Oregon State wrestling started their season with a loss in an uphill battle to the No. 2 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in Gill Coliseum on Saturday night.

Despite being ranked outside the top 25, the Beavers showed a competitive battle in each match and kept most of them close despite the gap in overall meet score. 

The program and head coach Chris Pendleton had also received praise from Iowa head coach Tom Brands after the teams faced off last year.

“I’ve been a fan of Tom Brand since I was a kid in 1996. He’s on my Mount Rushmore of wrestling,” said Pendleton.

The first match of the meet started with the 125 matchup of Beavers junior Maximo Renteria taking down Sophomore Joey Cruz by points.

Both wrestlers looked adamant about never letting their opponent gain any points, with the first round containing primarily handfasting. However, by the end of the match, Renteria showed once they got to the ground, it was his match to win. 

The 133 bout was a quick shift in momentum, with Iowa junior Drake Ayala tech falling to sophomore Damion Elliot. Ayayala was able to gain a considerable lead early with multiple takedowns and keep up the pace until the match was called.

This type of victory gave Iowa a slight lead to start off in the meet at 3-5. The match became an apex of intensity for the contest. 

OSU sophomore Nash Singleton and freshman Ryder Block showed impressive strength, performing exciting takedowns and hoisting their opponent in the air throughout the 141-pound bout. 

Singleton had a two-point advantage going into the final period of the match, but a well timed takedown by Block allowed him to gain a one-point lead to run out the remaining time and claim the match.

Iowa once again claimed victory by points in the following 149 match. Iowa Senior Kyle Parco got the first takedown and never let junior Victor Jacinto acquire any takedown points.

Oregon State was finally able to claw back some momentum with freshman Ethan Stiles’ victory by points over junior Caleb Rathjen. 

The Beavers 157-pounder held a decent speed advantage early in the match, showcased with an impressive ankle grab takedown. He used this to give himself a 10-0 lead going into the final period, leaving no time for Rathjen to come back.

This brought the halfway point of the meet. The Hawkeyes lead 11-7.

Iowa’s 165 junior Michael Caliendo gave a dominant performance to start the second half of the meet. He claimed the second tech fall for Iowa in the contest at a score of 18-3 with his final takedown on senior Kekana Fouret, who could not secure any proper takedown attempts.

OSU Grad student Sean Harman and grad student Nelson Brands were only separated by one point thanks to a video review that overturned the only would-be takedown points in the final period of their 174 contest. 

Harmen managed to tie the score with an escape, but when time ran out Brands was given the victory by points on a technicality. This would not be the only time a match had to be paused for a video review. The officials needed to consult footage in multiple cases.

“When you have two teams like that, it’s incredibly competitive matches where everybody is fighting and clawing your gonna see the kind of calls that can go either way,” said Pendleton.

Iowa’s lead increased as freshman Gabe Arnold gained Iowa’s third tech fall in a one-sided showing of arm drag and standing takedown technique against freshman Tj McDonald. This would continue to dig the hole further for the Beavers with a meet score of 24-7.

Two-time All-American Beaver senior Trey Munoz had the early advantage till the final period in the 197 round. 

Munoz suffered a small slip up in defense that allowed three-time All-American grad student Stephen Buchanan to get the final takedown within the final minute to claim victory by three points. 

In the final heavyweight OSU senior Brett Mower came very close to scoring the needed takedown but freshman Ben Keuter was able to catch him in a sprawl and hold him on the ground and run out the clock.

This brought the final score to 30-7 in favor of Iowa, with the Beavers only acquiring two wins total. 

“I was very impressed with some of their fights and then some guys they have work to do. That’s why we schedule these tough teams to come in to open our eyes to where we need to get better,” said coach Pendleton.

The Beavers will look to bounce back in their next matchup with North Dakota State on Friday afternoon, Nov. 8 in Fargo, North Dakota.