Hawkeye Wrestling Club Showdown Open coming to Xtream Arena Nov. 1
The event will be streamed live on Trackwrestling’s website.
Iowa head coach Tom Brands watches his team in action during a wrestling match between No.1 Iowa and No. 6 Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeater the Badgers, 32-3.
September 24, 2020
Trackwrestling, in partnership with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, announced a new event coming to Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, Thursday.
The Hawkeye Wrestling Club Showdown Open will take place on Nov. 1 and be streamed live on Trackwrestling’s website on a pay-per-view basis for $29.95. In-person attendance will be limited to athletes, coaches, and essential workers. All proceeds will go to post-graduate athletes and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
“We’re thrilled to partner with one of the most recognizable brands in wrestling to showcase a unique, high-level event,” Vice President of Sports, SportsEngine, and Trackwrestling Travis Shives said. “The Hawkeye Wrestling Club has assembled an exceptional card filled with highly-credentialed athletes from around the country and beyond, and we look forward to streaming the event to the wrestling world.”
The card for the event has not been announced, but according to Trackwrestling, the event will feature World medalists, national champions, and All-Americans. The athletes competing across seven men’s freestyle matches and two women’s freestyle bouts will be announced throughout the week next week, starting Monday.
“This is about the wrestling, first and foremost,” Hawkeye Wrestling Club President Randy Novak said. “The HWC is committed to providing opportunities for men and women to train and compete for World and Olympic championships, and that mission is represented on this card. Every corner features a contender at the NCAA, national, or international level. The men and women involved are excited about it, and wrestling fans are going to love it.”
According to University of Iowa wrestling head coach Tom Brands, there is no limit with regard to which athletes fans will see on the mat.
“Our open format provides a great opportunity for some really high-level matches for the best guys in our program to wrestle in Coralville, Iowa,” Brands said. “This is something we’ve been working on as a path to competition readiness. We don’t know when we’re going to compete [in the upcoming college season] and this seems like a natural for our fan base, and it seems like a natural seeing the success that the Rumble on the Rooftop had and then the other events that have followed that.”
Brands also told The Des Moines Register that certain athletes from the 2020-21 Hawkeye collegiate roster will be competing.
“You’re going to see Hawkeyes with eligibility on the mat, and that’s exciting,” Brands said. “We’re demonstrating that there’s a lot of value in the Hawkeyes. We’ll have some women’s flavor as well. Women’s wrestling is important to our program. We’ll have a good blend.”
NCAA rules dictate that all collegiate wrestlers can’t compete before Nov. 1 if they wish to participate in the upcoming wrestling season.
Two Hawkeyes took to social media Wednesday night, perhaps hinting that they will be participating in the event.
Reigning NCAA National Champion Spencer Lee wrote on Instagram, “Can’t wait to compete again soon!”
Former Missouri Tigers wrestler and current Hawkeye Jaydin Eierman tweeted, “Excited for the opportunity to compete again!! #GoHawks”
Eierman was a three-time All-American at Missouri before transferring to Iowa last year. After a year off, Eierman can officially compete in the Black and Gold collegiately starting this season.
