Iowa's lineup decisions at 174 lbs and 184 lbs have been perhaps the most highly discussed lineup decisions of the whole NCAA wrestling pre-season. With two-time NCAA qualifier Patrick Kennedy, All-American Nelson Brands, and star freshman Gabe Arnold all listed at 174 lbs, the Hawkeyes have three quality options for just two weight classes.

On Saturday, the Hawkeyes will travel to Corvallis for their first dual of the season. When they listed their probable starters on Thursday, Brands was slotted in at 174 lbs with Arnold at 184 lbs.

Arnold discussed the move to 184 lbs during Iowa's media day, and it remains unclear whether he'll stay at that weight all season or return to 174 lbs. "We'll see, you know...at the end of the day, it's what the man upstairs wants. Right now, I'm at 184 lbs because that's where I feel like I can give my best contribution to this team, and that's what I'm going to do."

While Arnold weighed in at 174 lbs during the 2023-24 season, he did wrestle two matches at 184 lbs earning a 3-2 decision over Iowa State All-American Will Feldkamp and falling 5-1 to NCAA finalist Dustin Plott in a dual against Oklahoma State. Now, it appears that he'll be at the bigger weight without the challenge of giving up weight to his opponents. His long-term spot in the lineup still remains to be seen.

On Saturday in Corvallis, Brands is slated to face Oregon State's Sean Harman while Arnold will see either Mason Christiansen or TJ McDonnell. 

The remaining member of the Iowa 174 lbs trio, Patrick Kennedy, wasn't factored into this weekend's lineup decision as he just returned from Tirana, Albania where he earned 5th place at the U23 World Championships. He'll give the Hawks more flexibility, and more decisions to make in the coming weeks.

Iowa's Probable Lineup

125 lbs - Joey Cruz/Kale Petersen

133 lbs - #3 Drake Ayala

141 lbs - Ryder Block

149 lbs - #4 Kyle Parco

157 lbs - #1 Jacori Teemer

165 lbs - #2 Michael Caliendo

174 lbs - #4 (at 184) Nelson Brands

184 lbs - #7 (at 174) Gabe Arnold

197 lbs - #1 Stephen Buchanan

285 lbs - #11 Ben Kueter

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