INDIANOLA, IA — After a landmark weekend at this season’s NCAA Regionals, Iowa women’s wrestling qualified all 10 of its competitors for the sport’s inaugural NCAA National Championships, set to be held in Coralville, Iowa.
The Hawkeyes captured eight first-place finishes on Saturday, as well as two second-place finishes, with the top three wrestlers from every weight class at Regionals advancing to Nationals.
Several wrestlers seized the opportunity to make a statement as top competitors ahead of the big event.
Gonzalez comes from behind with the pin
Seeded second at 117 pounds, redshirt junior Brianna Gonzalez passed the first round with a bye before collecting a 2:38 fall in the quarterfinals and a 12-2 tech fall in the semis. In the finals, however, the El Monte, California, native met fierce resistance.
Wrestling for Dubuque, Shea Reisel took a 5-0 lead less than 30 seconds into the contest. Gonzalez battled back and closed the gap to 5-4 before pinning her opponent with 52 seconds left in the first period.
“I believe when she gets into a mode of, ‘I’m ready to go,’ you just let her do her,” head coach Clarissa Chun said. “She’s going to find a way to come back, whether it’s plugging away one at a time or finding an opportunity that presents itself to put it away.”
Gonzalez’s pin led her to the top of the podium for her weight class, securing her spot at Nationals in doing so.
Valencia returns to the spotlight
After a long, hard-fought battle with her physical health, including a shoulder injury at this season’s For Her Duals on Feb. 8, the efforts of redshirt junior Nyla Valencia saw her take the crown at 110 pounds.
“I don’t think I ever counted myself out,” Valencia said. “I spent a week completely off the mat, off contact, trying to give my nerves the time to reset. I was pretty much back to work on Saturday, with the intention of today.”
Seeded No. 1 overall in her weight class, Valencia was allotted a bye through the first round, before nabbing a 10-0 tech fall over Augsburg’s Amelia Hermanson in the quarterfinals in just 34 seconds.
With a quick tech fall over Alexandra Tchekounova of Quincy in the semifinals and another against Warburg’s Afftynn Stusse to take the crown, Valencia earned her trip to the next level without surrendering a point.
All 10 Hawkeyes punch ticket to Coralville
Not only did the weekend see individual successes from wrestlers like Gonzalez and Valencia, but all 10 Hawkeyes who competed at Regionals advanced to the next round, despite facing over a dozen competing schools.
With the inaugural NCAA National Championships set to take place on a familiar floor for the Hawkeyes, the aforementioned Gonzalez and Valencia, as well as teammates such as defending national champions Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker, will finish the season close to home at Xtream Arena.
“I think it’s incredible,” junior Lilly Luft said. “It’s something that we’ve worked for all year long. The coaches preach day in and day out that it’s about the process and not about the outcome. I think that’s super important.”
Luft’s coach echoed her sentiment.
“We never take anything for granted,” Chun said. “We never know when somebody gets sick or injured or whatnot, and we compete one match at a time. To qualify all 10 weights for the first NCAA National Championships is a big step towards each of their individual goals and team goals.”