Kylie Welker(72kg) and Macey Kilty(65kg) will represent Team USA at the 2024 Senior World Championships in Tirana, Albania.

Competition begins on Tuesday (Oct 29) at 4:30 AM CST and the finals will be Wednesday (Oct 30) at Noon.

At the U23 World Championships over the weekend in Tirana, Albania Welker won a world title at 72kg and Kilty won silver at 62kg.

This tournament is for non-Olympic weights only.

This was the second world title that Welker has won in her career. She was also a 2021 Junior World champion, 2021 U23 World Bronze medalist, and placed 10th at the 2021 Senior World Championships.

Welker, a redshirt sophomore from Franksville, Wisconsin,  won an NCWWC national title at 170 lbs. last season for the Hawks and is listed at 180 on the new roster.

Kilty, from Stratford, Wisconsin, transferred into the program this summer with one year of eligibility remaining and is listed at 145 on the roster. She won silver at 65kg at the 2023 Senior World Championships and was a 2018 Cadet World champion. She has won six age-level World medals for Team USA.

FloWrestling will have full coverage of the Senior World Championships on their premium service.

2024 Freestyle World Championships

***Times listed are CST

Tuesday, October 29

4:30 AM – Qualification rounds (WFS 55-59-65–72 kg)

10:45 AM – Semifinals (WFS 55-59-65–72 kg)

Wednesday, October 30

4:30 AM – Repechage (WFS 55-59-65–72 kg)

Noon – Medal matches (WFS 55-59-65–72 kg)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Iowa Women’s Wrestling team is ranked #2 in the Preseason NWCA Rankings. King University is ranked #1 with 107 points followed by Iowa at 104 points and North Central third with 83 points.

The NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) has Iowa with wrestlers ranked at eight weights and King with nine and North Central with ten.

The Hawks have six wrestlers ranked #1: Emilie Gonzalez(103), Ava Bayless(110), Brianna Gonzalez(117), Reese Larramendy(145), Kylie Welker(180), and Jaycee Foeller(207).  

Iowa does not have a wrestler ranked at 124 or 160. I am confident Iowa will have a wrestler scoring points at those weights at Nationals.

The NWCA does not have Kennedy Blades or Macey Kilty in the rankings but they do have Skye Realin ranked. All three are transfers and have yet to take the mat for Iowa. Blades(2024 Olympic silver medalist) and Kilty(2023 World silver medalist) would be strong favorites to win a national title this season. 

Iowa starts the 2024-25 season on Saturday, November 2 at the Luther Hill Open in Indianola, Iowa.

NWCA Pre-Season Rankings

Tournament Rankings

1. King – 107
2. Iowa – 104
3. North Central – 83

103 – Emilie Gonzalez #1

103 – Sterling Dias #2

110 – Ava Bayless #1

117 – Brianna Gonzalez #1

124 – Not ranked

131 – Skye Realin #10

138 – Nanea Estrella #5

138 – Lilly Luft #8

145 – Reese Larramendy #1

145 – Ella Schmitt #6

160 – Not ranked

180 – Kylie Welker #1

207 – Jaycee Foeller #1

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Patrick Kennedy of the University of Iowa represented Team USA at 79kg at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania.

In the Round of 32 Kennedy started off with an 11-0 tech fall over Mukhammad Abdullaev (Kyrgyzstan). Kennedy then pinned Umar Mavlaev (Switzerland) in 2:49 in the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinals Kennedy dropped an 8-6 decision to Masaki Sato (Japan). Sato lost his semifinal round match and Kennedy was eliminated from the tournament.

Hawkeye Wrestling Club Head Coach Daniel Dennis and HWC athlete Jayden Eierman were in Albania coaching Kennedy.

Kennedy was an NCAA National Qualifier at 165 in 2023 and at 174 in 2024. He is a senior listed at 174 on the roster.

174 will be the most competitive weight for a varsity spot in the lineup between Kennedy and Gabe Arnold.

The University of Iowa will start the 2024-25 season this Saturday, November 2 with a dual meet at Oregon State beginning at 9 PM CST. We will have to wait and see who takes the mat at 174 to begin the season.

U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania

79 kg – Patrick Kennedy (West Concord, Minn./Hawkeye WC)

WIN Mukhammad Abdullaev (Kyrgyzstan), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Umar Mavlaev (Switzerland), fall, 2:49

LOSS Masaki Sato (Japan), 8-6

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Kylie Welker of the University of Iowa pinned Vianne Rouleau (Canada) in 1:12 in the finals to win the world title at 72kg at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania.

Welker won by a tech fall in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals before topping Anastasiya Alpyeyeva (Ukraine), 3-1 in the semifinals.

This is the second world title that Welker has won in her career. She was also a 2021 Junior World champion, 2021 U23 World Bronze medalist, and placed 10th at the 2021 Senior World Championships.

Welker, a redshirt sophomore from Franksville, Wisconsin,  won an NCWWC national title at 170 lbs. last season for the Hawks and is listed at 180 on the new roster.

Welker and Macey  Kilty will also be competing at the Senior World Championships in Tirana, Albania on Tuesday-Wednesday (October 29-30).

Macey Kilty won silver at 62kg. Kilty started with two falls and two tech falls before dropping the finals match 12-3 to Iryna Bondar (Ukraine).

Kilty transferred into the program this summer with one year of eligibility remaining and is listed at 145 on the roster. She won silver at 65kg at the 2023 Senior World Championships and was a 2018 Cadet World champion. Kilty has now won six age-level World medals for Team USA.

Skye Realin(59kg) dropped her first round match and was eliminated from the tournament when her opponent failed to make the finals.

Realin transferred in this summer from Central Methodist University where she placed fifth in NAIA at 130 lbs. in 2023 and is listed as a junior at 131 on the roster.

This was the first time in our history that Team USA won the Women’s U23 team title.

Patrick Kennedy(79kg) of the University of Iowa will compete on Saturday-Sunday at the U23 World Championships.

2024 U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania

72 kg – Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wis./Iowa Women’s WC), Gold medal

WIN Anastassiya Panassovich (Kazakhstan), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Haticenur Sari (Turkey), tech. fall 10-0

WIN Anastasiya Alpyeyeva (Ukraine), 3-1

WIN Vianne Rouleau (Canada), fall, 1:12

62 kg – Macey Kilty (Stratford, Wis./Iowa Women’s WC), Silver medal

WIN Tynys Dubek (Kazakhstan), fall, 2:33

WIN Esther Kolawole (Nigeria), fall, 5:30

WIN Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Viktoria Vesso (Estonia), tech. fall, 12-2

LOSS Iryna Bondar (Ukraine), 12-3

59 kg – Skye Realin (Mililani, Hawaii/Iowa Women’s WC), 15th place

LOSS Alesia Hetmanava (Individual Neutral Athlete), tech. fall, 10-0

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

As an Iowa Wrestling fan and recruiting fanatic this weekend is as good as it gets.

Iowa Wrestling will be hosting an outstanding group of recruits for their official visit this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

For starters from the Class of 2026 the Hawks will host Bo Bassett (#1 at 141), Jax Forrest (#1 at 132), and Dreshaun Ross (#2 at 215). 

Basset is the biggest recruit in the country to come out of high school since Spencer Lee in the Class of 2017. Bassett was a 2021 Cadet world champion and won bronze at the 2024 U20 World Championships.

Forrest was a 2022 U17 world silver medalist and placed third at 57kg at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials that Spencer Lee won.

Ross is the biggest recruit to come out of Iowa since Ben Kueter in 2022. There are a lot of similarities between Ross and Kueter. Ross is also an elite recruit in football. Ross was a 2024 U17 World Team member and won a 2023 Cadet national title in freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Folks, that is the top three wish list for any and all wrestling programs for the Class of 2026. How would I rank these three recruits? They are all  #1 in my book and would all look great in the Black and Gold.

Owen McMullen, a teammate of Bassett and Forrest at Bishop McCort High School in Pennsylvania, will be visiting as well. Iowa has had great success with recruits from the Pittsburgh area recently with Spencer Lee, Michael Kemerer, Max Murin and Kaleb Young.

Michael Mocco (#5 at Hwt) won a U17 World title this summer and is the son of Iowa NCAA National Champion Steve Mocco.

Rylan Seacrist (#11 at 113) has an impressive resume with some big wins in his career.

For the Class of 2025 Paolo Ciatto (175) will be in town. Ciatto was injured at the end of last season and looks to be an underrated recruit at this time.

Iowa already has the Class of 2025 covered with commitments from wrestlers that have already taken their official visits. Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy in New Jersey) ranked #1 at 120, Tyrel Miller (St. Eds HS in Cleveland, Ohio) #6 at 175, Jarrel Miller (St. Eds HS in Cleveland, Ohio)  #7 at 190 and Leister Bowling (Longmont, Colorado) at 175.

Recruits on their official visit to Iowa this weekend:

Class of 2025

Paolo Ciatto (Iona Prep, New York) – 175

Class of 2026

Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort HS, Pennsylvania) – #3 P4P and #1 at 144 by MatScouts – #4 P4P and #1 at 144 by Flo

Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort HS, Pennsylvania) – #5 P4P and #1 at 132 by MatScouts – #2 P4P and #2 at 132 by Flo

Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge, Iowa) – #16 P4P and #2 at 215 by Flo

Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons HS, Florida) – #5 at Hwt by MatScouts and #6 at Hwt by Flo

Rylan Seacrist (Brecksville, Ohio) – #11 at 113 by MatScouts

Owen McMullen (Bishop McCort HS, Pennsylvania) – 175

The University of Iowa Wrestling team will host an open practice on Saturday, October 26 at 10 AM. Saturday is also Homecoming at Iowa with a 2:30 kickoff for the Iowa-Northwestern football game.

The practice will be open for fans inside the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room –  “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world.” Home of Iowa Wrestling in Wrestle Town USA – Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

Hawk fans let’s impress the recruits and pack the huge new wrestling room on Saturday.

Let’s get ‘em in the middle.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

“The new wrestling facility really is the house that Tom built.”  Bob Nicolls

The Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room is what I have named “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world.” Home of Iowa Men’s and Women’s Wrestling in Wrestle Town USA – Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

You will have to tour the new facility to get a feel for how incredible it truly is.

In a blog I released on May 31: The $31-million, 38,500-square-foot building was funded entirely by private gifts.

I am amazed that there was not a single loan, note, bond, nothing. This new facility was paid for by Iowa Wrestling fans. I say again P-A-I-D for.

How? Let’s take a look at how it all got started.

In a press release by the University of Iowa $31 million was used for the total bill. I am now finding out that it actually cost $34 million.

At the opening ceremony of the new facility on Thursday, May 30 Tom Brands gave us some insight on how he raised over $34 million.

It all started the day of the Grapple on the Gridiron on Saturday, November 14, 2015. The University of Iowa defeated #1 ranked Oklahoma State in Kinnick Stadium in front of a record 42,000 plus fans.

After the meet Tom Brands attended the Iowa-Minnesota football night game at Kinnick. That is when he spotted a guy he did not know wearing a Hawkeye Wrestling Club jacket. 

Tom, being kinda the shy type, told the guy that only boosters get a coat like that. The guy wearing the HWC coat was Bob Nicolls. They shook hands and started a relationship and the fate of Iowa Wrestling was changed forever. 

At the end of a brief conversation Bob told Tom to call if he ever needed anything.

Tom called Bob and asked if he could come out to Denver and talk. He then asked if Bob was a morning person. Bob said he was and when did he want to come out. Tom responded that he would be there in the morning. Tom and then Iowa Wrestling Director of Operations Luke Eustice drove 800 miles through the night and walked into Bob Nicolls’ office at 7AM the next morning.

An hour later Tom walked out of Bob’s office with a check for $60,000 for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and $1 million to build a new wrestling facility. They then drove straight through back to Iowa to get back to work.

The rest as they say is history.

Bob Nicolls:

Without Tom the new facility does not get built. Tom’s energy and passion made it happen.

Tom is doing a great job roster building. 

500 people contributed to the new facility. It took every single person and dollar to make this happen. 

The Training section right off the mats for Jesse (Donnenwerth – Iowa Wrestling Athletic Trainer) was well done. A lot of thought went into making the facility to take the best care of the athletes.

I thought it should have been named the “Tom and Terry Brands Wrestling Room.” I did not care about my name being on anything. I just wanted the facility built.

When Covid hit in 2020 we were at $11 million. Kevin Collins contacted me about a match program. I gave $3 million more and he was able to get that matched by other boosters. I then gave another $3 million for a total of $7 million to get us to $18 million. We picked up two $1 million donors and just kept going. 

The Goschke family then donated $7 million and that got us the final approval to build the facility.

I will be releasing additional blogs about how “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world” was built. I say again the cost was over $34 million and every single dollar was raised by Iowa Wrestling fan donors. No loan, notes, bonds, nothing. No other program has ever done that. 

As a matter of fact I believe two of Iowa’s yearly rivals (Iowa State and Illinois) recently put plans on hold to build a new facility because they simply could not raise the money needed.

Tom Brands raised the $34 million and was very much involved in the design and construction of the new wrestling facility. He did all of this on top of and in addition to his regular duties as Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Iowa.

I do not believe enough has been said about what Tom Brands has done. Possibly because people do not know.

There are a lot more stories to be told about how “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world” was paid for entirely by Iowa Wrestling fans. I will dig in and see what I can do to publish more blogs about this. 

I hope to do a blog about the Goschke family that donated $7 million for the new facility.

I definitely want to do a blog about the tunnel that goes underground from the wrestling room to the floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Competitors may eventually build a massive wrestling facility but the best of luck to anyone on this planet duplicating that tunnel. It is unreal.

The University of Iowa Wrestling team will host an open practice on Saturday, October 26 at 10 AM. It is Homecoming at Iowa and I am expecting a great day to be a Hawk fan in Iowa City.

If you have not experienced the new facility I suggest that you do. Words do not do it justice. Especially walking through the tunnel.

Fans are welcomed to come in and watch practice and to take a tour of the new facility.

Iowa Wrestling will be hosting recruits for the biggest recruiting weekend of the year. Recruits will be in town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Saturday will really be the first time that the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room –  “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world”  will be on display for fans and recruits at this level.

The $34 million house that Tom built.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa Women’s Wrestling team released their 2024-25 schedule. The Hawks enter their second season in program history as the defending NCWWC and National Dual champions.

Iowa will have only two home dual meets again this season but will have several competitions nearby including the national tournament. 

The Hawks will begin their season on Saturday, November 2 at the Luther Hill Invitational in Indianola, Iowa.

The home opener for Iowa will be a double dual with Cornell College and William Jewell on Saturday, November 16 at 1 PM. 

On Saturday, January 18 the Hawks will host Augustana and Grand Valley State.

Iowa will once again be at Soldier Salute in Coralville on December 29-30 and at the NWCA Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on January 10-11.

Iowa will compete at the NCC Open on Sunday, December 15. Host North Central College placed second to Iowa at the 2024 NCWWC Nationals just six points behind the Hawks.

For the postseason Iowa will be at the NCWWC Region VII Championships as a qualifier for Nationals.

The 2025 NCWWC National Championships will be in Coralville, Iowa on Friday and Saturday, March 8-9. 

The season cannot start soon enough.

2024-25 Iowa Women’s Wrestling Schedule

Nov. 2 – Luther Hill Open – Indianola, Iowa

Nov. 8 – Life Dual – Marietta, Ga.

Nov. 9 – Eagle Madness Open – Marietta, Ga.

Nov. 16 – Home Dual vs. William Jewell and Cornell College – Iowa City, Iowa

Nov. 22-23 – Missouri Valley Open – Marshall, Mo.

Dec. 7 – Jewell Dual Tournament – Liberty, Mo.

Dec. 15 – NCC Open – Naperville, Ill.

Dec. 29-30 – Soldier Salute – Coralville, Iowa

Jan. 10-11 – National Duals – Cedar Falls, Iowa

Jan. 18 – Home Dual vs. Augustana College and Grand Valley State – Iowa City, Iowa

Jan. 25 – College Duals vs. Lock Haven, Sacred Heart, Presbyterian and Buffalo St. – Alban

Feb. 1 – Grand View Open – Des Moines, Iowa

Feb. 22 – NCWWC Region VII Championships – Indianola, Iowa

Mar. 7-8 – NCWWC National Championships – Coralville, Iowa

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Kylie Welker, Skye Realin, Macey Kilty, and Patrick Kennedy will compete at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania on October 23-27. 

Realin(59kg) will compete on Wednesday-Thursday (Oct 23-24), Welker(72kg) and Kilty(62kg) on Thursday-Friday (Oct 24-25) and Kennedy(79kg) will compete on Saturday-Sunday (Oct 26-27).

FloWrestling will have full coverage of the U23 World Championships available on their premium service.

Welker won an NCWWC national title at 170 lbs. last season for the Hawks and is a redshirt sophomore listed at 180 on the roster.

She was a 2021 Junior World champion, 2021 U23 World Bronze medalist, and placed 10th at the 2021 Senior World Championships.

Kilty transferred into the program this summer with one year of eligibility remaining and is listed at 145 on the roster. She won silver at 65kg at the 2023 Senior World Championships and was a 2018 Cadet World champion. She has won five age-level World medals for Team USA.

Realin transferred in this summer from Central Methodist University where she placed fifth in NAIA at 130 lbs. in 2023 and is listed as a junior at 131 on the roster.

Kennedy was an NCAA National Qualifier at 165 in 2023 and at 174 in 2024. He is a senior listed at 174 on the roster.

Welker and Kilty will also be competing at the Senior World Championships in Tirana, Albania on Tuesday-Wednesday (October 29-30).

U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania

***All times listed are CST

Wednesday, October 23

3:30 AM – Qualification Rounds (Women’s freestyle 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg)

9:45 AM – Semifinals (Women’s freestyle 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg)

Thursday, October 24

3:30 AM – Repechage (Women’s freestyle 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg)

Qualification Rounds (Women’s freestyle 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, and 72 kg)

9:45 AM – Semifinals (Women’s freestyle 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, and 72 kg)

11 AM – Finals (Women’s freestyle 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg)

Friday, October 25

3:30 AM – Repechage (Women’s freestyle 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, and 72 kg) and 

11 AM – Finals (Women’s freestyle 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, and 72 kg)

Saturday, October 26

3:30 AM – Qualification Rounds (Men’s freestyle 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg and 97 kg)

9:45 AM – Semifinals (Men’s freestyle 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg and 97 kg)

Sunday, October 27

9 AM – Repechage (Men’s freestyle 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg and 97 kg)

11 AM – Finals (Men’s freestyle 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg and 97 kg)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The University of Iowa Wrestling team will host an open practice on Saturday, October 26 at 10 AM. 

The practice will be open for fans inside the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room –  “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world.” Home of Iowa Wrestling in Wrestle Town USA – Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

If you have not experienced the new facility I suggest that you do. Words do not do it justice. Especially the tunnel that leads to the main floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Unreal.

Iowa Football will face Northwestern for Homecoming with a 2:30 PM kickoff. Homecoming, perfect weather and an Iowa Wrestling practice will provide a great day in Iowa City on Saturday. 

Attending a practice in the Iowa Wrestling room before a football game has been a game day tradition for Hawk fans for decades.

To add to the excitement Iowa Wrestling will be hosting recruits for the biggest recruiting weekend of the year. Recruits will be in town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

An Iowa practice before a home football game will attract more fans than some D-I wrestling programs get for a home dual meet.

Hawkeye fans let’s impress the recruits.

Let’s get ‘em in the middle.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Spencer Lee, Kylie Welker, and Naomi Simon have been named as a 2024 Iowa/USA Wrestling Award winner.

Spencer Lee was named as the UWW Open Men’s Wrestler of the Year. Lee captured silver at the Paris Olympics at 57kg. Lee was the highest placing American wrestler at the Olympics.

Lee won the Olympic Team Trials and also qualified Team USA at 57kg by winning the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey.

Lee was a three-time NCAA national champion at Iowa and a two-time Hodge Trophy winner.

Kylie Welker was named as the UWW Open Women’s Wrestler of the Year. Welker shared the award with Adaugo Nwachukwu.

Welker led Iowa to the NCWWC team title in the first year of the program by winning the national title at 170 lbs. and was named as the 2024 NCAA Women’s Wrestler of the Year by The Open Mat. 

She was a 2021 Junior World champion, 2021 U23 World Bronze medalist, and placed 10th at the 2021 Senior World Championships.

Welker will represent Team USA at 72kg at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania on October 23-27 and also at the Senior World Championships in Tirana, Albania on October 29-30.

Naomi Simon was named as the Jr Women’s Wrestler of the Year.

Simon was an undefeated four-time state champion for Decorah, Iowa with a career record of 150-0 and is a freshman at Iowa.

In international competition Simon placed fifth at the Grand Prix of Spain in July. This was an Open international event with wrestlers from around the world.

Simon won the Bronze medal at 76kg at the 2024 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

Congratulations to these three Hawkeyes for being named as Wrestler of the Year.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!