At the start of the season, we knew this schedule would challenge our team week in and week out. As the season has unfolded, we’ve continued to make small adjustments along the way — refining here, improving there — all in pursuit of steady growth.
Our athletes & coaches have shown resiliency throughout their careers, and especially this season. That grit is an encouraging sign of what this team is capable of achieving in March.
Coach Tom Brands has said in nearly every press conference this year, “We have the guys on this team to do the work and to win the matches.” We believe that wholeheartedly.
We know you—our most loyal fans—are with us in pursuing our goals. Thank you for your continued support of Hawkeye Wrestling! Onward and Upward!
Austin DeSanto (61kg), and Stephen Buchanan (97kg) started their 2026 campaigns with a bang! Both Austin & Stephen brought home GOLD from the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane in Nice, France. Austin won all five of his matches via techfall, outscoring his opponents 53-2 en route to his first international title of the year. Buchanan made his freestyle debut with three solid wins, including an 11-0 tech in the finals versus 2024 Olympian and two-time U23 World medalist Radu Lefter of Moldova.
DeSanto, Buchanan, and Pat Lugo competed at RAF05 in Miami, FL last month and all won in dominant fashion. DeSanto beat Nathan Tomasello 11-1 for the Bantamweight Championship Belt, Buchanan beat Yoel Romero 10-0, and Lugo defeated Johnni DiJulius 11-0.
RAF06 will feature Stephen Buchanan vs Givi Macharashvili of GEO.
Spencer Lee (57kg), Austin DeSanto (61kg), and Stephen Buchanan (97kg) are representing the HWC and team USA at the UWW Rankings Series Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia today and tomorrow. By the time you’re reading this Spencer & Austin will have already wrestled in their first few bouts with Stephen set to compete tomorrow morning (2/5/26) starting at 3:30am CST. You can see the full schedule below and stream it LIVE on Flowrestling.org
Local Time – Zagreb, Croatia
8:00am | Weigh-ins
10:30am | Qualifying Rounds
12:30pm | Semifinals
1:30pm | Repechages
6:00pm | Finals & Award Ceremonies
Central Standard Timezone – Iowa City, IA
1:00am | Weigh-Ins
3:30am | Qualifying Rounds
5:30am | Semifinals
6:30am | Repechages
11:00am | Finals & Award Ceremonies
Our next major event is just 3 months away, and we want you there! Our Annual Banquet — Clubmen’s Dinner on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing. Put this exciting event on your calendar so you can enjoy hor d’oeuvres, and a buffet style dinner, mingle with friends, family, and Hawkeye legends from years past, all while supporting your favorite team!
Come pre-game with us at one of our Pre-Match Socials! We have 2 socials left this year — before the Iowa vs Michigian dual at Donnelly’s Pub and in between sessions at the NCAA Tournament at Whistle Cleveland. Our final social of the season will be in partnership with the University of Iowa I-Club between sessions on Friday, March 20th just blocks away from Rocket Arena at Whistle Cleveland. Hope to see you there!
We also wanted to give you an update on our most recent fundraiser, the Arctic Plunge. At this year’s event, we had 48 jumpers raise $217,882.92 from 832 unique donations!! Thank you to everyone that participated by jumping in and/or by donating to the cause — we truly couldn’t do this work without you!!
Pre-Match Socials | Before Every Home Dual — Area Bars & Restaurants — Scheduled!
Annual Banquet | Saturday, May 2 — Hyatt Regency – Coralville, IA — Open Now!
Riverside Golf Outing | Monday, June 29 — Blue Top Ridge Golf Course — Open Now!
Inner Circle Tailgate Party | Saturday, Sept. 12 — Goschke Training Center — Open Now!
Sporting Clays Shoot | October 2026 — Highland Hideaway — Open Soon
Thank you for checking in with us this month by reading our monthly newsletter. You’re important to us and are impacting our team in a positive way—Thank you and GO HAWKS!!
Chad Beatty
Executive Director
HAWKEYE WRESTLING CLUB
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