After nearly a month away from the mat, the Iowa women’s wrestling squad traveled to Naperville, Illinois on Dec. 10 for the North Central Collegiate Invitational. The tournament was hosted by local powerhouse North Central College, a Division III school. 

The event was one of the largest women’s wrestling tournaments on the calendar this year, with 30 teams participating in the invitational.

The Hawkeyes had three wrestlers compete in the tournament and each of them earned top-four finishes. 

First-year Ava Rose set the tone early at 123 pounds. After an injury default pushed her into the next round, Rose steamrolled her way through the bracket, allowing only a combined 10 points in her next three matches. In the finals, the New Jersey native lost to North Central’s Amani Jones, 10-0, and took home a silver medal. 

Also at 123 pounds, first-year Cali Leng battled her way to a fourth-place finish after tough losses to Jones and William Jewell’s Alexandra Waitsman.

The second and final Hawkeye to capture a silver medal was second-year Anayka Besco. Similar to Rose, the Kansas native rode through her bracket with ease but came up short against a wrestler from North Central. This time, it was Alondra Morales taking the top spot after an 8-0 win. 

Iowa had two other wrestlers competing unattached —  fourth-year Emmily Patneaud and third-year Jaycee Foeller. Patneaud failed to place at 136 pounds, while Foeller came in fourth place. 

Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun said the trip to Naperville was a great experience for her squad. 

“I thought it was a great competition for our women to finish up before the end of the semester. They wrestled hard and battled within themselves and on the mat to come out with a strong finish,” Chun told Hawkeye Sports. 

Viva Las Vegas 

Following the trip to Naperville, Iowa will have one week of preparation before heading to Las Vegas on Dec. 17 to compete in the Desert Duals. The event will be held at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

Iowa enters the tournament with a 4-0 record and a No. 1 ranking in the NWCA poll. 

The Hawkeyes will open the day with a dual against Adams State at 10:45 CST, followed by matchups with Colorado Mesa and Simon Fraser later in the afternoon.

Adams State comes into the tournament with a 1-2 record, including a 41-8 loss to Chadron State College in its last outing. The Grizzlies competed against Colorado Mesa on Dec. 7 and lost 45-4. 

Colorado Mesa enters the competition ranked No. 4 in the national polls with a perfect 4-0 record. Its last meeting came against Adams State, where the Mavericks overpowered the Grizzlies. Iowa and Colorado Mesa previously competed in the Missouri Valley College Open on Nov. 17-18, which saw the Hawkeyes take home six individual titles. 

Simon Fraser enters the event with a 3-0 record and a No. 8 national ranking. In its most recent dual on Dec. 1, the Red Leafs took down Grays Harbor, 50-2. 

For fans looking for live updates throughout the event, check out Trackwrestling.