CLEVELAND — In December of 2024, Iowa men’s wrestler Gabe Arnold found himself in the hospital after competing at the Soldier Salute tournament in Coralville, Iowa. He was set to face his teammate, Angelo Ferrari, in the finals at 184 pounds, but medically forfeited out of the tournament.
It wasn’t a physical injury that kept Arnold from the title match against his teammate, but rather his mental health. Arnold discussed his situation on a podcast with Athletor, saying he didn’t wrestle Ferrari because he “didn’t know if he’d be here the next day.”
Head coach and associate head coach Tom and Terry Brands pulled Arnold out of the tournament to make sure he went to the hospital that night, because the Hawkeye redshirt freshman at the time was in a dark place…