Iowa remains the only Power Four school in the country with a women’s wrestling program and sits alongside only three other Division I schools with the sport.
Iowa City, dubbed Wrestletown, USA, sets the largest stage in the country for women’s wrestling. Young girls all around Iowa now have the opportunity to sit in the front row.
Prairie High School and Hammerinn’ Hawks AAU are just a handful of the programs springing up around the state to support the growing sport.
Collins Hoeger, 9, has her hands lifted by her friends before her matches at Williamsburg AAU tournament on Dec. 8, 2024. Collins had just jokingly “pinned” a male teammate and her friends celebrated her win. Collins continued on to win the tournament in her weight group.