The Iowa Hawkeyes are having a great time in the wrestling arena. Days ago, the Iowa women’s wrestling team made its dream home debut. Now, another Iowa freshman pulled off a major upset victory at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena over the All-Amercian winner Travis Wittlake. Gabe Arnold made his debut and immediately grappled the attention of the crowd with his incredible takedown of Wittlake in the 174lb category.

In the second period, Arnold started at the bottom position but quickly managed to turn things around. With the Hawkeyes bogged down with several gambling allegations, Arnold’s win will come as a breath of fresh air.

Iowa freshman secures a resounding win at debut

Arnold also said that the people in the stands had a great impact on his performance. “I’ve wrestled in big crowds before, but it’s different when you got 1000 people cheering for you,” said the freshman. In the 174 lb bout, Arnold swooped in to take a 4-2 upset win over Wittlake. Oregon’s Travis Wittlake has accumulated numerous accolades in his career and was poised as one of the favorites for winning the 174 lb division.

After dominating his foe on the mat, Arnold stated “I like to put on a show and those are fans, those are the people I wanna go for, those are the people I want to put on a show for, and at the end of the day, that’s what I like to do“.

However, Arnold did his homework ahead of his clash against the 2021 All-Big 12 Academic. “I knew he wanted to try to get me off his legs as much as possible, but [I] put him in the ground“, Arnold was heard saying after his win over the No. 11 Wittlake on Sunday. “At the end of the day, I’m a performer“, said Arnold as he said how the cheers from the stands motivated him to push through his early troubles during his match against Oregon’s Wittlake.

With Thanksgiving approaching, Arnold said that gratitude is the word that’s on his mind. The freshman thanked his fans, his teammates, and the coaches who contributed to his growth and helped him along his journey. Arnold’s debut couldn’t have been better and the unranked wrestler would now set his eyes on earning his spot at the Big Ten.

Hawkeyes struggle to get back on its feet

Despite starting off the season in style, the Iowa Hawkeyes were marred by scandalous allegations that saw multiple wrestlers being suspended by the NCAA. However, the Hawkeyes coach Tom Brands isn’t having any of that and thinks the Department of Justice should’ve been more vigilant instead of targeting rising athletes.

Read more: “What Was the Department of Justice Doing?”: Months After Iowa’s Betting Scandal, Hawkeyes Wrestling Coach Expresses Frustration

The Hawkeyes women’s wrestling team also created history on their home debut as they won all three matches against three different opponents. Now, Gabe Arnold looks to shine brighter in the coming days and the Hawkeyes will brim with hope for their unfortunate patch to come to an end.

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