New Iowa wrestling facility to be named for Hawkeye supporters

The building will be called the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center, the Iowa athletics department announced Tuesday.

Jerod Ringwald

Iowa head coach Tom Brands prepares his team during a wrestling meet between No. 2 Iowa and No. 9 Wisconsin in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. The Hawkeyes defeated the Badgers, 29-6.

Chris Werner, Assistant Sports Editor


The University of Iowa is set to name its new wrestling training facility in honor of Hawkeye supporters Doug and Ann Goschke, pending approval from the state Board of Regents. The board is set to vote later this month.

Construction of the new facility, adjacent to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, began in June 2022 and is anticipated to be complete in April 2024, per Iowa facilities management.

โ€œDoug and Ann have always had a passion for giving back, and weโ€™re thrilled that theyโ€™ve helped the Carver Circle fundraising campaign reach this important moment,โ€ Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said in a release. โ€œIn recent years, the Goschkes have been some of our most generous, loyal, and invested Hawkeye fans. Weโ€™re excited to honor their game-changing gift for this new facility, which has been built thanks to the contributions of so many Hawkeyes.โ€

In 2021, after the Hawkeyes claimed the NCAA menโ€™s wrestling team title, the Goschkes met head coach Tom Brands and 125-pound three-time individual NCAA champ Spencer Lee. The Goschkes, of Iowa City, said those meetings served as a catalyst for their $7 million donation to the Carver Circle campaign.

โ€œAfter we met with coach Brands and Spencer, we immediately gained a greater appreciation of the philosophy of Iowa wrestling,โ€ Doug said. โ€œWe saw many similarities between Iowa wrestling and how we raised our family and built our business. It took our passion for Iowa wrestling to a new level, and both Ann and I are thrilled to support Iowaโ€™s wrestlers in this way.โ€

Brands, who will begin his 17th season leading the Iowa menโ€™s wrestling team on Nov. 13 when the Hawkeyes take on Cal-Baptist in Iowa City, said the Goschkes were fully behind Iowaโ€™s plan for the training center, which is anticipated to cost more than $31 million.

โ€œOur vision was to build the best training facility in college wrestling,โ€ Brands said. โ€œAs Doug and Ann Goschkeโ€™s relationship with Iowa athletics grew and they started to understand our visionโ€”they were 100% on board. They recognized why this project was a must for our program and were eager to get behind it. The Goschkes have helped us reach the finish line. They are great Hawks, and we are proud to have their name on this facility.โ€

RELATED: Cost, size of new Iowa menโ€™s and women wrestling facility expand

The wrestling room inside the new facility will also be named after Iowa supporters.

The proposed 13,000-square-foot wrestling room will be named in honor of Bob Nicolls, who graduated from Iowa in 1980, and Kathy Nicolls, of Franktown, Colorado.

Bob has been an Iowa wrestling fan ever since he was a student at the university, and the couple supports Iowaโ€™s track and field and wrestling teams, among other university programs. The pair donated $7 million to the Carver Circle campaign.

โ€œBob Nicolls got this campaign started,โ€ Brands said. โ€œHe stepped up right away, brought others to the table, and never wavered in his commitment and drive to help us get this project done. Heโ€™s been the lead volunteer on this project and a great friend to our program and me. We are honored to have the Nicollsโ€™ name on our wrestling room. It canโ€™t be anyone else. Thatโ€™s how important Bob Nicolls was to getting this campaign done.โ€


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