Ben Kueter doesn’t lose very often.

The 4-2 defeat to Amirreza Masoumi of Iran in last summer’s U20 World Championships was a lesson Kueter is carrying with him into his first full season at Iowa.

“I’d say the biggest thing I’m frustrated with is, I guess, my mindset going into that match,” Kueter said Thursday at the Hawkeyes’ media day. “I mean, I never go into a match thinking I’m going to lose. Most matches I think I’m going to dominate, and that match was, ‘OK, I need to manage this and do what I can when I can.’”

And that’s a mindset Kueter knows he can’t have this season as he wrestles at heavyweight for the Hawkeyes.

Kueter, who came to Iowa to play football and wrestle, devoted this season to wrestling full-time after going through spring workouts with the football team, and that concentration has paid off, he said.

“It feels good,” Kueter said. “It’s exciting. I was kind of joking with my parents about this, that this is the first time I’ve ever really done this. Ever since I started playing sports, I was always on to something, thinking about multiple different things. It feels pretty good to just kind of focus on one thing now.”

“He’s full-go now, and that dude is going to be a problem,” said 184-pounder Gabe Arnold, who was teammates with Kueter in their senior year at Iowa City High School. “I think a lot of people talked about how scary he's gonna be when Ben Kueter finally went full wrestling, and now he's full wrestling, and it's … it's a scary thing, it's a scary sight to see.”

Kueter won five consecutive matches in the U20 Nationals to make the United States team for the World Championships. He then outscored his opponents 24-3 in the World Championships before his loss in the final round.

“You've seen his progress through the trials process in early June, making that U20 team, and then into the U20 Worlds as a heavyweight in the beginning of September,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “So July, August, September. That's three months, three months solely dedicated to wrestling. And we love that in progress.”

Kueter, ranked 11th at heavyweight nationally heading into this season, came to Iowa after going 111-0 and winning four state championships in high school. He went 3-1 with the Hawkeyes last season after joining the team following the end of football season, with his only loss coming to top-ranked Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State.

What has impressed Brands the most is the way Kueter accepts praise and criticism.

“The biggest thing with Ben Kueter is he is a conscientious guy,” Brands said. “I think that's a good trait anytime, especially when you're young, is that you want to make sure that your I’s are dotted and your T's are crossed, meaning ‘It’s good enough’ just isn’t going to cut it.

“And he looks for feedback. He asks for feedback. He's mature in that regard, meaning thick-skinned to the point where, if he's not asking and he's getting feedback, he'll take it. He's a curious fellow, very curious.”

It’s why Kueter went to Brands for advice after the defeat in the World Championships. That match, he said, was an education in a lot of ways.

“It shows that I'm right there, and I’ve just got to keep working on little things,” Kueter said.

For now, Kueter is planning a return to football at some point. He won’t work with the Iowa football team in the spring, but is planning to go through summer workouts to get ready for next season, as the Hawkeyes’ linebacker room will have plenty of openings.

“We love the fact that he is full-time wrestling, and we'll see where this goes after this,” Brands said. “This isn't something where, you know, we're sitting here hoping that we hang onto this through next year, whatever. Hey, the decision was made. All parties were part of the decision-making process. And after this season, we'll evaluate. We'll go from there. But I personally absolutely love that he is full-time wrestling since May, June, last spring. Love it.”

Arnold had a prediction on where this season will end for Kueter.

“There’s still so much time left in the season, so he's going to be on top of that podium (at the NCAA national championships) come the end of the year,” Arnold said. “And I don't think anyone who has a brain cell will be surprised to see that.”