Iowa coach Tom Brands disappointed some fans of both his team and Penn State fans by not wrestling Gabe Arnold against Carter Starocci.
Fans wanted to see Arnold go against Starocci for multiple reasons.
For one, the redshirt freshman Arnold is Iowa’s regular starter at 184 and is off to a hot start, winning his first 10 matches and rising to No. 5 in InterMat’s rankings for 184.
But mainly, fans wanted Starocci-Arnold because of what the two have said about each other dating back to when Arnold was still in high school.
That history is detailed here.
Arnold, eh, didn’t seem pleased with not being able to wrestle.
Gabe Arnold could not take watching Ferrari wrestle PSU pic.twitter.com/20gCtJyZSN
— Craig Dubler (@DublerCraig) February 1, 2025
This was Brands’ explanation.
WHAT BRANDS SAID
ST. LOUIS, MO. – MARCH 18: Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands watches during the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2017, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)
“We had a thought process in place. The rule is that we get five dates. We’re going to use them for (Angelo) Ferrari. And we’re not going to use them against Cupcakes. We have to load manage Gabe Arnold. That’s the term in the NBA that people don’t like. Gabe Arnold, we need to make sure that he’s still going good down the stretch. He’s going to be our guy at (184).”
NO SURPRISE TO CAEL
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Cael Sanderson
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson wasn’t surprised that Brands didn’t start Arnold and implied that he felt the past history had something to do with it.
“We kind of figured that might be the case,” Sanderson said after the dual meet. “Just based off stuff that had happened and things that were said, right? But I think Carter, he would have been ready for either opponent. Obviously, they have two great options there. They’re both really good wrestlers.”
Starocci ended up beating Ferrari 2-1, and Penn State beat Iowa 30-8.
Arnold’s promise of victory didn’t come to fruition but he has a promising career ahead of him and figures to be a problem for Big Ten wrestlers for years to come.
