The No. 1 Iowa women’s wrestling team heads back on the road to compete in the 2025 College Duals in Albany, New York, on Saturday.
This one-day event will have the Hawkeyes competing against four opponents in the top 25 of the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association team rankings: Lock Haven, Sacred Heart, Elmira, and Presbyterian. The event gives the Black and Gold yet another chance to perfect its craft and establish itself as the top team in the country.
“We don’t take anyone lightly,” Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun. “We always talk about wrestling whoever steps in front of you. It’s not about having those matches in the past and whatnot.”
The seventh-ranked Sacred Heart Pioneers enter the weekend with a 7-6 dual record with victories over Northern Michigan and East Stroudsburg University. After going 2-3 in the NWCA Duals two weekends ago, the Pioneers have rattled off two consecutive dual victories over D’Youville University and New England College.
No. 10 Lock Haven University has posted a 7-5 record with notable victories over No. 15 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Utica. At the NWCA Duals, the Bald Eagles went 2-2 with competitive losses to No. 3 King University and No. 7 Sacred Heart.
And No. 5 Presbyterian enters the competition with an impressive 10-3 record in dual events. The highlight of its season was in the NWCA Duals, going 4-1 with ranked wins over No. 15 Stevens Point, Sacred Heart, Wartburg, and Colorado Mesa.
No. 20 Elmira jumps into the latest NWCA rankings after an impressive performance at the Will Abele Invitational last weekend. The Soaring Eagles notched a fourth-place finish over the two-day tournament, placing five wrestlers in the top-five in their respective weight classes.
About last week
Last weekend, the Hawkeyes competed at the Iowa Duals II in what would be the season finale at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. During this contest, Iowa faced Augustana College and Grand Valley State. Chun and her Hawkeyes made easy work of both opponents, winning at 44-1 and 35-7, respectively.
Kennedy Blades again left a mark on the afternoon with technical fall victories against both 160-pound opponents she faced, with one submission coming in just 38 seconds for what would be the fastest win of the day.
Brianna Gonzalez was another standout of the show. The No. 1 wrestler in the 117-pound weight class flexed her muscles with two technical-fall finishes against Augustana’s Liz Ramirez and Grand Valley State’s Kiely Tabaldo.
“Our women know how to take care of business,” Chun said. “They take on challenges that are presented in front of them. On paper, Grand Valley was ranked fourth going in, and they are a tough team. You hope to see whatever team we have in Carver bring out their best lineup. That’s what we wanted.”