No. 1 Iowa women’s wrestling looks to keep momentum rolling at Iowa Duals

The Hawkeyes will host Missouri Valley College and Life University.

January 19, 2024

Iowa’s 130-pound Lily Luft shows off the tigerhawk during the Trailblazer Duals between No. 3 Iowa, No. 6 Sacred Heart, No. 13 Presbyterian, and No. 11 Lindenwood at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. Iowa women’s wrestling made history on Sunday, hosting the first women’s wrestling dual in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes defeated Presbyterian, 44-1, Lindenwood, 43-0, and Sacred Heart, 40-4.

Following a historic championship win at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls on Jan. 6, the No. 1 Iowa women’s wrestling team returns home to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa Duals on Jan 21.

This marks the second and final home dual of the season for the Hawkeyes following the Trailblazer Duals back on Nov 12.

The Hawkeyes will take on Missouri Valley College and Life University, both of which Iowa has faced this season. A live-stream of the event can be found on Big Ten Plus.

Missouri Valley College

First up on the docket for Iowa is Missouri Valley, who comes into the dual with an overall record of 1-6 despite beginning the season in the rankings. This dual will begin at 2:00 p.m.

Located in Marshall, Missouri, the Vikings compete in the NAIA as members of the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Head coach Kevin Corbett is in his second season leading the Missouri Valley program. He previously coached the Lyon Fighting Scots for five years, winning SAC Coach of the Year honors in 2020.

Overall, the Vikings have a nice mix of youth and experience, including eight seniors on the squad, but they finished in just 12th place at the NWCA National Duals a few weeks ago.

Iowa and Missouri Valley are familiar with one another as both teams competed in the Missouri Valley College Open, which was hosted by the Vikings.

In that event, the Hawkeyes captured six individual titles while the Vikings failed to earn one title, though they did have one top-ten finisher.

Now, Iowa gets Missouri Valley in its own backyard as it looks to get off to a quick start and get the Black and Gold faithful on its feet.

Life University

Iowa will conclude the event with a tricky test against Life University, who comes into the event with an unblemished 11-0 record. This dual will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Located in Marietta, Georgia, the Running Eagles compete in the NAIA as members of the Southern States Athletic Conference.

The program is led by seventh-year head coach Ashley Flavin. During her tenure, the Running Eagles won the national championship in 2022 and finished as the runners-up in 2021.

Life swept through the bracket at the NWCA National Duals, defeating Missouri Baptist, Cumberlands, Providence, and Menlo to win the NAIA bracket. All victories were by close margins.

Iowa and Life competed against one another at the Soldier Salute back on Dec 30. The Hawkeyes brought home five titles, and the Running Eagles brought home three.

Other storylines

Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun wrestled for Missouri Valley during her collegiate career. At the time, the Vikings were one of the first-ever women’s wrestling programs in the country.

The Hawkeyes enter the polls at No. 1 yet again. Iowa began the season at No. 8 but ascended to the top of the rankings after a dominating performance at the Trailblazer Duals.

About the Contributors

Brad Schultz, Sports Reporter

(he/him/his)

Brad Schultz is a sophomore at the University of Iowa majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in Sports Studies. This is first year working as a sports reporter and he has a deep passion and love for sports. Outside of the Daily Iowan, Brad is a contributor for Saturday Blitz, a college football site, with his content primarily covering Iowa and the Big Ten.

Ayrton Breckenridge, Managing Visuals Editor

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Ayrton Breckenridge is the Managing Visuals Editor at The Daily Iowan. He is a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism and cinema. This is his fourth year working for the DI.