SASSARI, Italy — Three University of Iowa wrestlers – junior Patrick Kennedy and seniors Abe Assad and Real Woods — earned medals at the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial in Rome, Italy, on June 9-10.

Kennedy won a gold medal, competing at 74 kg, while Assad and Woods both earned silver medals.

Kennedy swept his way through the field of five to earn the gold. He started with back-to-back technical falls before edging Ukraine’s Vadym Kurllenko, 15-9.  In his final match, the Minnesota native captured gold by defeating Venezuela World Team member Anthony Montero by an 11-1 technical fall.

Woods won the silver in a round robin style competition.  He won his first two matches by technical fall, which included a 12-2 technical fall over Ukrainian World team member Yaroslav Hurskyy. Woods dropped a 4-2 decision to Belgium’s Ayub Musaev for the silver medal. Musaev has competed for Belgium at the U20 and U23 world championships.

At 86 kg, the tournament was set up as a round robin before dividing into a bracket.  Assad came away with the silver in a field of seven competitors.  The Illinois was dominant, using a pair of tech falls in his first two matches before pinning Italy’s William Raffi.

Assad clinched the silver medal with a 10-0 technical fall over Muslim Zhaksylyk of Kazakhstan before dropping a 3-2 decision to Alex Moore of Canada.

Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial
Rome, Italy | June 9-10, 2023

65 kg – Real Woods (Hawkeye Wrestling Club), silver medal
WIN Felipe Ferrusola (Spain), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Yaroslav Hurskyy (Ukraine), tech. fall 12-2
LOSS Ayub Musaev (Belgium), 4-2

74 kg – Patrick Kennedy (Hawkeye Wrestling Club), gold medal
WIN Luca Finizio (Italy), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Jasmith Phula (Canada), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Vadym Kurylenko (Ukraine), 15-9
WIN Anthony Montero (Venezuela), tech. fall 11-1

86 kg – Abe Assad (Hawkeye Wrestling Club), silver medal
WIN Edoardo Bigliani (Italy), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Abdourakhman Gaziev (Belgium), tech. fall 10-0
WIN William Raffi (Italy), fall 4:29
WIN Muslim Zhaksylyk (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 10-0
LOSS Alex Moore (Canada), 3-2