The 2016-2017 Iowa Hawkeyes will feature one of their most talented lineups since Metcalf's class of 2010 graduated. With five All-Americans set to return (including three NCAA finalists) and talented redshirts ready to contribute, there’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a Hawkeye fan. The big five will likely stay in their weights from last year with the possible exception of Brandon Sorensen, who could move up.

Note: Recall that these lineup projections are more gut instinct and a little bit of intel than anything else.  

125 Expected Starter: Thomas Gilman, Redshirt Senior

The two-time All-American is looking to improve on his 2016 NCAA appearance. Gilman knocked off Nathan Tomasello in the NCAA semifinals before falling to Nico in the finals. The man standing between Gilman and another title is almost assuredly Tomasello. Iowa has no question about who will man the spot here.

2017 NCAA Finals preview?

133 Expected Starter: Cory Clark, Redshirt Senior

Clark is a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA Finalist. With the graduation of the last two NCAA champions at this weight (Cody Brewer and Nahshon Garrett), Clark will emerge as the favorite at 133 lbs. to start the year.

141 Expected Starter: Vince Turk, Redshirt Freshman

A lot of buzz was coming from the Iowa room when Turk arrived. He hit the ground running, and was impressive against seasoned varsity competition. He may face competition from Topher Carton, who has seen spot-starting duty for Iowa through the years. That said, the talent and upside lies with Turk. Interestingly, Turk beat round-of-12er Seth Gross this year, but lost to Carton 8-7. Despite that result, he still seems to be the guy at this weight.

149 Expected Starter: Brandon Sorensen, Redshirt Junior

Sorensen is now two-for-two at NCAAs—he placed on both occasions, and earned a trip to finals this year. Sorensen seems perfectly sized for 149, and the elephant in the room is Michael Kemerer. Though Kemerer wrestled at 149 during his redshirt season, I think his size and build is best suited for the jump up to 157. Sorensen has been a rock at this weight, and seems to be a lock for another finals run next year. Why mess with what’s working?  

157 Expected Starter: Michael Kemerer, Redshirt Freshman

This Pennsylvania product is coming off a spectacular redshirt campaign where he defeated Geo Martinez, Matt Kraus, Fredy Stroker, Max Thomsen, Clay Ream and Dante Rodriguez. Kemerer has a long, lankier frame that's well-suited for the move up to 157. Like Turk, Kemerer was turning heads right away when he got on campus. A year in that room, and he’ll likely be a new man by the time the season rolls around. Also, seeing him registered at 70kg (154.5 pounds) this weekend lends credence to the move up, though it could be unrelated.

165 Expected Starter: Alex Marinelli, True Freshman

If there was ever a time to pull the trigger on a true freshman, it’s right now with Alex. Iowa notoriously redshirts their guys during year one (outside of Nathan Burak, who took a year at the Olympic Training Center). Marinelli is a strong candidate to start for a variety of reasons. First, they need him in a major way. The combination of Burke Paddock and Patrick Rhoads (barring significant improvement by either) is not likely to yield meaningful NCAA points. Rhoads went 0-2 this year at NCAAs. Second, Marinelli is ready. He’s getting on campus right after graduation and will be training. When you combine that with the fact that he seems to have the requisite physicality and skill set, it's easy to imagine he’ll be more than prepared by the time March rolls around. If they’re going to wrestle Marinelli, look for Alex to keep the shirt on until after Midlands. Iowa did this with Burak for three of the last four seasons.  

174 Expected Starter: Alex Meyer, Redshirt Senior

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to explain Meyer to someone. Match to match, even in the same tournament, he manifests as a completely different guy. When he dropped a slop-fest in round one against Lehigh's Gordon Wolf, I wrote him off completely; stuck a fork in him. Then he rattled off wins over Ethan Ramos, Bryce Hammond and Chandler Rogers to place. 174 doesn’t graduate much firepower, so barring significant gains, Meyer will likely need another gutsy performance to wind up in the top eight again.

184 Expected Starter: Sam Brooks, Redshirt Senior

The final senior in the Iowa lineup, Brooks is coming off a seventh-place finish at NCAAs with little wiggle room or expectations for a weight change. Sammy has notched wins over a number of 184-pound elites. Outside of Gabe Dean, nobody in next year’s crop looks out of reach for the Oak Park alum.

197 Expected Starter: Steven Holloway, Redshirt Freshman; or Cash Wilcke, Redshirt Freshman

I personally think it will be Holloway, but neither him or Wilcke had a redshirt year that suggests “locked-in starter for the Iowa Hawkeyes.” They’re both young and unproven. This weight will far and away be the biggest question mark for Iowa heading into the year. Wilcke wrestled only at 184 last year, which is why I tend to lean toward Holloway, who was solid in competition at 197. Holloway almost exclusively lost to ranked competition this year with the exception of a loss to Nick Veling of Wisconsin.

285 Expected Starter: Sam Stoll, Redshirt Sophomore

It was a bummer to see Stoll go out so injured this year. I think we’ll see him bounce back next year and turn in a strong showing at 285. With the departure of Gwiazdowski, Marsden and Wessell, Stoll will likely begin with a preseason ranking inside the top seven. A quick glance at 285 shows a strong top group with Snyder, Coon, Walz and Medbery. After that, there will be room for someone who may be a tier below who can slide into the top five—possibly Stoll.


The majority of this lineup seems set in stone outside of the 149/157 situation. Much of what I’ve heard suggests Sorensen will move up. Frankly, I don’t think that move is in Iowa's best interests for NCAA team points, so I’m sticking with my guess (and maybe a slight suggestion?). There is always the possibility that Kemerer has continued to make incredible leaps and could be an equal, if not superior option at 149 next year. I’m not ready to go that far, but given Kemerer's pedigree, that can’t be ruled out.