IOWA CITY – The #2 Hawkeyes are looking to rebound from a tough loss to Penn State with a big Friday night matchup against the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.
The second-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team heads to Minneapolis on Friday to face No. 12 Minnesota in the team’s final road dual of the season. Action will begin at 8 p.m. (CT) from Maturi Pavilion.
Two Hawkeyes — Spencer Lee (125) and Real Woods (141) — are unbeaten on the year. Lee is 11-0 with 11 bonus point wins, while Woods is 10-0.
Lee is riding a 49-match winning streak dating back to the 2019 season — the ninth-longest streak in program history. Lee is 11-0 with 11 bonus point victories this season. He is rated as the No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the nation (regardless of weight) by FLO.
Woods has won four straight matches against ranked op- ponents, including downing Penn State’s Beau Bartlett last Friday to hand the Nittany Lion his first loss.
Sophomore Patrick Kennedy is returning to his home state on Friday. Kennedy was a four-time Minnesota high school state champion at Kasson-Mantorville High School.
The Hawkeyes have won eight straight duals over the Golden Gophers.
THE SERIES VERSUS MINNESOTA
• Iowa leads the all-time series 78-28-1 and has won the last eight meetings, including four straight in Minneapolis. Iowa has outscored the Gophers, 109-38, on Minnesota’s home turf in the last four meetings.
• The Hawkeyes won the most recent meeting, 22-10, on Jan. 7, 2022, in Iowa City.
• Minnesota’s last win in the series was a 19-15 victory in Iowa City on Jan. 25, 2014.
• Iowa head coach Tom Brands is 16-4 all-time against the Go- phers.
Friday’s dual will be televised live on BTN with Ray Flores (play-by-play) and Tim Johnson (color) on the call.
Iowa wrestling events are broadcast by AM-800 KXIC and streamed on hawkeyesports.com via YouTube. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will call the action.
