Despite the fact that Iowa has 10 individual wrestlers with targets on their backs going into Big Tens, it doesn’t seem that way. The Hawkeyes compete as one solid unite, and that only adds to the list of reasons why they’re the team to beat in both the conference and in the nation. 

“If all of your brothers are going in the same direction, it’s easier to get to one place, right?” Alex Marinelli said. “It’s like if you’re all wanting to be at the top podium, the top stand, it’s easier in numbers. If you’ve got an army, you want to have your brothers alongside you. This comradery — this is what you want.”

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Iowa has been chasing Penn State and Ohio State since it won its last NCAA team title in 2010. Now, the Hawkeyes are coming off of an undefeated dual season with wins against both of those teams. 

As the No. 1 team in the nation, everyone is gearing up to beat the Hawkeyes this weekend. With all 10 wrestlers seeded No. 3 or higher, Iowa’s looking to be in a good spot. But those rankings, seedings, and any numbers other than the score at the end of seven minutes don’t matter. 

“When you’re number one, they want to beat the number one,” Marinelli said. “That doesn’t mean we just go out there and expect to win everything and to blow them all out because you have to respect your opponents. You can expect to win, but in a humble way.”

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The Big Ten is a powerhouse in the wrestling world, owning the national stage for the past decade. That fact hasn’t changed, and the Hawkeyes are preparing for a dogfight between their stacked lineup and the reigning NCAA team champion Nittany Lions. 

Of course, it’s a battle, and that battle is hard work. But that’s what the Hawkeyes live for, and that’s what makes them scary good this season. 

“We’re just going in there to have fun,” Marinelli said. “Score points, be the first one to score and keep scoring. That’s the motto here, is ‘score first, score fast, keep scoring,’ and if we do that then good things will happen. We’re just having fun right now, it’s great.”

For Marinelli specifically, he’s gearing up for another round with Penn State’s No. 1 165-pounder, Vincenzo Joseph. Marinelli is 2-1 all-time against Joseph, with his only loss coming earlier this season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Bull welcomes the challenge, and he knows that to be the best, you have to beat the best. 

“Yeah, I mean, you’ve got to beat everyone to win,” Marinelli said. “I guess how the seeds line up, I’ve got to face him to win. I love the rivalry, whatever you want to call it, but it doesn’t matter. Throw records or whatever out the window; it’s game time.”

He doesn’t view himself as the No. 2 165 pound wrestler in the country on the No. 1 team. It’s just him and another guy out there.

That’s just how the Hawkeyes like to view it. 

“You could put a tie at number one, I don’t even care,” Marinelli said. “Everyone’s at the top now. Records go away, seeds – throw them out the window. Let’s put everyone at the last seed and see who wins. The Big Ten is tough, everyone’s tough in every weight, and so let’s just see who the toughest guy is.”

Anna attended the University of Iowa, where she covered multiple sports from volleyball to football to wrestling. She went to Pittsburgh in March 2019 for the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships and did live coverage of the entire event and Spencer Lee’s second-straight NCAA title. Follow her on Twitter.