The Iowa Hawkeyes are traveling to the Empire State for their next three duals. They start their weekend early with a Thursday dual against Army in West Point.

Afterward, they hit the road on I-87 and travel up the Hudson for a pair of duals against Sacred Heart and Buffalo at Journeymen Wrestling’s Armbar at the Armory in Albany. 

Here’s what Hawkeye fans should know before the Hawks series of duals.

The Lineup Is Not Quite In Postseason Shape

This is unsurprising as it’s November and the postseason doesn’t start until March, and nothing is more important to a team’s postseason prospects than a healthy lineup. Superstars Spencer Lee and Real Woods are not expected to be match ready for this road trip and thus are doubtful to appear in the lineup. 

Look for Aiden Harris and Drew Bennet to plug the holes at 125 and 141 respectively in Lee and Woods' stead. 

We also didn’t see either Nelson Brands or Brennan Swafford against California Baptist last week so Drake Rhodes is the probably starter at 174 again for these upcoming duals. 

The Lineup Is Still Packed With Plenty Of Firepower

Brody Teske has ably stepped into Austin DeSanto’s shoes at 133. The UNI transfer won two matches at the last two NCAA Championships. 

Mad Max Murin is also returning for a final year of eligibility at 149. He’s a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time bloodround finisher. Additionally, Redshirt freshman Patrick Kennedy and third-year starter Abe Assad are primed for breakout seasons at 165 and 184 respectively.

And the Hawks can still count on their two NWCA All-Star competitors to anchor their lineup. 197-pounder Jacob Warner and heavyweight Anthony Cassioppi have five All-American honors between the two of them.

Army Will be Ready To Scrap

Though they only have two ranked wrestlers, you can bet that Head Coach Kevin Ward will have every starter on his Black Knight squad read to give the Hawkeyes a match. 

Freshman #22 Ethan Berginc has been a revelation so far at 125. He’s 7-0 on the season (and his career) with wins over All-American Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State and two-time national qualifier Liam Cronin of Nebraska.

Army is also dangerous at 174, with two-time national qualifier #21 Ben Pasiuk in the varsity spot. Richard Treanor at 133, Nathan Lukez at 157, Dalton Harkins at 165, and Sahm AbdulRazzaq at 184 are all on the national rankings bubble and could present problems for their Hawkeye opponents. 

Buffalo & Sacred Heart Are Going To Be Amped

It’s never easy to get one of the bluest of blueblood wrestling programs like Iowa on your schedule, so you can bet Buffalo and Sacred Heart are going to want to make the most of their opportunities at Journeymen Wrestling’s Armbar at the Armory.

Six duals will take place on three mats in the evening in downtown Albany Friday night. Two of them will involve the Hawkeyes, first against the Sacred Heart Pioneers at 6:30pm eastern, then at 8:30 against the Bulls of Buffalo. 

Buffalo has three wrestlers in the rankings, Tristan Daugherty and Jay Nivison are Honorable Mentions at 125 and 174, respectively, while two-time national qualifying senior Michael Petite is #20 at 157. Guiseppe Hoose at 184 is also on the cusp of a standout season. 

Sacred Heart is led by senior national qualifier Nick Palumbo at 157. They also bring one of the largest roster in the NCAA that will be ready to roll after a short trip from Connecticut’s Gold Coast to New York’s Capital Region. 

Matchups To Watch

The most competitive matches based on projected lineups:

125: Aidan Harris, Iowa vs Tristan Daugherty, Buffalo & Ethan Berginc, Army

133: Brody Teske, Iowa vs Richard Treanor, Army

157: Cobe Siebrecht, Iowa vs Nick Palumbo, Sacred Heart, Nathan Lukez, Army & Michael Petite, Buffalo

165: Patrick Kennedy, Iowa vs Dalton Harkins, Army

174: Drake Rhodes, Iowa vs Jay Nivison, Buffalo & Ben Pasiuk, Army

184: Abe Assad, Iowa vs Sahm AbdulRazzaq, Army 

Bottom Line

Iowa will be heavily favored in all three duals, but how a slightly depleted Hawkeye lineup stacks up against three opponents all eager to prove their bona fides will reveal a lot about how ready this Hawkeye squad is for the long haul of the regular season.