The Iowa women’s wrestling team kicks off postseason play on Feb. 22 with a trip to Indianola, Iowa, to compete in the NCWWC Region VII Championships. Head coach Clarissa Chun leads a group of women hungry to secure their second consecutive national championship.
“In the room, we have been working hard together and pushing each other to our limits,” third-year Brianna Gonzalez said. “I feel like uplifting each other with those hard situations and how life goes, we just always motivate one another.”
This will be the first competition for the Hawkeyes since the Grand View Open on Feb 1. With multiple weeks separating these events, Chun has relied on her competitive practice style to keep all of her wrestlers sharp and ready to go.
Here is everything you need to know about the event:
What teams are in Iowa’s regional?
Eight regions make up the NCAA teams in the NWCCA postseason tournament. The top four athletes from their respective weight classes will earn national championship berths.
Here are the teams lined up in Iowa’s region:
- Augsburg University
- Augustana (IL) College
- Buena Vista University
- Central College
- Cornell (IA) College
- Loras College
- Upper Iowa University
- University of Dubuque
- Simpson College
- University of Sioux Falls
- Wartburg College
Which Hawkeyes are competing?
One of the hardest decisions for Chun and her coaching staff has been deciding what players to take in this year’s postseason. The NCWWC allows just 15 wrestlers per team with no more than two competitors per weight class.
For Iowa, cutting their roster down to just 15 players is extremely difficult given the depth that the entire roster brings.
“That’s the hard one,” Chun said when talking about making cuts. “There’s people that know they are going. There’s people who are kind of in that hope. And then we have a few that probably knew that they weren’t and they are preparing for what’s next for them.”
Chun expects the players that are not attending these tournaments to stay vigilant and constantly help prepare the wrestlers who still have some season left. With multiple weeks off between regionals and nationals, having an ‘iron sharpens iron’ practice mentality can only help the roster.
Here are the final 15 wrestlers that made the final cut:
- 103: Rianne Murphy and Sterling Dias
- 110: Ava Bayless and Emilie Gonzalez
- 117: Brianna Gonzalez
- 124: Cali Leng
- 131: Emily Patneaud
- 138: Nanea Estrella
- 145: Macey Kilty and Reese Larramendy
- 160: Kennedy Blades
- 180: Kylie Welker and Naomi Simon
- 207: Jaycee Foeller and Aliva White
How to watch?
The first set of matches begin at 10 a.m. Central Time. To watch the event, fans need to purchase a subscription to Rofkin. Fans can also keep up with live stats and results via Track Wrestling, a link that can be found on the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Schedule.
Up Next
Given gracious results, the Hawkeyes will next compete in the NCWWC National Championships on March 7-8. This event will take place in Coralville, Iowa at Xtream Arena.
Competition will start at 10 a.m. Central Time on both days.