The No. 1 Iowa women’s wrestling team looks to continue its hot start this weekend, welcoming Cornell and William Jewell to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday as part of the annual Iowa Duals.
The event is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. and will be live-streamed on Big Ten Plus. It marks the second time the event has been held after the inception of the Hawkeye program last season. The 2023 event attracted over 8,000 fans to Carver, which was believed to be the new world record for a women’s wrestling event.
Iowa enters the tournament on a tear this time around, having won in dominating fashion last weekend in Marietta, Georgia. There, the Hawkeyes beat then-No. 1 Life and Hastings in separate duals on Nov. 8 and dispatched the competition in the Eagle Madness Open the following day.
The freshman trio of Rianne Murphy, Valarie Solorio, and Naomi Simon all finished in the top three of their respective weight classes, something that has impressed head coach Clarissa Chun.
“I’ve been impressed with our freshmen,” Chun said. “Our incoming freshmen are really coming in and making a statement on the wrestling mat and competitions in the practice rooms.”
Chun attributes the Hawkeyes’ early success to the competitive spirit that is brought in every practice and believes maintaining that principle is key to continued success.
“It really starts in the [practice] room, just pushing each other every day,” Chun said. “It’s the ‘iron sharpens iron’ mentality in there. They know and believe that they’re going to be pushed in the room, so when they step on the mat, they’re prepared for it.”
Iowa’s depth was tested last weekend without seniors Macey Kilty, Kennedy Blades, and Kylie Welker, but the Hawkeyes still prevailed with ease.
“That’s exactly what we want is that depth,” Chun said. “The women that come in, they know what our team looked like prior to coming in, and they wanted that challenge. They don’t step down from the fact that they’re being put in a room with college national champions, and they want to be able to step up if given the opportunity, and they did.”
Back at it
Located just 30 minutes from Iowa City in Mount Vernon, Cornell College looks to continue building its young program, which is only in its third season of existence.
Head coach Boston Jacobs is in his second season as the head coach and brings an attractive resume to the Cornell Rams program. Jacobs previously served as a personal trainer in Hiawatha for 10 years and has also worked with Cornell’s men’s wrestling program as a strength coach.
“I am super grateful for coach Boston Jacobs to be able to fill a program, a lineup, a roster so that we can put on a show for the state of Iowa,” Chun said.
Cornell has competed in two open events this season, including the Luther Hill Open in Indianola, an event which Iowa also competed in and claimed six championships.
First-year Jasmine McCaskel led the way for the Rams with three victories, while fellow first-years Emily Grassham and Camryn Aikanoff went 2-2. Aikanoff advanced to the quarterfinals but lost a tough match in the 180-pound bout.
Following the trip, Cornell returned to the mat to face Wartburg on Nov. 13. The Rams posted a young lineup of seven freshmen, but they were no match for the No. 15 Knights, who rolled to a 43-3 victory.
McCaskel snagged the lone Cornell triumph, improving her record to a team-leading 7-4 on the young season.
William Jewell enters the competition this weekend with a 1-1 overall dual record, defeating Texas Woman’s University, 34-13, and falling to Colorado Mesa, 37-9. The Cardinals are led by third-year head coach Desiree Ramos, who has posted a 5-7 dual record in each of her first two seasons at the helm. During her tenure, William Jewell has sent three wrestlers to the postseason tournament.
Like Iowa and Cornell, the Cardinals also opened their season at the Luther Hill Open. Three wrestlers faced off against the Hawkeyes but were all soundly defeated.