The biggest weekend of the year for freestyle wrestling is here. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club and Iowa Wrestling will be well represented in Las Vegas competing in four national level tournaments in four days. The South Point Hotel and Casino will be the center of a lot of great wrestling.

Members of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, our men’s and women’s wrestling team, and incoming recruits will be competing in four tournaments. There are a  lot of moving parts for all of the competition so I broke it down to help us stay organized.

The Men’s Senior U.S. Open is on Thursday and Friday. I am looking forward to seeing all of the HWC members compete. I am sure that all of us fans are especially looking forward to seeing Spencer Lee compete. Spencer Lee is a freestyle wrestler who also competed in folkstyle. Something to keep in mind.

We will see the debut of Ben Kueter at the Senior level. Kueter won a Junior World freestyle title last summer and is ranked #4 at 97 KG in the Senior division. Kueter is a member of the outstanding Recruiting Class of 2023.

On Friday and Saturday the Women’s Senior U.S. Open will have a great list of current and future Iowa Hawkeyes competing. Felicity Taylor is the defending U.S. Open champ at 53 KG. Having Iowa wrestlers to follow this year will make the Women’s Senior U.S. Open even better for me as a fan.

On Saturday and Sunday there will be two tournaments going on, U20 Nationals and U17 World Team Trials. We have a good list of Iowa wrestlers and recruits competing in U20 Nationals. I am especially looking forward to seeing how incoming recruit Gabe Arnold does at 79 KG.

We will have incoming recruit Keyan Hernandez competing in U17 World Team Trials at 55 KG. Hernandez is in the Recruiting Class of 2024.

FloWrestling will provide a live stream for all of the wrestling on their premium service.

I will have follow up blogs with results.

Senior Men’s U.S. Open – Thursday and Friday

Spencer Lee 57 kg 

Cullan Schriever 61 kg

Austin DeSanto 61 kg

Pat Lugo 65 kg

Jayden Eierman 70 kg

Nelson Brands 79 kg

Alex Marinelli 79 kg 

Kyle Summers 86 kg

*Ben Kueter 97 kg

*Recruiting Class of 2023

Thursday, April 27  Noon – Prelims, Consolation, Quarterfinals

Thursday, April 27  6 PM – Consolations

Thursday, April 27  8 PM – Semifinals

Friday, April 28  Noon – Consolations, Consolation Semifinals

Friday, April 28  8 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

Senior Women’s U.S. Open – Friday and Saturday

Nyla Valencia – 50 KG

Ava Bayless – 50 KG

Sterling Dias – 50 KG 

Emilie Gonzalez – 50 KG

Felicity Taylor – 53 KG

Ella Schmidt – 65 KG

Reese Larramendy – 65 KG

Isabella Mir – 68 KG

*Rose Cassioppi – 72 KG

*Haley Ward – 72 KG

Marlynne Deede – 72 KG

Kylie Welker – 76 KG

*Recruiting Class of 2023

Friday, April 28 Noon – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Consolation

Friday, April 28  2 PM – Semifinals, Consolation

Saturday, April 29  Noon – Consolation, Consolation Semifinals

Saturday, April 29  4 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

U20 Nationals – Saturday and Sunday

*Kale Petersen 60 kg

Jace Rhodes 61 kg 

Carter Martinson 70 kg 

Cade Siebrecht 70 kg

Cody Chittum 70 kg 

Aiden Riggins 74 kg

Carson Martinson 74 kg

Jude Link 74 kg

*Gabe Arnold 79 kg 

Bradley Hill 125 kg

*Recruiting Class of 2023

Saturday, April 29  Noon – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Consolation

Saturday,, April 29  6 PM – Semifinals, Consolation

Sunday, April 30  Noon – Consolation, Consolation Semifinals

Sunday, April 30  7 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

U17 World Team Trials – Saturday and Sunday

Keyan Hernandez 55 kg

Saturday, April 29 Noon – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Consolation

Saturday,, April 29  2 PM – Semifinals, Consolation

Sunday, April 30  Noon – Consolation, Consolation Semifinals

Sunday, April 30  2 PM – Medal Matches

*****All times are CST

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming Iowa recruits Lilly Luft and Alivia White have been named Regional winners of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. The award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Luft and White are members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

Luft and White are two of the five regional winners. The national winner will be chosen from the five regional winners that will be announced on May 2.

The award recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

Luft was named for the TSHSEA in the Midwest Region of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

From teamusa.org:

Lilly Luft of Charles City, Iowa, was a three-time Iowa state champion and four-time place-winner for Charles City Community High School. The daughter of Leonard and Wendy Luft, she will continue her wrestling career at the University of Iowa. Luft was 40-0 as a senior and had a career record of 125-6, setting the state record for most career wins by a female wrestler. She was the 2023 recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Iowa High School Female Wrestler of the Year and was also named the Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year by Fareway Stores, Inc. in coordination with the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. Luft was a finalist at the Super 32 tournament in 2022 while earning All-America honors at the 16U freestyle national championships and finishing fourth at the Cadet beach wrestling world championships in Romania in 2021.

She helped her family in the writing, lobbying and passing of Logan’s Law. Named in honor of her brother, Logan Luft, who was fatally injured in a Fourth of July ATV accident as a 15-year-old in 2017. Logan’s Law allows hunting and fishing license purchasers to declare as organ, eye and tissue donor. Lilly also volunteered at the Transplant Games of America, the LifeServe Blood Center, and the Iowa Donor Network. Luft also lettered in softball, track and volleyball in high school while also participating in Future Farmers of America and 4-H. Luft received The Clash – All-Scholar Athlete Achievement award and was named the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union Athlete of the Year in 2023.

White was named for the TSHSEA in the West Region of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

From teamusa.org:

Alivia White of Lake Stevens, Washington, was a three-time state champion for Marysville Pilchuck High School. She was unable to compete for a state title in 2021 as Washington did not hold a postseason tournament because of COVID. The daughter of Craig and Andrea White, she will continue her wrestling career at the University of Iowa. White was Washington State Interscholastic Association Scholar Athlete state champion in 2021 and also a Washington State Girls Triple Crown winner. She was the Marysville Pilchuck Outstanding Wrestler four years in a row and was team captain for three years. White also received the National Wrestling Coaches Association and United States Marine Corps High School Scholar All-American award.

She was National Honor Society president for two years and was a member of the Associated Student Body all four years. White was selected to represent her high school at Inter-High leadership conferences four times. White volunteered for Challenge Air, organizing and helping children with special needs get on small planes for flights, and was also a member of the Big Buddy program, helping elementary school students. She is also an active member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Congratulations to our two future Hawks for this great honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

USA Wrestling released a list of wrestlers registered to compete at the US Open U20 Nationals. This tournament will be a part of a huge weekend of wrestling for the U.S. Open in Las Vegas. U20 National will be on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30 at the South Point Hotel and Casino. 

We have current and incoming Hawkeyes competing. Kale Petersen, Cody Chittum, and Gabe Arnold are in the outstanding Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023. The remaining Hawkeyes listed are all true freshmen at Iowa.

Incoming recruit Ben Kueter also a member of the Recruiting Class of 2023 is registered at 97 KG for the U.S. Senior Men’s Open that will on Thursday and Friday. Kueter is currently ranked #4 at 97 KG in the American Men’s Freestyle Rankings.

The top eight wrestlers at each weight at U20 Nationals will qualify for the U20 World Team Trials that will be in Geneva, Ohio on June 2-4. The 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships will be in Warsaw, Poland on August 14-16. 

Keyan Hernandez will be competing at 55 KG in the U17 World Team Trials at the same venue. The U17 WTT will also be on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30. This tournament will decide Team USA for the 2023 U17 World Freestyle Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on July 31-August 6.

Hernandez is in the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024.

FloWrestling will provide a live stream of the U.S. Open on their premium service.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

Registered for US Open U20 Nationals as of April 24:

*Kale Petersen – 60 KG

Jace Rhodes – 60 KG

*Cody Chittum – 70 KG

Carter Martinson – 70 KG

Cade Siebrecht – 70 KG

Carson Martinson – 74 KG

Aiden Riggins – 74 KG

*Gabe Arnold – 79 KG

Brad Hill – 125 KG

* Recruiting Class of 2023

U17 World Team Trials

Keyan Hernandez – 55 KG

Recruiting Class of 2024

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Iowa Hawkeye Bella Mir will compete in an MMA bout at UFL 3 (United Fight League) on Saturday, August 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. Mir is a freshman for the University of Iowa Women’s Wrestling team and has a 3-0 career record in MMA.

Bella will be on the same card as her dad Frank Mir for UFL 3 that has been called his retirement fight. Frank was a two-time UFC Hwt champion and competed in the UFC for sixteen years. 

From bjpenn.com:

“One of my ambitions I have said, and I would really like to stick to it, is I would like to fight on the same card as my daughter,” Mir said. “That would be a great father-daughter experience and how many people can say they’ve done that in their career? Compete as an athlete on the same playing field as their child. It would be a moment of passing the torch of the ending of my career and the starting of her career. I would have to make it an MMA fight to make that happen.”

Bella recently won the 68 KG title at the U20 Women’s Nationals in Spokane, Washington. Mir won by a tech fall, pin, and two decisions to make the finals. In the best of three finals she had two first period pins to claim the title.

Mir will now represent Team USA at the 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Warsaw, Poland.

Bella is registered to compete at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in Las Vegas this weekend.

Last January Bella became the first ever NIL ambassador for the UFC. On December 15, 2022 it was announced that the UFC had become a sponsor of the University of Iowa Men’s and Women’s Wrestling team.

Mir is a true freshman out of Las Vegas, Nevada where she was a four-time state champion for Centennial High School.

The University of Iowa is the first Power 5 conference women’s wrestling program and will have their first year of official competition next season.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Four Iowa Hawkeyes were named to the 2023 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I Scholar All-American Team.

Max Murin, Nelson Brands, Jacob Warner, and Tony Cassioppi were named for this honor.

Student-athletes must have a minimum 3.2 GPA and have won 60 percent of their matches or maintain a 3.0 while earning All-American honors.

This is the fourth time for Warner and Cassioppi to be named for this honor and the second time for Murin and Brands.

The Iowa Hawkeyes posted a 3.3523 team grade point average that ranked 21st nationally.

Iowa has now had 58 NWCA academic honors since Tom Brands was named head coach in 2006.

Congratulations to these wrestlers for this achievement.

Iowa Wrestling getting it done on the mat and in the classroom.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

We have a huge weekend of wrestling coming up next week. The U.S. Senior Men’s Open will be in Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday, April 27-28 at the South Point Hotel and Casino. This is the first step in determining Team USA for the 2023 Senior World Freestyle Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on September 16-24.

Iowa Wrestling will be well represented with current, former, and incoming Hawks.

Spencer Lee is registered at 57 KG. Lee is a three-time World champ in the Cadet and Junior division. The only freestyle competition Lee has had since winning a Junior World Freestyle title in 2016 was when he won the senior men’s national title in 2019.

Current Iowa Hawkeyes Cullan Schriever (61 KG) and Nelson Brands (79 KG) are registered. 

Former Hawks Michael Kemerer (79 KG) and Dan Erekson (125 KG) are registered to compete.

Incoming recruit Ben Kueter is listed at 97 KG. Kueter just completed his high school wrestling career at City High (Iowa City) as an undefeated four-time state champ. He won a Junior World Freestyle title last summer in Sophie, Bulgaria at 97 kg/213 lbs.

Kueter is currently ranked #4 at 97 KG in the American Men’s Freestyle Rankings. Kueter is in the outstanding Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

FloWrestling will provide a live stream of the U.S. Open on their premium service.

The following list of wrestlers have registered for the U.S. Open as of April 20:

Spencer Lee – 57 KG

Austin DeSanto – 61 KG

Cullan Schriever – 61 KG

Pat Lugo – 65 KG

Kaleb Young – 74 KG

Alex Marinelli – 79 KG

Nelson Brands – 79 KG

Michael Kemerer – 79 KG

Ben Kueter – 97 KG

Dan Erekson – 125 KG 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The state winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award was announced by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Incoming Iowa recruit Ben Kueter was named for the award in Iowa.

From USA Wrestling:

The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

Iowa is in the Midwest region for this award. The regional winners in the Midwest, West, Central, Southeast, and Northeast will be announced on April 26. The national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award will be announced on May 2.

The award is named after the late wrestling legend Dave Schultz. One of the all time greats in the history of our sport. Schultz was an Olympic and World champion and is a Distinguished Member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame and the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Kueter of City High (Iowa City) finished his career as the 32nd four-time state champion in state history and just the seventh to have a career undefeated record (111-0). He is the overall #1 recruit in the country pound for pound and #1 at 215 lbs. by MatScouts. 

Kueter won a Junior World Freestyle title last summer in Sophie, Bulgaria at 97 kg/213 lbs. Kueter is also an elite linebacker in football and received All American honors. He committed to both Iowa Wrestling and Iowa Football.

More than a few people consider Ben Kueter as the greatest high school athlete in the history of the state of Iowa. I would certainly have to give him that title.

Congratulations to Ben Kueter for being named for this honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Incoming Iowa recruits Lilly Luft and Alivia White have been named for the Tricia Saunders Excellence Award for their state. The award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Luft and White are members of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2023.

Luft, from Charles City, won the award for Iowa. She has also been named as the Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year. Luft recently won her third state title and finished her career with a 125-6 record. Luft was 40-0 this season and won a state title at 130 lbs. 

White won the award for Washington where she was a three-time state champion for Marysville Pilchuck. She was 33-0 this season with 33 pins and had a career record of 113-2. White competed at the U20 U.S. Nationals last weekend at 76 KG/167 lbs.

From USA Wrestling:

The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

The award is named for four-time World champion Tricia Saunders who was the first woman from the United States to win a World title and to be inducted as a Distinguished Member into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to Lilly Luft and Alivia White for receiving this honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday, April 28-29 at the South Point Hotel and Casino. There is an impressive list of wrestlers from the Iowa Women’s Wrestling team and incoming recruits that are registered to compete.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Open is the first step in qualifying to represent Team USA at the Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on September 16-24. 

Felicity Taylor is currently ranked #2 on Team USA and the defending U.S. Open champion at 53 KG. Last weekend at U.S. Nationals in Spokane, Washington Taylor won the U23 53 KG title and Bella Mir won the U20 68 KG title.

Haley Ward and Rose Cassioppi, members of the Recruiting Class of 2023, are registered for the U.S. Open at 72 KG. Marlynne Deede is also registered at 72 KG. Deede recently announced she is transferring to Iowa after winning the NCWWC 155 lbs. national title for Augsburg last month. 

All of the current Iowa wrestlers will be competing for the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club.

FloWrestling will provide a live stream of the U.S. Open on their premium service.

I will have a follow up blog with results.

Currently registered for the U.S. Open

Nyla Valencia – 50 KG

Ava Bayless – 50 KG

Sterling Dias – 50 KG 

Emilie Gonzalez – 50 KG

Felicity Taylor – 53 KG

Ella Schmidt – 65 KG

Reese Larramendy – 65 KG

Isabella Mir – 68 KG

Kylie Welker – 76 KG

Incoming recruits (Class of 2023)

Rose Cassioppi – 72 KG

Haley Ward – 72 KG

Transfer

Marlynne Deede – 72 KG

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Joe Williams and Bob Bowlsby will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Williams will be inducted as a Distinguished member and Bowlsby as an Outstanding American. They will be inducted as part of the Class of 2023 at the 46th Honors Weekend in Stillwater, Oklahoma on June 3-4.

Joe Williams is one of the greatest Iowa wrestlers of all time. As a three-time NCAA National champion (96-’98) and four-time All American, Williams led Iowa to NCAA National team titles in 1996, ‘97, and ‘98.

On the International scene Williams was a World Bronze medalist in 2001 and 2005 and a 2004 Olympian.

Bob Bowlsy was Athletic Director at the University of Iowa from 1990-2006. His wrestling background of competing for Bob Siddens at Waterloo West was a foundation for his involvement and promotion of wrestling throughout his career. Bowlsby’s introductiuon to Iowa Wrestling started with his brother John who was a three-time All American for Iowa in 1975, ’77, and ’78. 

Bowlsby’s influence on wrestling was crucial for the advancement of our sport in ways that most will never fully realize. As Dan Gable told me several times over the years, you want wrestling people making decisions on wrestling. Bob Bowlsby was always a wrestling guy and his influence and direction for our sport had a big impact on wrestling over the years.

From NWHOF.org

Joe Williams was a three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American for the University of Iowa. He had a career record of 129-9 while helping the Hawkeyes win back-to-back NCAA team titles in 1996 and 1997 and being named Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA tournament in 1998. 

Williams finished fifth at the 2004 Olympics and competed in six World Championships, winning bronze medals in 2001 and 2005 while placing fourth in 1999 and fifth in 2007. He won gold medals at the Pan American Championships in 1999 and 2003 and was a four-time World Cup champion. He is a 10-time National Freestyle champion and a six-time U.S. Senior National Freestyle champion. 

Williams was a four-time Illinois state high school champion for Mount Carmel High School, wrestling for Bill Weick, a Distinguished Member of the Hall of Fame. Williams had a career record of 162-1 with 95 career falls. His only loss was a disqualification, resulting from an illegal slam, as a freshman. Williams was named Chicago Tribune’s Illinois High School Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1993.

Bob Bowlsby wrestled at Waterloo West High School for legendary Hall of Fame coach Bob Siddens and at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he was team captain and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion. 

A lifelong advocate for wrestling, Bowlsby served as the Chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame. Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named in honor of his family. Throughout his career Bowlsby used his wrestling background, skill, expertise and leadership to help the programs he has overseen achieve growth and financial success. He retired in 2022 after 10 years as commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. 

Bowlsby arrived at Stanford after a 15-year stint as the director of athletics for the University of Iowa. In 2013, he was named to the NCAA 40th Anniversary Tribute Team, which recognized the 40th anniversary of NCAA Division II competition, and received the MSU Moorhead Alumni Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Dragon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame in 2007. He received his bachelor’s degree from MSU Moorhead in 1975 and his master’s degree from the University of Iowa.

Congratulations to Joe Williams and Bob Bowlsby for this much deserved honor.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!