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Hawks to compete at World Team Trials Challenge
Current, past and future Iowa Hawkeyes will be competing at the 2025 World Team Trials Challenge in Louisville, Kentuck on May 16-17.
In the women’s division we have #1 seed Felicity Taylor(53 kg), #7 seed Emily Frost(59 kg), #3 seed Marylynn Deede(76 kg) and #5 seed Naomi Simon(76 kg).
Incoming recruit Bo Bassett will be competing in a stacked 65 kg bracket. Bo is in the Iowa Recruiting Class of 2026.
The winner of the World Team Trials Challenge will compete against a wrestler that has already qualified for Final X by winning the U.S. Open or is a defending Olympic or world medalist. Final X is in Newark, New Jersey on June 14.
Spencer Lee(57kg), Brianna Gonzalez(53 kg), Macey Kilty(65 kg), Kennedy Blades(68 kg) and Kylie Welker(76 kg) have already qualified for Final X.
The winner at Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
FloWrestling will have full coverage of the World Team Trials Challenge on their premium service.
53 kg – #1 seed Felicity Taylor
59 kg – #7 seed Emily Frost
76 kg – #3 seed Marylynn Deede
76 kg – #5 seed Naomi Simon
65 kg – Bo Bassett
2025 World Team Trials Challenge
Friday, May 16
***Times listed are CST
Senior Women’s and Men’s Freestyle
Preliminaries and Quarterfinals
9 AM – 1:30 PM
Senior Women’s and Men’s Freestyle
Semifinals and Consolation
3 PM – 6:30 PM
Saturday, May 17
Senior Women’s
Finals & 3rd Place
11 AM – 12:30 PM *** Time subject to change
Senior Men’s
Finals & 3rd Place
12:30 PM – 2 PM ***Time subject to change
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Bo in loaded 65 kg bracket at World Team Trials Challenge
Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruit Bo Bassett will compete at 65 kg at the 2025 World Team Trials Challenge in Louisville, Kentuck on May 16-17.
The winner of the World Team Trials Challenge at 65 kg will face Joe McKenna in the Best 2 of 3 bouts at Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 14.
The winner at Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
65 kg is loaded top to bottom with ten quality wrestlers. Each match will be fun to watch.
This will be a great test for Bo to see where he is at against elite Senior division wrestlers in the USA.
As a fan I cannot wait.
From Windber, Pennsylvania, Bo wrestles for McCort Bishop and is ranked as the #1 overall recruit in the Class of 2026 and ranked #1 at 145.
Bo was a 2021 Cadet world champion, won bronze at the 2024 U20 World Championships and is undefeated in high school.
FloWrestling will have full coverage of the World Team Trials Challenge on their premium service.
65 kg at World Team Trials Challenge
Bo Bassett – Iowa Recruiting Class of 2026, 2021 Cadet world champion, bronze at the 2024 U20 World Championships, undefeated in high school.
Jesse Mendez – 2024 and 2025 NCAA champ(141) at Ohio State, 2023 U20 World Championships silver medalist at 65 kg.
Seth Gross – 2018 NCAA national champ(133) at South Dakota State, 5th at 61 kg at 2022 Senior World Freestyle Championships.
Nick Lee – 2021 and 2022 national champ(141) at Penn State, 7th at 2023 World Freestyle Championships at 65 kg.
Marcus Blaze – Recruiting Class of 2025 for Penn State, third at 61 kg at 2025 U.S. Open, 2023 U17 world champ, bronze at 2024 U20 World Championships at 61 kg.
Aden Valencia – Freshman at Stanford, 2017 Freestyle and Greco-Roman world champ, 2020 U17 Greco-Roman World Team Member.
Real Woods – All American for Iowa in 2023 and 2024 and Stanford in 2022 at 141 lbs.
Brock Hardy – Placed sixth in 2023, third in 2024 and second in 2025 at 141 for Nebraska, 2023 U23 World Championship bronze medalist at 65 kg.
Carter Young – Junior at Oklahoma State at 149.
Beau Bartlett – Three-time All American at Penn State(141), bronze medal at 65 kg at 2021 U20 World Championships.
2025 World Team Trials Challenge
Friday, May 16
***Times listed are CST
Senior Women’s and Men’s Freestyle
Preliminaries and Quarterfinals
9 AM – 1:30 PM
Senior Women’s and Men’s Freestyle
Semifinals and Consolation
3 PM – 6:30 PM
Saturday, May 17
Senior Men’s
Finals & 3rd Place
12:30 PM – 2 PM ***Time subject to change
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Alvarez transfers to Iowa
Sammy Alvarez announced on social media that he is transferring to the University of Iowa. Last season Alvarez placed 7th at 149 for Ryder with a 25-7 record and was named the MAC Wrestler of the Year.
From my understanding Alvarez has filed a waiver with the NCAA for a seventh year of eligibility.
At the 2025 National Wrestling Championships Alvarez was seeded #11. After an opening round win Alvarez lost his match in the Round of 16 and then won three straight matches.
In the Blood Round of 12 Alvarez defeated Jordan Williams of Little Rock 5-0 to become an All American. Williams announced on March 29 that he was transferring to Iowa.
Alvarez began his college career at Rutgers where was an NCAA Qualifier at 133 in 2020 as a true freshman when Nationals was cancelled.
For the 2023-24 season Alvarez transferred to Oklahoma State. He started at 141 and bumped up to 149 in December and had a 15-5 record.
Alvarez, originally from Garfield, New Jersey(Saint Joseph Regional HS), was a three-time finalist and 2019 New Jersey State champion at 126. He was ranked #3 at 126 and #34 P4P by FloWrestling.
Iowa Wrestling Transfers
125 – Dean Petersen from Rutgers with one year of eligibility remaining.
133 but projected at 141 – Nasir Bailey of Little Rock with two years of eligibility and a redshirt remaining.
149 – Jordan Williams of Little Rock with two years of eligibility remaining.
149 – Sammy Alvarez of Ryder with one year of eligibility remaining.
197 – Massoma Endene of Wartburg with one year of eligibility remaining.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Blades, Welker and Kilty win Pan Am gold
Three Iowa Hawkeyes won titles at the 2025 Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico. Today Macey Kilty(65 kg) and Kiley Welker(76kg) won titles. On Friday Kennedy Blades won the gold at 68 kg.
Kilty, who won bronze at the 2024 World Freestyle Championships, breezed through the competition for the title. After a tech fall and :23 pin Kilty won by a 10-0 tech fall over Miki Rowbottom (Canada) in the finals.
Welker, who also won bronze at the 2024 World Freestyle Championships at 72 kg, is competing at 76 kg this year. Welker won an 8-2 decision and a 10-0 tech fall before defeating Thamires Martins Machado (Brazil) 8-1 in the finals.
Blades defeated Nathali Griman Herrera (Venezuela) in the Round of 16 and the finals. In the Round of 16 Blades won by a 6-2 decision. In the finals Blades defeated Herrera 14-5 for the title. Blades won by a tech fall in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Blades won silver at the 2024 Olympics at 76 kg.
In March Blades, Welker and Kilty all won individual titles in leading Iowa to their second straight NCWWC national team title.
Former Iowa national champions Terry Steiner(National Women’s Coach) and Bill Zadick(National Freestyle Coach)were the head coaches for Team USA at Pan Ams.
Kilty, Blades, Welker and teammate Brianna Gonzalez(53 kg) qualified for the Best 2 of 3 bouts at Final X on June 14 in Newark, New Jersey.
The winner at Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico
Macey Kilty – 65 kg
Quarterfinals: Macey Kilty tech fall over Alexis Gomez (Mexico), 10-0
Semifinals: Macey Kilty fall over Leticia De Oliveira Gaion Piazza (Brazil), 0:23
Finals: Macey Kilty tech fall over Miki Rowbottom (Canada), 10-0
Kennedy Blades – 68 kg
Round of 16: Kennedy Blades dec over Nathali Griman Herrera (Venezuela), 6-2
Quarterfinals: Kennedy Blades tech fall over Grabriela Pedro Da Rocha (Brazil), 11-1
Semifinals – Kennedy Blades tech fall over Virginia Jimenez Fernandez (Chile), 10-0
Finals – Kennedy Blades dec over Nathali Griman Herrera (Venezuela), 14-5
Kylie Welker – 76 kg
Quarterfinals: Kiley Welker(USA) dec over Linda Machuca (Argentina), 8-2
Semifinals: Kiley Welker tech fall over Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador), 10-0
Finals: Kiley Welker dec over Thamires Martins Machado (Brazil), 8-1
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Blades wins Gold at Senior Pan Ams
Kennedy Blades won gold at 68 kg at the Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico.
Blades battled Nathali Griman Herrera (Venezuela) in the Round of 16 and the finals. In the Round of 16 Blades won by a 6-2 decision. In the finals Blades defeated Herrera 14-5 for the title.
Blades won by a tech fall in the Quarterfinals over Grabriela Pedro Da Rocha (Brazil), 11-1 and by a 10-0 tech fall over Virginia Jimenez Fernandez (Chile) in the semifinals.
The 2025 Senior Pan American Championships is part of the UWW Ranking Series that is used to determine seeds for the Olympic Games and the Senior World Championships
In the 2024 Olympics Blades won silver at 76 kg and she is now competing at 68 kg.
This past season Blades won an NCWWC national title for Iowa at 160 lbs. Two weeks ago Blades rolled to a U.S. Open title at 68 kg and qualified for Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 14.
The winner at Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
Blades was coached by former Iowa national champion Terry Steiner who is the National Women’s Coach and by her former club coach Izzy Martinez.
Macey Kilty(65kg) and Kylie Welker(76kg) will compete for a Senior Pan Am title on Saturday.
68 kg – Kennedy Blades
Round of 16: Kennedy Blades dec over Nathali Griman Herrera (Venezuela), 6-2
Quarterfinals: Kennedy Blades tech fall over Grabriela Pedro Da Rocha (Brazil), 11-1
Semifinals – Kennedy Blades tech fall over Virginia Jimenez Fernandez (Chile), 10-0
Finals – Kennedy Blades dec over Nathali Griman Herrera (Venezuela), 14-5
Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico
Macey Kilty – 65 kg
Kylie Welker – 76 kg
Saturday, May 10
Women’s Freestyle 53 kg -59 kg – 65 kg –76 kg
11 AM – Preliminaries
2:PM. – Semifinals
3 PM – Repechage
6 PM – Medal Match finals
***Times listed are CST
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Tom Brands as guest speaker at the Cedar Rapids Hawkeye Fan Event
Tom Brands will be a guest speaker at the 2025 Cedar Rapids Hawkeye Fan Event on Thursday, May 15 at 5:30 PM.
Big Grove Brewery Taproom at 170 1st St SW in Cedar Rapids will provide a great environment for the event.
You can count on Coach Brands having a great talk about the program and is he always available to talk to fans.
The Cedar Rapids Hawkeye Fan Event is hosted with the Linn County I-Club.
I-Club events are a very important fundraiser every Spring to ensure that the University of Iowa remains an elite Division 1 athletics power.
This will be a great event for all Iowa Hawkeye fans.
Guest speakers:
Tom Brands – Head Wrestling Coach
Seth Wallace – Assistant Football Coach
Randi Henderson – Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach
Beth Goetz – University of Iowa Athletic Director
2025 Cedar Rapids Hawkeye Fan Event
Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Big Grove Brewery Taproom
170 1st St. SW
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
To register and reserve your tickets:
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Spencer Lee ranked #1 in the world at 57 kg
In the new International Rankings released by FloWrestling Spencer Lee is ranked #1 at 57 kg.
In the P4P(Pound-For-Pound) Rankings Lee is listed at #18.
Lee won silver at the 2024 Olympics at 57 kg. Rei Higuchi of Japan, who defeated Lee in the Olympic finals, is not competing this year.
With the Olympic silver Lee qualified for the Best 2 of 3 bouts at Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 14 against Luke Lilledahl who is ranked #5 at 57 kg in the new International Rankings.
The winner at Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
Last week Lee was named as the 2024 John Smith Award winner as USA Wrestling’s Men’s Freestyle Wrestlers of the Year.
Lee was also named the 2025 Rob McReynolds Passion Award at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Banquet on Saturday.
Lee was a three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner at the University of Iowa.
57 kg in new FloWrestling International Rankings
Rank Name Country Previous
- Spencer Lee USA 2
- Aman Sehrawat IND 4
- Akmed Idrisov RUS 9
- Gulomjon Abdullaev UZB 3
- Luke Lilledahl USA 10
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Buchanan named U of I Athlete of the Year
Stephen Buchanan was named as the 2025 Male Athlete of the Year and Outstanding Newcomer at the University of Iowa Golden Herkys awards ceremony on Tuesday evening.
Buchanan joins Real Woods(2024) and Spencer Lee(2021) to be named as Athlete of the Year.
The Iowa Wrestling team was named for the Golden Herky for the Men’s Most Outstanding Team.
The University of Iowa Athletic Department recognized student-athletes for their athletic and academic accomplishments in a ceremony at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Organized by the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ISAAC) the student-athletes are recognized by their peers.
Buchanan won an NCAA national title at 197.
For the season Buchanan was 26-1 with four pins, nine tech falls and five major decisions.
At the Iowa Wrestling awards banquet Buchanan was named for the Mike Howard Award as Most Valuable and for the Most Pins.
Originally from Loyal, Wisconsin, Buchanan competed for Wyoming and Oklahoma before transferring to Iowa for his final season.
Buchanan was a four-time All American and a five-time NCAA Qualifier.
In April Buchanan was recognized as an NWCA Scholar All American and is now a member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
The Iowa Wrestling team placed fourth at nationals with five All Americans and one national champion. The Hawks were 14-1 in dual meets for the season.
Congratulations to Stephen Buchanan and the Iowa Wrestling team for being named for this honor.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Lee and Buchanan named for Rob McReynolds Passion Award
Spencer Lee and Stephen Buchanan were presented with the 2025 Rob McReynolds Passion Award at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Banquet on Saturday.
The Rob McReynolds Passion Award began in 2019 and is awarded to club members, coaches, fans and supporters of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
Lee has already qualified for Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 14 at 57 kg in the Best 2 of 3 bouts from winning a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. The winners of Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
Buchanan had a great season for the Hawks in winning the 197 lbs. NCAA title and was named as the MVP of the 2025 Iowa Wrestling team.
From HawkeyeWrestlingClub.com
Lee was a three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner wrestling collegiately at Iowa from 2019-23. He became an Olympian in 2024 after winning the Olympic Trials in April and then qualifying the 57 kg weight class at the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey, in May.
At the Paris Olympics in August, Lee became the 11th Hawkeye in program history to earn an Olympic medal.
Buchanan became the 56th Hawkeye in program history to win an NCAA championship when he captured the 197-pound title at the 2025 national tournament in Philadelphia. In his first season as a Hawkeye, Buchanan posted a 26-1 overall record and advanced to the NCAA finals for the first time in his career. He scored bonus points in 19 of his 26 wins and was named the team’s most valuable wrestler.
The Rob McReynolds Passion Award is presented annually to a member or members of the HWC community who best display the characteristics that define the late Rob McReynolds’ life as a husband, father, friend, athlete, coach, mentor, and businessman.
Those characteristics include directing endless energy toward achieving a desired outcome, inspiring others to achieve their highest potential, and providing loving support and compassion for those around him. Eligible recipients include club athletes, club coaches/staff, fans and supporters.
Congratulations to Spencer Lee and Stephen Buchanan for this deserved honor.
Rob McReynolds Award Recipients:
Stephen Buchanan, Spencer Lee (2025)
Mitch Kelly (2024)
Roy J. Carver, Dan Gable (2023)
Herb Tyler (2022)
Randy Novak (2021)
Beth & Steve Reese (2020)
Forrest Molinari (2019)
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Upcoming schedule for Iowa Wrestling and recruits
Iowa Wrestling fans will have a lot to follow in the upcoming months.
First up will be the Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico this weekend. Kennedy Blades will compete on Friday, May 9th and Kylie Welker and Macey Kilty on Saturday, May 10.
The 2025 Senior Pan American Championships is part of the UWW Ranking Series which is used to determine seeds for the Olympic Games and the Senior World Championships.
The Senior World Team Challenge Tournament will be in Louisville, Kentucky on May 16-17 to finalize the lineup for Final X.
Michael Caliendo(74 kg) and incoming recruit Bo Bassett(65 kg) are registered to compete.
I am looking forward to the U20 World Team Trials and U23 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio on May 30-June 1. U20 WTT is becoming one of my favorite tournaments of the entire year.
Incoming recruit Leister Bowling has already qualified for the Best 2 of 3 bouts at 77 kg/169 lbs. in Greco-Roman for U20.
Team USA for the 2025 World Championships will be determined at Final X in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 14.
Spencer Lee has already qualified for the Best 2 of 3 bouts at 57 kg from being a 2024 Olympic silver medalist.
Brianna Gonzalez(53 kg), Kennedy Blades(68 kg) and Kylie Welker(76 kg) qualified for Final X by recently winning a U.S. Open title. Macey Kilty qualified for Final X at 65 kg by winning a bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships.
The winner at Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
The largest wrestling in the world, by far, will once again be Junior and U16 Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota on July 10-17. That is more than a week of great wrestling competition.
There is no off season in our sport of wrestling. We will be kept busy right up until classes start at the University of Iowa on August 25. For me the new wrestling year begins at an open practice in the Iowa Wrestling room on the first home football game Saturday and that will be August 30.
Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico on May 9-10
2025 Senior World Team Challenge Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on May 16-17
Men’s U20 World Team Trials and U23 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio on May 30-June 1
Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 14
Junior Duals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 20-21
Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota on July 10-19
2025 U20 World Championships in Sophia, Bulgaria on August 18-24
2025 Senior World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18
2025 U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia on October 20-26
Classes begin at the University of Iowa on August 25.
First home Iowa Football game for potential open wrestling practice on August 30.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!