After a solid showing at the North Central Collegiate last week, the Iowa women’s wrestling squad headed eastbound to beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Desert Duals. The event was held at the Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. 

No. 1 Iowa faced off against Adams State, Colorado Mesa, and Simon Fraser during the event. 

In the morning session, the Hawkeyes took on Adams State and didn’t seem to miss a beat, winning, 34-11. The Grizzlies have struggled out of the gate this season and were no match for a tough Iowa squad.  

First-year Emily Frost continued her strong showing at 123 pounds by defeating Trinity Perez, 12-2. 

Second-year Ella Schmit made quick work in the opening minute of her match and took home a victory over Miranda Sanchez. 

In all, only three Grizzlies landed a point against the Hawkeyes. With the win, Iowa improved to 5-0. The loss dropped Adams State to 1-6. 

Colorado Mesa 

Following a dominant showing against Adams State, Iowa had little time to enjoy the victory, as a strong Colorado Mesa team was on deck. The Mavericks entered the tournament ranked No. 4 in the country and gave the Hawkeyes their toughest test of the season. 

But, Iowa found a way to come out on top, 25-20. 

Second-year Sterling Dias set the tone early at 101 pounds with a hard-fought 6-0 win over Isabella Morales. After the Dias victory, the Hawkeyes forfeited the next two matches and found themselves trailing early. Several Iowa athletes did not compete at the Desert Duals and rather tried to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials at Senior Nationals. 

First-year Ava Rose continued her recent hot streak with a 16-6 victory over Hania Halverson. 

The win seemed to give Iowa a much-needed boost of energy, and it held the lead for the rest of the way. 

Schmit and first-year Haley Ward earned two critical falls that further shifted the tide, and the Hawkeyes kept their perfect season alive. 

The loss dropped the Mavericks to 7-2 on the season, but they certainly gave the Hawkeyes all they could handle. 

Simon Fraser 

After the narrow victory over Colorado Mesa, another top-10 team was awaiting Iowa.

Simon Fraser made the trek to Vegas from British Columbia, Canada, and came in ranked No. 8 in the polls. 

The Red Leafs were smelling a big upset from the start, and following their narrow victory over Colorado Mesa, it seemed like they could catch the streaking Hawkeyes at the perfect time. 

But, the resilient Iowa bunch came away with a 24-23 victory. 

Once again, Dias got the Hawkeyes off to a solid start by claiming a quick win over Gina Bolognese. 

Iowa once again forfeited matches at 109 and 116 pounds. The Red Leafs won the next five matches to grab what seemed to be an insurmountable 24-3 lead with only four bouts to go.

But, the Hawkeyes had other ideas. 

Schmit dispatched Clara Scaglioni only 26 seconds into her match, and from that point on, the Black and Gold took over. 

Ward and second-years Reese Larramendy and Alivia White raced through their matches with ease, and when it was over, Iowa had kept their perfect record intact. 

The 3-0 sweep improved Iowa’s record to 7-0 and gave Simon Fraser its first loss of the season. The Red Leafs departed Vegas with a 6-1 mark.  

“This was an important challenge for us to face at this point in our season. Every team member stepped up and gave a 100 percent effort, which is what we do in practice every single day, overcome challenges,” Larramendy told Hawkeye Sports.

Up next 

Iowa returns to action on Dec. 29-30 at the annual Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa. The event will be held at Xtream Arena and televised on Big Ten Plus.