Despite success at McKendree University and Central Methodist University, Jaycee Foeller knew that it was time for a change.

After exploring several options, she decided to transfer to the University of Iowa, marking her third school in just three years of college wrestling.

Now, Foeller feels she’s where she is meant to be.

From pom-poms to singlets

Hailing from De Soto, Missouri, Foeller was heavily involved with cheerleading in her youth and envisioned herself with a career in cheer someday.

“Cheerleading was something that I loved to do, and my goal was to go on and cheer in college,” Foeller said.

That all changed when she entered seventh grade.

Foeller was exposed to wrestling from a young age, as both her little brothers did the sport. After several years of watching their tournaments on the sidelines, Foeller decided she wanted to give wrestling a try.

“I was always at all of their events and tournaments, and I finally just decided I might as well do it,” Foeller said.

While Foeller continued to cheer in high school, wrestling soon became her number one sport, and she continued to improve her craft.

During her high school career, Foeller went a perfect 121-0 while capturing the 2018 USMC Cadet title. In the classroom, Foeller was a member of the National Honor Society and won the Trisha Saunders Award of Excellence in 2021.

Early college years

Foeller enrolled at McKendree University for her first collegiate season and planned to stay there for the entirety of her college career.

In her only season in a Bearcat singlet, she captured the MoVal Open Championship and was the runner-up at the 2022 NCWWC National Championship the following spring. As a team, McKendree won its third straight national championship with a victory over King University.

Following her first season, Foeller was dealt a monkey wrench when head coach Sam Schmitz left the program. Foeller had a choice – stay and work with a new coach or transfer elsewhere. Foeller chose to depart McKendree after just one season.

“I just didn’t feel like I was the right fit in the program anymore,” Foeller said.

Schmitz was hired as the head wrestling coach at Central Methodist University, and Foeller decided to follow him there. CMU is in Foeller’s home state of Missouri, so those factors helped with the transition.

“I wanted to join Coach Schmitz at CMU because he is a really good coach and a terrific leader, and I thought that would be the best place to further my career,” Foeller said.

Foeller adjusted quickly to Central Methodist and finished as the runner-up in both the Heart of America Conference and the NAIA. Her team finished 11-3 and earned a seventh-place finish at the NAIA National Championships at the end of the season.

Moving to Iowa

Once again, Foeller was left without a team and began looking into other universities. Her search led her to the inaugural program at the University of Iowa.

She later reached out to head coach Clarissa Chun about a potential opening. Though she hadn’t met her before, Foeller highly respected Chun, who is a former Olympian and one of the pioneers of the sport.

“I was aware of her extensive background in the sport, and I really liked her coaching style,” Foeller said.

Chun initially turned down Foeller’s offer, but she kept persisting, and eventually it led to a second opportunity coming up. Foeller immediately accepted the offer and joined the Hawkeyes for the 2023-24 season.

Championship glory

Just a few weeks ago, Foeller and the Hawkeyes competed at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

After racing through the bracket, Iowa met defending champion North Central in the finals. With the Hawkeyes holding a slim 20-17 lead heading into the final match, it was up to Foeller to secure the title for her team.

“Before the match started, I looked and saw that I needed one point,” Foeller said. “I was stressed out, but I needed to focus.”

Foeller was handily defeated by North Central’s Traeh Haynes but earned a passivity point that pushed Iowa over the finish line. In freestyle wrestling, an individual can earn a team point if they lose a match by decision or technical superiority but still score.