Ava Rose fills void for Iowa women’s wrestling as Felicity Taylor moves weight classes

INDIANOLA — Ava Rose had plenty to be nervous about ahead of Friday’s women’s wrestling tournament. Well, nervous is not the right word for it.

“I don’t really get nervous,” Rose said. “I get excited.”

The excitement translated into results as the Hawkeye freshman stepped into the Iowa women’s wrestling lineup and earned a berth in next month’s national championships.

“I don’t say it enough, but I truly am proud of her and how far she’s come this season,” teammate Felicity Taylor said of Rose.

Rose earned her spot in the national championships after finishing fourth in the NCWWC Regionals.

The feat did not always look so likely at Simpson College’s Cowles Fieldhouse. Rose fell in an 8-0 hole in the quarterfinals before rallying to win via decision, 11-8.

“I was like, ‘Dang, I actually have to win now,’” Rose said with a laugh as she looked back at her initial 8-0 deficit.

Rose’s contributions were necessary after Taylor, who wrestled up at 123 pounds throughout the 2023-24 season, moved back to 116 pounds ahead of Friday’s regional tournament.

Iowa Coach Clarissa Chun said Taylor’s move back to 116 pounds “was always her plan.”

Wrestling at 116 — where NWCA ranks her fourth nationally — could give Taylor a better chance at winning a national title.

“I feel better, I move better,” Taylor said. “116 is just my weight class.”

Taylor — she’s now in her sixth and final season after competing unattached in 2022-23 and with McKendree University for four years before that — consistently wrestled at 116 pounds until this season.

Taylor experienced plenty of success when she wrestled up at 123 this season. She lost only once, and that was to top-ranked Amani Jones of North Central.

“She did really great for us as a team at 123,” Chun said. “And Bri (Gonzalez) had great success at 116. So it really was not an easy decision."

Taylor’s most likely route for a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials is to win a collegiate national championship. (So far, Marlynne Deede, Kylie Welker and Rose Cassioppi have been the only Hawkeyes to qualify.)

As Taylor looked toward her postseason goals, Chun “believed that she could do it at 123, too.”

“I told her I support whichever way she goes,” Chun said. “I think she would be great at either."

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Rose said it was “maybe Tuesday” when she found out Taylor was returning to 116 pounds, which consequently meant Rose was going to be in the lineup.

It was not too much of a transition for Rose, though, considering that “you have to train like you’re going to start for the team.”

“I did a lot of opens, so I was getting ready for those anyway,” Rose said. “And that doesn’t really matter if you start or not.”

Chun was especially complimentary of Rose’s growth in “energy management” as a freshman.

“When she came out of high school, as coaches we watched her at competition,” Chun said. “And the amount of energy she would expend before she even stepped on the mat — I think that is a huge change for her.”

Rose personally noticed a “big turning point” after Soldier Salute, where she lost three of five bouts.

“I did really bad in that tournament, so I knew I needed to change things,” Rose said. “I kind of flipped the switch.”

Rose’s smooth transition at 123 pounds was just one part of what was overall a wildly successful day for the Hawkeyes. All 15 wrestlers finished in the top four of the region and therefore qualified for the national championships.

Iowa was one of nine teams at the regional and was responsible for 37.5 percent of the national championships qualifiers in the region.

Six Hawkeyes — Emilie Gonzalez, Ava Bayless, Brianna Gonzalez, Reese Larramendy, Marlynne Deede and Kylie Welker — finished first in Friday’s regionals. Sterling Dias, Taylor, Lilly Luft, Bella Mir and Jaycee Foeller had second-place finishes.

Emily Frost and Haley Ward finished third at 130 and 170 pounds, respectively. Ella Schmit finished fourth at 143 pounds.

As for Iowa’s other not-so-nervous fourth-place finisher, she has her sights set on improvement in the two weeks leading up to NCWWC Nationals.

“There’s still a million things that I need to get better at,” Rose said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com