The No. 1 Iowa women’s wrestling team was all smiles while holding the team title trophy on Saturday, each Hawkeye sporting a medal draped around the neck or individual trophy in hand too following the NCWWC Region VII Championships in Indianola.
Two hours west of Iowa City, the Hawkeyes stormed Simpson College’s field house by advancing all 15 wrestlers to nationals in two weeks. Ten Hawkeyes took home individual titles while the remaining five finished runners-up to their teammates. Advancing all 15 was a goal for this Hawkeye team, and it certainly wasn’t a lofty one given it had done it just last season.
“There’s no doubt that we can qualify all 15 again,” Brianna Gonzalez said at media availability on Tuesday leading up to regionals. “Our team is just unstoppable.”
Five title bouts were between Hawkeye teammates, something this team is accustomed to at this point in the season.
“I’ll take it,” head coach Clarissa Chun said with a chuckle after the regionals tournament. “The women competed and wrestled hard. Even through matchups against each other, they brought it, and you could tell that they were fighting to put out their best.”
The Hawkeye wrestlers were quick to credit their individual successes to the team’s collective work ethic toward that one goal. Defending national champion Kylie Welker gave high praise to the women in the practice room, claiming the Hawkeyes’ room as the best in the nation.
“I think the biggest thing that sets us apart from other teams is the room that we have,” Welker said. “It’s pretty hard not to level each other up when you have constant competition in the room. We’re always battling it out, and that’s what makes us better.”
Welker defeated teammate Naomi Simon in the title bout at 180 pounds. Simon, having an outstanding freshman season, received a lot of praise from her practice partner too.
“Naomi is a fighter,” Welker said. “She impresses me. She’s constantly learning, always picking my brain, great practice partner. She challenges me in the room. To have someone like that alongside me is pretty cool.”
Another Hawkeye individual champion who defeated her teammate was Sterling Dias at 103 pounds. Dias defeated Rianne Murphy, 8-2, by decision.
“It’s never easy to wrestle a teammate,” Dias said. “I’m just happy to be able to compete and have the opportunity to wrestle, so I’m never not satisfied.”
Other matches between Hawkeye teammates included Ava Bayless and Emilie Gonzalez at 110 pounds, Macey Kilty and Reese Larramendy at 145, and Jaycee Foeller and Alivia White at 207.
All but one Iowa wrestler was ranked in the top 10 of their weight classes coming into regionals. That one who wasn’t was Emmily Patneaud, who cruised into the finals before coming from behind to defeat Kylie Rule of Wartburg and claim the title at 131 pounds.
“It was a great outcome for Patneaud,” Chun said. “She stayed the course throughout that match.”
To the Hawkeyes, 10 individual titles says more about the team culture than it does those individuals who won those trophies.
“We work hard,” Dias said. “It doesn’t just come easy to us. Theres a lot of practice, preparation, and mental preparation to get us into this persona of us knowing that we can do great things, not just individually, but as a team.”