Iowa’s Lilly Luft forges way into Soldier Salute finals

CORALVILLE — Lilly Luft has been at the forefront of monumental situations.

She has produced some of her own memorable moments right here at Xtream Arena.

In February, Luft won a state title for Charles City at the inaugural Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sanctioned wrestling championships held here. Now, she’s representing the University of Iowa in its first official season of competition — the first by a Power 5 institution.

“This is not an easy room to be in,” Luft said. “Everyone in our room is amazing. They have some great skills, so it doesn’t make it easy but it makes it that much better when you do find success.

“It’s not for me. God has given me these abilities to wrestle and be in this room, so I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful to compete.”

Like she did less than 11 months ago, Luft earned a spot in the finals at a marquee event in front of an Xtream Arena crowd. Luft stormed back for a 14-3 victory over Emmily Patneud in the 136-pound semifinals of the second annual Soldier Salute. Luft was one of nine Hawkeye women to reach the finals.

“I’m going to keep pushing forward,” Luft said. “The best thing to do is not look at what’s far ahead into the future. Just what is right in front of me and sticking to that.

“I think that’s what helped this tournament (performance) out,” Luft said. “I’m going to keep doing that.”

Iowa Coach Clarissa Chun said Luft arrived on campus aware of her wrestling identity. Luft has developed technically and craves feedback to improve in each position, including setups, hand fights, finishes and par terre. The thirst for knowledge and a strong work ethic is a beneficial combination.

“She already came in knowing what kind of wrestler she is,” Chun said. “The type that brings grit and tenacity to the mat. That’s true to her.

“She’s truly a student of the sport. She’s very coachable.”

Chun said that Luft is a well-rounded student who lives a lifestyle conducive to wrestling stuff. She concentrates on the little details off the mat, including nutrition and rest.

“We don’t worry about Lilly,” Chun said. “We could have 30 of them and that would be awesome.”

Luft has previously wrestled 130 pounds but moved up due to injuries to multiple wrestlers at 136. She said she had a discussion with coaches and agreed to bump up a weight. Chun said they like to have wrestlers be part of the decision-making process.

“She is plenty strong,” Chun said. “It’s helping her see she’s amazing. What’s 6 pounds, really, in the other direction? As hard as she works, why not?”

Results tell the tale. Luft went 4-0 Friday, posting a decision and three technical falls. She outscored her first three opponents by a combined 30-0 and closed Day 1 with a 12-0 technical fall.

“We just figured let’s try it out and see how it goes,” Luft said. “I think that’s worked out well lately. I feel strong. I feel confident at this weight and I’m getting to my attacks a lot better. It’s starting to feel good. I’m glad I made the move.”

Luft showed her mental toughness in the semifinals, trailing Patneud, 3-0, at the break. All 66 seconds of the final period were dominated by Luft. She scored two takedowns and then followed the last one with a series of leg-laces that tightened with each turn, posting the technical fall in 4:06.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m down 8-0 in the second period I’m going to keep pushing,” Luft said. “Keep sticking to my stuff and waiting for it to open. Stay in good position. I think in the past I would have rushed a lot of things and that would get me in worse position. Staying persistent on what I wanted helped me in that match, for sure.”

Luft said her future weight hasn’t been solidified. The extra 6 pounds hasn’t been an issue and some things are improved.

“It possibly could be,” Luft said about 136 being a permanent move. “I’m excited for that. I’m feeling a lot better and my competition prep has gotten better as well.”

The Hawkeye women were represented in all nine finals competed Saturday. Sterling Dias (101), Ava Bayless (109), Brianna Gonzalez (116), 123-pounder Isabella Ngo, Emily Frost at 130, Reese Larramendy (143), 155-pounder Bella Mir and Haley Ward at 170 all reached the championship matches.

Work and progress remain.

“Every time they step on the mat is an opportunity to learn,” Chun said. “Learn what’s working and what we need to work on, whether it’s technical, mental, physical, emotional, energy, fueling or hydrating. It was good.

“We had ups and downs throughout the lineup. We had some tough losses and some great wins, too. At the end of the day, we ask our women to bring their best effort to the mat. If you did your best, you can’t hang your head too low. That’s our focus.”

The Iowa women’s team led the ream race after the third session. The Hawkeyes had 195.5 points, leading Life (Ga.) University by 31.5.

Iowa men lead team race with 8 finalists

Iowa’s men’s team also led the team race entering Saturday night’s finals. The Hawkeyes tallied 217.5 points and Minnesota was second at 132.5.

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Iowa had eight official finalists with unattached freshman Gabe Arnold wrestling for the 174 title.

Drake Ayala (125) ignited the Hawkeye crowd in the morning session. Ayala faced a familiar foe in Minnesota’s ninth-ranked Patrick McKee. Ayala had never beaten McKee, wrestling him multiple times as a freshman in the 2021-22 season. Ayala scored a late takedown and erased riding time for a 5-4 victory.

He was followed by teammates No. 1 Real Woods at 141, Jared Franek (157) and 197-pounder Zach Glazier.

Iowa had head-to-head matches in two weight classes. At 133, Brody Teske posted a 15-0 technical fall over Kale Petersen in the semifinals, facing Nebraska’s Jacob Van Dee for the title.

Caleb Rathjen (149) topped teammate Victor Voinovich III, 6-3, in the semifinals. He advanced to the final against Anthony Ferrari, who was joined by his brother, A.J. in the finals. A.J., who has taken his official visit to Iowa, reached the 197 championship bout against Glazier.

At 165, Michael Caliendo and Patrick Kennedy made it an all-Iowa final. Caliendo beat Columbia’s Kyle Mosher, 20-5, in the semifinal. Kennedy defeated Northern Iowa’s Izzy Moreno, 10-0, to reach the final.

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