Penn State-Iowa Wrestling Dual Postponed Due to COVID-19 Positives in Hawkeye Program

No. 3 Penn State wrestling’s match against No. 1 Iowa scheduled for Friday night at Rec Hall has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Hawkeyes’ program, according to a statement issued on Monday night.

Iowa’s Athletic Department suspended wrestling team activities following an unspecified number of COVID-19 positive results within the program.

“We are appreciative of the Iowa medical staff and respect the decision to pause activities,” Hawkeyes coach Tom Brands said in a statement. “We will continue to follow Big Ten protocols and look forward to a return to training and competition.”

The Nittany Lions have already had matches axed this season due to positive COVID-19 cases within their program. In fact, Penn State’s season-opening dual against Rutgers was postponed following positive cases among “Tier 1” personnel, while another contest against Michigan State was as a precaution.

Cael Sanderson’s group went on to win three consecutive matches against Indiana, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. The team was set to face Michigan on Sunday, but that was postponed due to a university-wide athletic pause for the Wolverines.

Penn State’s match against Iowa was highly anticipated, as the Hawkeyes are 5-0 on the year and have been considered the top program in the nation throughout the season. The Nittany Lions fell to the Hawkeyes last season 19-17 in Iowa City, which was one of two regular season losses for Penn State in 2019-20.

It’s unclear when or if the matchup will be rescheduled. Penn State Athletics stated that both programs will work with the Big Ten to evaluate options.