IOWA WRESTLING

Thomas Gilman goes No. 1 in preseason rankings at 125

Chris Cuellar

ccuellar@dmreg.com

Returning the NCAA runner-up at 125 pounds means Iowa is ready for some preseason plaudits.

The first came from FloWrestling on Monday morning.

Senior Thomas Gilman got the site’s September nod as the nation’s No. 1 wrestler at the weight for the 2016-17 season. As one of five Hawkeyes coming back to head coach Tom Brands’ team with all-American honors, more respectable rankings should be on the way.

Iowa's Thomas Gilman (top) lost only two matches in the 2015-16 season, both to Penn State's Nico Megaludis. This was a 6-3 defeat in the NCAA championship in New York City.

And Gilman isn’t alone at the top as an in-state representative. Northern Iowa’s two-time all-American, Dylan Peters, was rated No. 2 by Flo. The Denver, Ia., grad is trying to become a four-time NCAA qualifier.

Iowa plans to start its season on Nov. 5 with open tournaments in-state, with Purdue visiting for the first Big Ten matchup on Nov. 27. Northern Iowa will host Nebraska-Kearney and Utah Valley in Cedar Falls on Nov. 11 to open its campaign.