Following their Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut on Nov. 12, the Iowa women’s wrestling squad traveled to Marshall, Missouri, to compete in the Missouri Valley College Open on Nov. 17-18. Missouri Valley University hosted the event.
Over 40 teams competed in the tournament, with Morningside University, Sacred Heart, and William Penn headlining the largest women’s wrestling event of the season.
Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun wrestled for Missouri Valley in college, so the event served as a homecoming for her.
The Hawkeyes captured six titles and earned an 84-23 record throughout the two-day event.
Day one
The Hawkeyes didn’t let the excitement of last weekend’s home opener get to them, and they sent 11 wrestlers into the semifinals.
Iowa’s one-two punch of Sterling Dias and Emilie Gonzalez easily dominated at 101 pounds and won every single match via technical fall or fall.
At 109 pounds, second-ranked Ava Bayless dispatched her opponents with ease, going 32-0 on the day to secure her spot in the semifinals.
Brianna Gonzalez, the twin sister of Emilie, advanced to the semifinals at 116 pounds by defeating Baker’s Katherine Heath via decision, 6-0.
At 123 pounds, the Hawkeyes were only able to send one of their three wrestlers to the semifinals. Fifth-year Felicity Taylor earned that honor by winning her quarterfinal match, 3-0.
After a few bumps at 130 and 136, second-years Reese Larramendy and Ella Schmit advanced to the semifinals at 143 pounds, each winning all of their matches.
At 170 pounds, second-year Kylie Welker showed why she deserves her No. 1 ranking and decimated all of her opponents via tech fall.
Despite an injury default in the third period of her opening match, first-year Alivia White easily moved on to the semifinals with a fall over Baker’s Elisa Robinson.
Finally, at 235 pounds, second-year Sam Calkins advanced to the semifinals after outsourcing her opponents, 18-0.
Day two
At 101 pounds, second-year Dias defeated her Iowa teammate Emilie Gonzalez via decision to capture first place.
Bayless came in second place at 109 pounds after losing a hard-fought match to William Penn’s Mia Palumbo, 2-1.
Brianna Gonzalez captured first place at 116, defeating McKendree’s Salyna Shotwell, 8-0.
Second-ranked Taylor earned the championship title at 123 pounds after defeating Oklahoma City University’s Sophia Smith, 8-0.
Second-year Esther Han steamrolled through her two matches of the day and captured the title at 136 pounds, defeating Gianna Moreno of Friends via fall.
Top-ranked Larramendy won the 143-pound title by dispatching Texas Wesleyan’s Mea Mohler, 5-1.
After rolling through her quarterfinal matches, top-ranked Welker was unable to secure the 170-pound title after losing to Dymond Guilford via decision.
The final Hawkeye to capture a championship on the day was Calkins, who continued her dominant run by demolishing Colorado Mesa’s Isabeau Shalack, 5-2.
Overall, Chun was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We came here to get better, and I believe that no matter the outcome, each individual did just that,” Chun told Hawkeye Sports. “I loved seeing everyone be there and support their teammates the entire weekend. We represented our program well, and I am excited to continue through this season together.”
Up next
Iowa will have some time off before its next team event. The Hawkeyes will travel to Naperville, Illinois, on Dec. 10 to compete in the North Central College Invitational.
