Iowa Wrestling is well represented in the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Former Hawkeye wrestlers Daniel Dennis, Felicity Taylor and the 1986 NCAA National championship team were chosen to be inducted for the Class of 2025.
The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame is a part of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa that honors Iowans that made an impact as a wrestler, coach, or contributor to wrestling.
A banquet honoring the Class of 2025 will be held at Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly, Iowa, on June 20, 2025.
For more information, contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or [email protected].
Daniel Dennis was an NCAA National Runner-up for Iowa in 2010 and a 2016 Olympian for Team USA. Felicity Taylor won a 2024 national title for Iowa to lead the Hawks to a team title in the first year of the program.
The 1986 NCAA championship Iowa Wrestling team is one of the greatest in the history of the sport. They scored 158 points with 8 NCAA Qualifiers. Five national champions, a runner up and two placewinners that won a national title the next year. Amazing team.
Congratulations to all the Hawkeyes for being inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame.
From Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame:
Daniel Dennis, a native of Grant, Illinois, was a two-time Illinois state finalist for Grant Community High School while also winning two conference titles. He had a career record of 153-28 and set school records for most wins, most technical falls, and most team points earned. Dennis was a two-time All-American for the University of Iowa, finishing seventh in 2009 and second in 2010. After not wrestling for several years, Dennis returned to the mat and demonstrated his perseverance by earning the opportunity to wrestle for the United States in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He was also a University Nationals Freestyle champion and won both the Grand Prix of Germany and the Grand Prix of Spain. Dennis is currently the head coach of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
Felicity Taylor, a native of Spillville, Iowa, is a trailblazer in women’s wrestling. Competing for McKendree University, she won the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in 2021 while reaching the national finals four times and helping the Bearcats win three NCWWC team titles. After transferring to the University of Iowa, Taylor capped off her career with her second national title in 2024. She concluded her collegiate career as a two-time national champion and five-time finalist. Taylor also succeeded on the international level, competing for the United States in the U23 World Championships in 2019 and 2022 and as a member of the Senior National Team in 2022 and 2024. She remains a passionate advocate for wrestling and has dedicated herself to mentoring and empowering the next generation of wrestlers at Big Game Wrestling Club in North Liberty, Iowa.
The University of Iowa Wrestling Team was dominant in 1985-86, compiling a 16-1 record and winning its ninth consecutive national title in record-breaking fashion. Despite not having a wrestler competing at 118 pounds and heavyweight, the Hawkeyes scored 158 team points — the most in history at the time — and crowned five national champions while outpacing second-place Oklahoma by 73.25 points. Led by head coach Dan Gable and assistant coaches Mark Johnson and Keith Mourlam, Iowa also secured its 13th straight Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes champions were Brad Penrith at 126, Kevin Dresser at 142, Jim Heffernan at 150, Marty Kistler at 167, and Duane Goldman 1st at 190. The other place-winners were Greg Randall, 2nd at 134, Royce Alger, 5th at 158, and Rico Chiapparelli, 4th at 177.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
