The Iowa Hawkeyes were cruising through the 2023-24 season with an unbeaten record so far. Head coach Tom Brands and his boys were keen on overtaking Penn State by claiming yet another victory over Michigan. However, the Hawkeyes’ smooth sailing ship struck an unusual iceberg when it tried to dock at Ann Arbor.

This was very unexpected since the Hawks had only lost once to the Michigan Wolverines before. But, Iowa Hawkeyes fans watched in horror and shock as even the most reliable of their starters failed to secure a win. Here are three of the most upsetting results for the Hawkeyes that changed the entire picture of the dual.

Controlling the dual right from the get-go 

Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Drake Ayala has been phenomenal in the 125lbs weight class. Many saw Ayala as another 125-king for the Hawkeyes, just like Spencer Lee. However, Michigan Wolverines wrestler Michael DeAugustino outwrestled the former first-ranked grappler by a very narrow margin.

The Wild One and Ayala were in a stalemate before DeAugustino flipped the tables and secured the win in the first bout of the dual. While Ayala’s fall hit the morale of the rest of the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Michigan Wolverines got more confident in their bouts. In fact, this burst of confidence even extended to a wrestler who just recently acquired his Wolverine claws.

Young Wolverine strikes the Iowa Hawkeyes in the heart

141-pounder Real Woods is one of the biggest trump cards on the deck of Iowa Hawkeyes. The 3x All-American is one of the guaranteed winners on the Iowa roster, but today, he got overpowered by a Michigan freshman. Moreover, instead of a small decision win or a tiebreaker, Real Woods lost by a down weighing pinfall from Sergio Lemley.

Lemley had an advantage over Woods throughout the match. But, the young Wolverine made the commentators go crazy in the final ten seconds of his bout who said, “That made Woods really work harder than he needed to, and now he’s got a cradle! And is Sergio Lemley going to put Real Woods on his back again in the final 10 seconds? Looking for the fall! Sergio Lemley has arrived in Ann Arbor!”

While this really froze the Iowa Hawkeyes in their tracks, Tom Brand’s boys didn’t want to give up so early. However, while they believed that the fall of Ayala and Woods would be their final upsets, another grand upset waited for them. Moreover, this upset was almost the exact replica of the first.

Another tiebreaker repeat telecast for the Iowa Hawkeyes 

Iowa Hawkeyes wrestler Jared Franek entered the 157lbs bout against Michigan’s Will Lewan. The Iowa wrestler was a favorite to win this bout since he was ranked second in the nation at 157. However, despite being the 12th-ranking grappler, Lewan held his ground pretty well against Franek.

The final seconds saw the two wrestlers locked in a tie with nobody making any headways. However, just when the clock was about to run out, Franek secured a great offensive hold on Lewan. But, while the Iowa Hawkeyes thought they would finally secure a win, Lewan outsmarted his opponent with a last-second escape.

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This earned Lewan the lone point that turned the match on its head and slapped the Iowa Hawkeyes with a score of 16-0. The All-American Michigan Wolverine successfully completed his job and established his team in a one-sided position. When the final whistle was blown, Iowa lost its first match of the season, and its second-ever match to Michigan. Will the Hawks be able to rise from this and remain in the race for the number one spot?

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