Iowa upgrades from very good to great with new Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center

IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa has a new home befitting one of college wrestling’s top schools.

In a changing college athletics landscape, the new state-of-the-art facility is another step toward keeping pace with leaders in men’s and women’s wrestling.

“We have to continue to lead,” Iowa men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands said. “I don’t think we’re in a race to put great facilities in the ground to be in competition, or be ahead of the competition that way. I think you look at what’s necessary. We still have a lot of work to do.

“Hey, our donors dug deep and they stepped up. Now, we have to perform. We’ve always said that it’s on us to perform.”

Iowa held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and opened the new Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center to the public Thursday afternoon. The $31 million dollar, 38,500-foot facility is located adjacent to Carver-Hawkeye Arena that housed the programs’ Dan Gable Wrestling Complex.

UI President Barbara J. Wilson said the building is a monument to the legacy of Iowa wrestling.

“This space is going to honor everything that they do and everything that wrestling does,” Wilson said during the ceremony. “I’m really excited to be here. I’m excited to get inside and look around.”

Fans will be greeted by Iowa wrestling’s rich history when they enter the facility. The men’s wrestling program has 24 national titles, 85 NCAA individual champions, 367 All-America honors, 37 Big Ten team championships and 210 individual crowns.

The women’s wrestling team and Coach Clarissa Chun finished their first official season in March, winning the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships behind their first six individual national champions: Ava Bayless, Felicity Taylor, Reese Larramendy, Marlynne Deede and Kylie Welker.

The “Hall of Champions” and trophy room will likely be a fan favorite and a nice way to conjure past memories. This is an important feature of the facility, merging a storied tradition with the current Hawkeyes charged with adding to it. Those celebrated past achievements serve as the figurative cornerstones of the updated facility.

The upper level also contains coaches and managers offices. The coaches offices overlook the training area, including a small walk-out patio from Brands’ and Chun’s offices. Most have large windows to view what transpires while keeping up with the growing off-the-mat responsibilities for head coaches. They no longer have to navigate hallways to the practice room for a glimpse of individual workouts or training outside of organized practice.

Two of the more attractive amenities for wrestlers are separate lounge areas for the men and women. Brands said it also is a high-performance, nutrition and recovery center. There is a standing cooler with healthy drinks for athletes. Each lounge is equipped with televisions, couches, and tables.

“The facility also includes modern recovery suites to aid an effective recovery so we can consistently achieve our peak performance,” Iowa wrestler Nyla Valencia said. “We have areas for team meetings and video analysis where coaches and athletes can review performances, strategize and foster a deeper understanding of the sport.

“This wholistic approach to training is designed to mentor not only physical prowess but also the tactical and mental aspects of training.”

The lower level is where the training takes place. The all-purpose training room contains six full mats with 24 “live go” spaces. About eight ropes dangle from the 30-foot high ceiling for climbing. Cardio equipment is located on the side of the mat area and a station for exercise bands stands against the left wall. Large bleachers for team talks and possibly for fans to watch practice face the mats. Two large screens hang down to view video.

“The more room on the mat you have the better it is, especially when you have a lot of guys and girls in the room,” said Iowa NCAA runner-up Real Woods, who plans to wrestle internationally.

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The Hawkeyes have all the details right. The layout and the technical resources are in place to thrive.

The Dan Gable Wrestling Complex was one of the better practice facilities in college wrestling. The Hawkeyes are going from very good to great. Brands said there were aspects transferred from the old practice area.

The mat space opens to the weightlifting area, which is similar to the old training room. Athletes are unencumbered by the layout, being able to go directly to the weight room, athletic training area and recovery areas. The flow from area to area was important and makes it convenient for student-athletes.

“Gable had the flow right in the other place when they built Carver-Hawkeye Arena with the weight room right off the deck of the mats,” Brands said. “We wanted to keep that. There was some pushback and we weren’t going to yield.

“When we built this place, we made sure our athletic training space (and) our strength training space was right off the deck. It’s wide open. That’s how we wanted it and the architects got it right. Our builders got it right. It’s awesome.”

The locker rooms for men and women are spacious with large TV screens at each end. Everything set up is comfortable and convenient for wrestlers who participate in a sport rooted in difficulty, discomfort and pressing one’s mental toughness.

Overall, the training facility was done right, even though Brands may have hinted about possible future upgrades when he mentioned it doesn’t have a kitchen to help with nutrition and sleeping quarters. The dream that started with a thought in 2015 and gained traction a few years later has become a reality. The Hawkeyes’ wrestling programs will be better because of it. It should become a beacon that attracts top talent in the future.

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Take a look inside Iowa’s new wrestling facility

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