Three current Hawkeye wrestlers and two incoming recruits will represent Team USA at the 2024 Grand Prix of Spain on Saturday, July 6.
Brianna Gonzalez (50kg), Cadence Diduch (62kg), Reese Larramendy (65kg), Kylie Welker (72kg) and Naomi Simon (76kg) will be competing in Madrid, Spain.
Team USA will have 21 wrestlers competing in men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Iowa Assistant Coach Tonya Verbeek will be on the coaching staff.
Welker won a national title at 170 lbs. and led Iowa to the 2024 NCWWC and National Duals titles in the first year of competition for the program. Last week Welker won a wrestle off to make the U23 World Team. She will compete at the 2024 U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania on October 21-27.
This will be the second U23 World Championships for Welker and fifth trip to a World Championships representing Team USA. Welker won Bronze at the 2021 U23 World Championships and was a 2021 Junior World champion.
Reese Larramendy won an NCWWC national title at 143 lbs. Larramendy placed fifth at the 2022 U20 World Championships. Brianna Gonzalez was a Runner-Up at 116 lbs. for the Hawks at NCWWC Nationals this season.
Larramendy, Gonzalez, Diduch and Simon won U20 Nationals in April. They will represent Team USA at the 2024 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain on September 2-8.
Diduch and Simon are members of the incoming Recruiting Class of 2024.
I will have a follow up blog with results.
50 kg: Brianna Gonzalez (Baldwin, Calif./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)
62 kg: Cadence Diduch (Freeport, Ill./Alber Athletics WC)
65 kg: Reese Larramendy (Reno, Nev./Hawkeye WC)
72 kg: Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wis./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)
76 kg: Naomi Simon (Decorah, Iowa/Northeast Iowa WC)
Grand Prix of Spain
Saturday, July 6
3 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Qualification Rounds (Women’s freestyle)
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Repechage, Medal matches (Women’s freestyle)
***Times listed are CST
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
