The Iowa women’s wrestling team aims to add another chapter of its legendary young program with their second consecutive NCWWC National Championship.
The Hawkeyes completed the first step of that journey last weekend in Indianola, Iowa. Iowa brought 15 wrestlers to regionals and watched all of them advance to nationals. Five of those championship bouts were all-Hawkeye affairs, as Iowa claimed 10 individual champions en route to the team title.
Four champions from the 2024 squad have returned to defend their championships. Although women’s wrestling is still a developing program, the veterans’ experiences enhance the confidence of the newcomers.
“Our team does a really good job of feeding off each other,” head coach Clarissa Chun said at media availability on Feb. 18. “We have great leadership within our room that helps each other, whether it took a little longer to warm up, or maybe it was harder practice. It’s all about how they’re framing their mindset.”
The Hawkeyes pride themselves on being a group of fighters, which is exactly the mentality that redshirt fourth-year Nanea Estrella said she believes will bring the Hawkeyes the title once again.
“We are all fighters,” Estrella said at media availability Feb. 18. “We always like to fight for Iowa, we fight for each other. We continuously press on, we press forward in practice, in matches, and in everything. That’s pretty much the mentality, we’re gritty, we’re going to fight, we’re going to bring the fight to you, and we’re not going to let up until the final whistle blows.”
While there might seem to be some pressure on the Hawkeyes to replicate their past success, the team is focused on what they can achieve in the present and future.
“I always think of it as not trying to do what we’ve done, but just go out there and go get it,” Chun said. “Anytime we step on the mat, we can’t wrestle what has happened in the past because it’s a new day. The tune doesn’t change much from week to week, as far as just going out there and doing their best and control what they can control.”
Although all 15 Hawkeyes who participated in regionals progressed to nationals, their work is far from over. Redshirt second-year Brianna Gonzalez views this postseason as just another chance to put on a show and leave it all on the line.
“It feels amazing,” Gonzalez said at media availability on Feb. 18. “This is another opportunity to perform with my teammates and just go out there and have fun and let all the hard work be put on the mat. It’s exciting, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Gonzalez brought home the first-place title at 117 pounds at regionals on Saturday. She defeated all three of her opponents by tech fall to claim the championship hardware.
While the competition didn’t seem to be too much of an issue for the Hawkeyes on Saturday, they must be prepared for opponents to reappear in the fold at nationals. Not only will those opponents be hungry for revenge, but the stage is much brighter, as the national championships will take place in the backyard of the home of the Hawkeyes – at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
All eyes will be on the Hawks, as back-to-back national championships would develop huge strides for not only the Iowa program, but women’s wrestling as a whole on the college level. In fact, the NCAA has sanctioned women’s wrestling as one of their new championship sports, highlighting its growth.
The Hawkeyes will have a week to rest up before returning to the mat on March 7-8 in Coralville. Each day of competition is set to kick off at 10 a.m.