The formation of the Iowa women’s wrestling program has transformed Hawkeye wrestling into a powerhouse, as both the men’s and the women’s squads rank among the best in the country.
Leading the charge as head coach for the women’s squad is Clarissa Chun, the 2024 USA Wrestling Women’s Coach of the Year.
The women’s squad is coming off a season where it saw four finalists, three national champions, and a first-place finish at the NCWWC National Championships. Iowa women’s wrestling opened up its season with the All-Iowa dual in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with Central
College and Cornell College making the trek to WrestleTown, USA.
Heading the men’s team is the famed twin duo Tom and Terry Brands. Entering their 19th year as head coach and associate head coach, respectively, the Brands’ brothers have high hopes for their squad this season, losing just one All-American in Stephen Buchanan. Buchanan won the individual championship a season ago at the 197-pound weight and was the only national men’s team champion.
As the 2025 wrestling season rapidly approaches, both the men’s and women’s squads will be looking to improve upon last season’s successes.
Men’s wrestling
Coming off a 14-1 dual record featuring five All-Americans, one individual champion, and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Tournament, the men’s team heads into the 2025 campaign with a chip on its shoulder.
Iowa features a multitude of returning experience as well as some new faces. Four All-Americans are back on the mat for the Hawkeyes — Drake Ayala, Michael Caliendo, Patrick Kennedy, and Ben Kueter.
Ayala, Iowa’s 133-pounder, highlighted his second straight second-place finish at the NCAA Championships, narrowly falling to Illinois’ Lucas Byrd in tiebreakers, 3-2. Ayala recorded a 21-3 record and will be one of many Hawkeyes pursuing the top of the podium when the postseason arrives.
Like Ayala, teammate Caliendo is fresh off a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships, dropping the 165-pound final to Mitchell Messinbrink of Penn State. Caliendo finished the season with a 24-3 record, with all three of his losses coming to Messinbrink. Messinbrink’s departure opens the door for the Geneva, Illinois, native to win the national title this season.
At 174 pounds is Kennedy, who tallied a fourth-place finish last season with an 18-7 record. Kennedy will likely be the frontrunner at the 174-pound division, with first-year Ty Miller being the only other name listed at the weight.
Kueter is heading into the season with something to prove as the Hawkeyes’ heavyweight. The Iowa City native racked up a 21-9 dual record a season ago, but all nine of his losses came to a fourth-year or graduate student. Now with one year of experience, Kueter seeks to build his résumé as Iowa’s big man.
Redshirt first-year Angelo Ferrari is one of the most exciting names for the Hawkeyes. The former No. 1 rated pound-for-pound wrestler in the country in 2024 by both FloWrestling and MatScouts, Ferrari went 11-1 last season. Ferrari’s claim to fame last year was an electric overtime win over No. 3 Dustin Plott that sent Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a frenzy — ultimately helping send No. 3 Iowa past No. 2 Oklahoma State, 21-16.
Massoma Endene is the name to watch at the 197-pound weight, taking over after Buchanan’s dominant reign. Endene completed a highly successful career at Iowa Lakes Community College and Wartburg College, earning two-time All-American status at Iowa Lakes and three Division III national championships.
The Hawkeyes were active in the transfer portal this offseason, landing former Rutgers Scarlet Knight Dean Peterson. Peterson will look to strengthen Iowa’s spot at the 125-pound weight, a weight at which third-year Joey Cruz owned a majority of the starts last season.
This was not the only addition to the squad, as Iowa also landed two Little Rock transfers in Jordan Williams and Nasir Bailey. Bailey and Williams are poised to make an immediate impact for Iowa this season and are listed at 141 and 157 pounds, respectively.
Women’s wrestling
The Iowa women’s wrestling program is off to a blazing start, having yet to lose a dual and securing two national titles in its first two seasons of play.
The Hawkeyes return two national champions from last season in Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker, with both finding success on the world stage in the offseason.
Blades, a 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist, captured a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships and was the Pan American champion at 68 kilograms, or 150 pounds. Welker was also a Pan American champion in 2025, taking home the gold at 76 kg, or 167 pounds. She was also a member of the 2025 Senior World team and claimed a bronze medal at the World Championships.
While Blades and Welker headline the Iowa roster with stardom, there are plenty of younger wrestlers who quickly rose through the ranks last season and will likely compete for starting spots this year.
One of those wrestlers is second-year Rianne Murphy. In her inaugural season with the Hawkeyes, she boasted a 32-4 record with 20 pins. Murphy was also an NCWWC All-American last season, finishing third at the national championships at 103 pounds.
Another second-year wrestler who exploded onto the scene last season was Naomi Simon. The Decorah, Iowa, native finished third at 180 pounds at the NCWWC National Championships and was named an All-American.
Simon finished the season with a 38-4 record and held a streak of 35 consecutive wins by pin or technical fall. Simon only lost one match to an opponent from another school, as the other three were to her teammate, Welker.
Another name to look for is Reese Larramendy. The redshirt third-year was behind national champion Macey Kilty at the 145-pound weight class on the depth chart last season but still posted a 30-3 record with 20 tech fall wins.
Larramendy was a national champion in 2023-24 and finished third in 2024-25, earning All-American honors. She was the runner-up at the 2024 Soldier Salute tournament and went 10-0 in dual competition. The junior won both the Eagle Madness Open at Life University in Georgia and the Grand View Open in Des Moines last season.
Headlining the incoming freshman class for the Hawkeyes is Bella Williams. The Edmond, Oklahoma, native won three state championships and went 113-0 in her high school career. Williams was also a U-17 and U-23 Pan-American champion during her high school career at 65 kg and 59 kg, or 143 pounds and 130 pounds, respectively.
Iowa was named the 91st NCAA Championship sport after last season, and the Hawkeyes are looking to make history once more as they aim for a third consecutive national title. Iowa will face a tough schedule this season, taking on premier programs such as Otterbein and North Central. The Hawkeyes will also host Colorado Mesa and the Oklahoma State club team in a dual on Dec. 7.
Iowa will also compete at the National Duals in Cedar Falls on Jan. 9-10, 2026. The Hawkeyes have won the National Duals title two years in a row, defeating North Central in the finals both times. Iowa will host three duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as well as a dual tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The NCAA National Championships will also take place at Xtream Arena on March 6-7, 2026.