penn State | RS Sr. | 2nd |
3. | Wyatt Hendrickson | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
4. | Isaac Trumble | NC State | Jr. | 5th |
5. | Cohlton Schultz | Arizona State | RS Sr. | 6th |
6. | Yaraslau Slavikouski | Rutgers | Grad. | 9th |
7. | Owen Trephan | Lehigh | Jr. | 8th |
8. | Nick Feldman | Ohio State | So. | 4th |
9. | Luke Luffman | Illinois | Sr. | 7th |
10. | Jimmy Mullen | Virginia Tech | Fr. | 10th |
11. | Josh Heindselman | Michigan | Grad. | 11th |
12. | Seth Nevills | Maryland | Grad. | 12th |
13. | Ben Kueter | Iowa | RS Fr. | 15th |
14. | Lance Runyon | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 13th |
15. | Dayton Pitzer | Pitt | So. | 14th |
16. | Cory Day | Binghamton | Grad. | 16th |
17. | Jacob Bullock | Indiana | RSSr. | 17th |
18. | Lucas Stoddard | Army West Point | So. | 18th |
19. | David Szuba | Rider | Sr. | 19th |
20. | Gavin Hoffman | Lock Haven | Sr. | NR |