Skip to main content
iowa logo

Iowa wrestling weekend preview: Women's National Duals arrives

by:Tanner Lafever•about 16 hours•

TannerLafever

Macey Kilty
Macey Kilty is among a star-studded group of Hawkeyes looking to win the program's second-consecutive National Duals title. (Photo Credit: Iowa Women's Wrestling Twitter)

Well, it’s officially 2025 – and with a New Year comes a new Iowa wrestling weekend preview.

(I suppose the more things change the more they stay the same…blah, blah, blah.)

OK, enough of the small talk.

Let’s get to why we’re all here.

The January portion of the wrestling calendar officially signals two things:

  1. NWCA National Duals are on deck for every major college program except those at the (men’s) NCAA Division I level.
  2. It’s time to dive headfirst into the start of the Big Ten dual schedule.

Apply both factors to the University of Iowa and you’re left with the awesome three days of wrestling Hawkeye fans have on tap.

On Friday/Saturday (Jan. 10-11) the top-ranked Iowa women’s team will be in Cedar Falls seeking the program’s second dual championship in as many years.

And Sunday, January 12th, the #2 Iowa men’s team travels to Wisconsin to open its 2025 Big Ten slate against the Badgers.

I’ll be on site for both events, starting Friday morning at the UNI-Dome, then in Madison on Sunday afternoon.

In terms of Iowa wrestlers expected to take the mat, here’s who Clarissa Chun is bringing to National Duals:

And here’s the probable lineup Tom Brands released mid-week for his squad’s upcoming Big Ten opener:

As always, we’ll break down each main event on tap before closing with how/when/where you can watch the Hawkeyes.

This week, that means there’s only one place to start – with the Iowa women’s bid for a repeat National Dual championship.

#1 Iowa women @ NWCA National Duals (Friday/Saturday, Jan. 10-11)

Funnily enough, we’re just over 365 days since the very first Iowa wrestling event that I covered for Hawkeye Report.

That weekend, the Hawkeye women won their first national title (of any sort) in program history. To do so, they had to pull off an improbable 21-20 finals victory over favored North Central (IL).

A timely Marlynne Deede pin (and this awesome photo) was critical to Iowa’s dual championship comeback in 2024.

For folks who may not have been locked in to women’s wrestling then, I’d encourage you to check out my recap of last year’s event.

The quality of the writing may not be great (sorry), but I do think it was instructive for a couple key elements to be on the lookout for again this weekend:

  • There is very serious talent out there in women’s college wrestling beyond Iowa City that can challenge, and potentially knock off the Hawkeyes on the right day.
  • Freestyle dual meet scoring is quite different from what many long-time Iowa wrestling fans are used to with folkstyle on the men’s side.

To that latter point, I’ve included a handy graphic to hopefully help keep folks in-the-know this weekend:

This year, the Hawkeyes have earned the #1 overall seed (which can vary from the national team rankings).

And in so doing, they find themselves at the top of the 16-team bracket – which was released earlier this week:

The path to the final

Iowa draws Aurora (IL) first on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. CT. And while the Hawkeyes should roll in their opener, the Spartans – ranked 10th in the latest Coaches poll – aren’t a typical ’16 seed’.

That’s because in this instance, there is no actual ’16 seed.’ Only the top eight teams were seeded, the rest appear to have been randomly drawn into the bracket.

Again, Iowa should roll – but Aurora does have two excellent options back-to-back at 131 and 138 pounds.

At 131, #3 Alexis Janiak is a two-time U20 World medalist (bronze in 2023, silver in 2024). And at 138, #5 Marisol Nugent presents a stern test for whomever Iowa elects to send out.

In the quarterfinals, Iowa figures to run into (and over) fellow in-state program Wartburg.

The Knights, seeded eighth in this tournament but standing 11th in the latest national rankings, have never previously dualled against the Hawkeyes.

Wartburg enters the National Duals with a trio of top-10 ranked athletes – headlined by #4 Kylie Rule at 131 pounds.

A 2-0 Friday would move the Hawkeyes into Saturday morning’s semifinals. There, they’d be almost certain to meet either the four-seed McKendree (IL) or the five-seed Presbyterian (SC).

Both squads are intriguing for different reasons.

McKendree has been an established powerhouse in women’s college wrestling, winning three-consecutive national team titles from 2020-2022, plus a pair of National Duals crowns (2019-20). But that has dipped slightly in recent years.

Meanwhile, Presbyterian (a Division I school like Iowa) is an up-and-coming program on the scene.

Iowa won 9/10 bouts against Presbyterian when the two met at National Duals a year ago.

I’ll be interested to see who emerges from that matchup. And while the Hawkeyes would be heavily favored against either, both McKendree/Presbyterian can provide legitimate resistance at multiple weight classes throughout their lineup(s).

Which elite foe opposes Iowa’s repeat bid?

On the opposite side of the bracket, the only logical conclusion is a semifinal showdown between two-seed North Central (IL) and three-seed King (TN).

The two met earlier this season in a dual (won 26-17 by North Central) that came down to the final bout.

North Central is the back-to-back runner up at this event – falling by one point to Iowa in 2024 and by two against King in 2023.

The Tornadoes (King) took fourth place a year ago after having won the two previous editions of the tournament.

King might have slightly more top-end talent – with five athletes ranked third or higher in the latest Coaches’ Poll. But North Central counters with a whopping 16 wrestlers ranked in the top 10, showcasing its remarkable depth throughout its lineup.

Either could oppose the Hawkeyes in the final, and either would present a major test.

I’ve gone back and forth on which might be the more dangerous foe for Iowa in this dual setting. I think I land slightly in favor of King in that regard; however, I favor North Central ever-so-slightly in a dual between the two of them.

Like I said, either will challenge the Hawkeyes in a significant manner should a finals matchup Saturday come to pass.

Iowa won’t be nearly at full strength this weekend, as I detailed in yesterday’s Mid-Season Report Card article. However, I do like the odds of Clarrisa Chun’s squad repeating as champions in Cedar Falls.

There’s just too much talent, too much know-how and an unmatchable star power to lean upon in the face of (potential) adversity – led by Iowa’s trio of 2024 World/Olympic medalists.

#2 Iowa men @ Wisconsin (Sunday, Jan. 12th – 2:00 p.m. CT)

To round out the weekend for Iowa wrestling, expect an absolute romp as the second-ranked men open Big Ten competition.

Their opponent, 4-4 Wisconsin, is not having a great season thus far.

Losses to Ohio, Rider, Lock Haven and West Virginia are a bad enough omen. Now add to it an 8-82-3 all-time record against the Hawkeyes and things pretty look grim for Sunday’s hosts.

Per this week’s dual notes, the last time Iowa lost in Madison was 1945.

1945…

Wisconsin’s three ranked wrestlers are #18 Nicolar Rivera (125), #24 Zan Fugitt (133) and #31 Luke Condon (174).

Of all the tidbits involving this dual, the most notable may not even be on the mat.

That’s because first-year Wisconsin assistant coach Tony Cassioppi will face the Hawkeyes for the first time after his own standout heavyweight career at Iowa.

Back to 2025 Iowa-centric storylines, however, keep an eye on 125.

As I touched on earlier this week in my men’s Mid-Season Report Card, 125 is arguably the biggest remaining question mark for the Hawkeyes.

Kale Petersen is once again listed as an option after his brief foray up at 133 for the Soldier Salute. Either he or Joey Cruz could have an excellent litmus test in Madison.

The aforementioned Nicolar Rivera is undefeated (11-0), and the exact sort of opponent Iowa’s 125-pounder needs to beat, or at the very least go toe-to-toe with if they want to reach/compete at NCAAs this March.

Also of note, no Ryder Block at 141 and only freshman Miguel Estrada at 157 – the latter as #1 Jacori Teemer hints at a pending return:

And finally, #5 Patrick Kennedy is listed solo at 174, while both #5 Gabe Arnold and Angelo Ferrari occupy 184.

How to watch

Barring an in-person experience, this weekend’s action will be streaming-only for Iowa wrestling fans.

The Hawkeye women will contest the National Duals exclusively on FloWrestling (subscription required).

As previously mentioned, their opening matchup against #10 Aurora is set for 10:00 a.m. CT Friday morning.

Win, and they’ll go again roughly 90 minutes later in the quarterfinals (11:30 a.m. CT).

A 2-0 start earns Iowa a break until Saturday morning’s semis at 10:30 a.m. And if they prevail in that round as expected, the Hawkeyes will wrestle for a 2025 National Duals championship at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Here’s the full bracket once again, so you can track in real time with each successive dual:

The following afternoon it’ll be the men’s turn as the Iowa/Wisconsin dual streams live on B1G+ at 2:00 p.m. CT.

As usual, you can also listen live via the Hawkeye Radio Network broadcast with Steven Grace and Mark Ironside:

And of course, you can always follow me on social media for up-to-the-minute thoughts/reaction as it all happens.

Short time

If you couldn’t already tell from this lengthy preview, I’m pretty psyched for the weekend ahead.

For one, because college wrestling rules. But secondarily, this will mark a first of sorts for me covering the Hawkeyes.

I’ll be trekking four-plus hours to Cedar Falls to cover both days of National Duals. Then, on Sunday, I’ll make a pitstop in Madison on my way home to Milwaukee to catch Iowa/Wisconsin in person.

I’m venturing into uncharted waters here, but I couldn’t be more excited.

Hope you guys enjoyed this latest preview. Thanks as always for reading and be sure to pop in throughout the weekend for daily recaps of all the action.

I’ll talk to you again real soon!

You may also like