After an extended break for the holidays, the Iowa women’s wrestling squad returned to action in the Soldier Salute on Dec. 29-30. The Hawkeyes didn’t have to travel very far, as the 11-team event was held in nearby Coralville at Xtream Arena. 

“I think the best moment was our women being able to compete in our backyard,” Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun told Iowa Athletics after the tournament. “The fans showed up and we have great fans traveling from across the state, from other states, that came to watch and cheer on our women.”

On familiar ground, the Hawkeyes tore through the competition, finishing in first place out of nine schools with 223 points – 30 points ahead of the second-place Life University. Along the way, Iowa claimed five individual titles. 

The invitational was split into four sessions, with two sessions held each day. 

Session one 

No. 1 Iowa didn’t miss a beat in the opening session, and each Hawkeye easily held their own throughout each match. 

Second-year Sterling Dias got the party started at 101 pounds with a fall over Indiana Tech’s Whitley Blake. In her second-round bout, Dias dispatched Life’s Devyn Gomez, 11-0. 

Second-year Ava Bayless made quick work of each of her two opponents in the session, winning by scores of 10-0, and 14-4. 

Briana Gonzelez continued her stellar play with easy wins over Life’s Adriana Martinez and Indiana Tech’s Riley Horvath. The second-year was the runner-up at last season’s Soldier Salute, and both wins put her in a good position early. 

First-year Lily Luft continues to show growth at 136 pounds over the last few competitions, and earned victories of 11-0, and 10-0, respectively. Luft was a three-time state champion in high school and will be a fun watch for fans as her career progresses.

Second-year Bella Mir dominated at 155 pounds, including a second-round win only 43 seconds into her match. She would eventually earn Most Outstanding Wrestler at the end of the tournament, posting a final mark of 6-0, including four pins and one technical fall. 

In all, Iowa lost only four matches in session one. 

Session two 

Session two was a carbon copy of session one, and it saw Iowa further establish itself as the top team in the country. 

When the day was done, 10 Hawkeyes had punched their ticket to the semifinals. 

Dias carried over her strong performance from session one by defeating Dubuque’s Brianna Richey, 11-0. She earned her spot in the semifinals after a win over William Penn’s Teya Gardner. 

Gonzalez marched on to the semis after a 12-1 triumph over Taryn Evans of UMPQUA Community College. 

Luft showed no signs of slowing down and dispatched both of her opponents with ease to earn a spot in the semifinals. 

Also at 136 pounds, second-year Anakya Besco earned a hard-fought victory over Life’s Angie Pardo in a match that lasted nearly five minutes. Besco clinched her semifinal spot with a 10-0 triumph over Victory’s Emma Gruenhagen. 

Mir advanced to the semifinals due to a medical forfeit from Tiffin’s Janida Garcia. 

Emily Frost (130), Bella Ngo (123), Reese Larramendy (143), and Haley Ward (170), were the other Hawkeyes that marched onto the semifinals. Emmily Patneaud also clinched a spot in the semifinals as an unattached competitor.  

As a team, Iowa ended the day atop the overall standings with 95 points. 

Semifinals 

The Hawkeyes came out on fire in the semifinals and sent nine wrestlers to the final round. 

At 101 pounds, Dias advanced to the finals with a tough 2-1, win over Tiffin’s Juliana Alejandro. 

Bayless rolled into the final round at 109 pounds with a 10-2 victory over Indiana Tech’s Tehani Soares.  

Gonzalez punched her ticket to the final session with a hard-earned fall over Life’s Estefany Garcia. The triumph put her in the Soldier Salute finals for the second straight season. 

At 123 pounds, Ngo squeaked out an 8-7 win against Victory’s Josie Bartishofski to clinch her finals spot. 

Frost took care of business in the 130 semis, and the stage was set for teammates Luft and Patneau to compete against one another at 136. Luft prevailed by a score of 14-3 to secure a berth in the finals. 

Larramendy, Mir, and Ward all made quick work of their respective opponents to round out the semifinal round. 

Finals 

In the final round, the Hawkeyes won five individual championships. 

Dias wrapped up the championship at 101 pounds after defeating Indiana Tech’s Makayla Young via fall. 

Bayless didn’t even have to break a sweat in the 109 final, as Tiffin’s Jenavi Alejandro was unable to compete due to an injury. 

Gonzalez won the championship at 116 pounds, while Ngo fell 7-6 in a hard-fought battle at 123 pounds. 

Frost was defeated by Life’s Sarah Savidge via tech fall in the 130 final, and Luft lost the 136 bout via a 5-2 decision from Life’s Zaynah McBryde. 

Larramendy came up short in the 143 title to Life’s Jamilah McBryde in a hard-fought match that lasted nearly six minutes. 

The Hawkeyes were able to get back to their winning ways at 155 pounds when Mir defeated Life’s Latifah McBryde via fall. 

Finally, Ward brought home the bacon at 170 pounds after an 11-0 victory over unattached competitor Katelyn Lewis. 

Up next 

Iowa returns to the mat on Jan. 5-6 at the NCWA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The event will feature 96 male and female programs from the NAIA, NCWA, and Divisions I-III.