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Iowa wrestling notebook (May 4, 2026)

by: Tanner Lafever05/04/26TannerLafever

A lot has happened in the Iowa wrestling sphere over the past two weeks. And much of the news may’ve easily been lost amidst the all-consuming mayhem that was the recently completed US Open.

That said, aside from the departure of women’s assistant coach Tonya Verbeek, my coverage/chronicling of events has mostly been limited to social media.

As such, I thought now might be the perfect time to bring back an intermittent feature here at Hawkeye Report:

Welcome to the Iowa wrestling notebook.

Here, I’ll run through several of the latest happenings involving the men’s and women’s programs. And once finished, hopefully everyone will feel caught up as we continue to embark on a busy spring/summer season.

So, let’s get to it.

Portal developments

There’s isn’t a more consistent source for offseason fodder than the transfer portal, so naturally that’s where we’ll begin.

And in recent weeks, several noteworthy nuggets have involved the Hawkeyes.

First, Iowa found itself on the losing end of a head-to-head battle for NC State transfer Daniel Zepeda.

The eighth-ranked overall recruit in the 2025 high school class, Zepeda – a 149/157 pounder – chose Michigan over the Hawkeyes after visiting both programs.

Iowa doesn’t lack for options at those weights – led by returning All-American Ryder Block. But Zepeda would’ve represented a major infusion of talent – and one with four remaining years of eligibility to boot.

Not long after, the men’s program also lost a transfer in redshirt sophomore Kale Peterson.

Peterson – a Rockwell, Iowa native – battled for starting spots at both 125 and 141 pounds over the past two seasons, but ultimately never cracked the postseason lineup. And while his departure won’t cost the Hawkeyes a projected starter, it does ding the lightweight depth entering 2026-27.

Kale Petersen amassed a 26-9 career record as a Hawkeye. (Photo by: University of Iowa Athletics)

Fort Dodge product Dru Ayala joined Petersen in the portal just before the end-of-April deadline to enter.

Ayala – the younger brother of Drake Ayala (more on him shortly) – went 11-4 during a redshirt season in 2024-25.

The 125/133-pounder did not compete this past season. And his departure puts Iowa right at its 30-man roster limit for 2026-27.

Meanwhile, the women’s program experienced an in-state transfer of its own.

Waverly native Kiara Djoumessi was not on last season’s official roster, having elected to take a greyshirt with the intent to return in 2026-27.

However, plans change. And after entering the transfer portal in mid-April, she’s since found a new home at Wartburg.

The Knights finished 11th at the NCAA Championships and will welcome the multi-time Iowa state champion this fall.

All told, Djoumessi wrestled just two matches as a Hawkeye – both coming at 145 pounds on opening weekend of the 2024-25 season.

The development leaves Iowa at 28/30 roster spots filled entering 2026-27.

Incoming freshmen become finalists for prestigious national honors

A pair of soon-to-be Iowa wrestlers – 2026 signees Michael Mocco and Taylor Whiting – were each honored in recent weeks as finalists for the Dave Schultz/Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award(s).

Both awards – established by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – “recognize and celebrate the nation’s most outstanding high school senior wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.”

The winner of each is evaluated and selected based on the following criteria:

“Success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.”

Mocco (Florida/Southeast) and Whiting (Wisconsin/Midwest) were selected as their state and regional winners respectively.

And while neither ultimately prevailed among five national finalists, just making it that far remains a testament to the character/competitive excellence of these future Hawkeyes.

Prepare for Pan-Ams

If you weren’t already aware, the 2026 Senior Pan-American Championships are coming to Coralville, Iowa this week (May 7-10) – and with them a collection of Hawkeyes amongst some of the best wrestlers from across North and South America.

Five Hawkeye men/women will be a part of Team USA at the event – hosted at Xtream Arena.

  • Everest Leydecker (55kg)
  • Austin DeSanto (61kg)
  • Real Woods (65kg)
  • Kylie Welker (76kg)
  • Stephen Buchanan (97kg)

Fans can get tickets through the tournament website. And you can also register for the chance to win free club-level tickets via the promotion below:

I’ll have a preview of the event later this week – plus boots on the ground to cover it all – so perhaps I’ll see you there!

Ayala to Ames?

Though it’s yet to be confirmed by either of the principal parties, multiple media outlets – including FloWrestling and Justin Basch – have reported that recent Iowa graduate Drake Ayala is set to take an assistant coaching position at Iowa State.

There, he would join forces with recently promoted head coach Brent Metcalf (another Hawkeye alum) and associate head coach Derek St. John (another Hawkeye alum).

And so, the cross-institution Cy-Hawk ties would appear set to increase even further – continuing a longstanding tradition between the two in-state rivals.

As recently as eight days ago, Ayala was in the corner of several future Hawkeyes at the US Open:

Iowa x Ukraine = wrestling goodness

And finally, I’ll leave you with one last bit of wrestling content that I think is very much worth your time.

Rooted Films – a company based out of Des Moines – recently released a short documentary highlighting the Iowa City/Coralville area (often referred to as WrestleTown, USA) and its continued impact on the sport.

This 20-minute film focuses on the relationship between the Iowa women’s wrestling program and the Ukrainian women’s national team, which has blossomed in recent years – the latest instance being a weeks-long intrasquad training camp staged between the two this past December.

If you’ve got some time, I’d highly recommend checking it out.

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