Iowa women’s wrestling claims second team national championship in as many years

CORALVILLE — Iowa women’s wrestling has done it again.

The Hawkeyes have claimed their second National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships team title in as many years of competition.

Iowa finished with a team score of 201.5 — comfortably ahead of North Central’s 181, McKendree University’s 158.5 and Grand Valley State’s 129.5. Iowa secured its team title with Macey Kilty’s win via 7-2 decision over former Hawkeye (and current North Central College wrestler) Bella Mir at 145 pounds.

Three Iowa wrestlers won individual titles — Kilty, Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker. Blades won Iowa’s second individual title with a 10-0 tech fall over McKendree University’s Kaylynn Albrecht. Welker then needed only 57 seconds to pick up a 10-0 tech fall as well to claim the national title at 180 pounds.

It was Welker’s second consecutive NCWWC title and Kilty and Blades’ first collegiate national titles. Jaycee Foeller was a finalist, but lost via 6-0 decision to McKendree’s Tristan Kelly in the championship match.

“Our women fight hard,” Iowa Coach Clarissa Chun said. “They deal with a lot of pressures from themselves to represent and fight for Iowa. … They really do love each other so much. They lift each other up and push each other forward.”

All 15 Hawkeyes earned All-America status, which requires placing eighth or higher. (That was crucial for the Hawkeyes as they won despite having fewer finalists than last year.)

“It’s a testament to each and every one of them being able to put it out there,” Chun said of her 15 All-Americans. “And really honestly, we have more that maybe didn’t get the opportunity to compete this weekend.”

Iowa, like last year, won despite trailing North Central in the team score after the first day of the two-day tournament. The Cardinals had a 3.5-point lead heading into Saturday’s early session.

“I remember the night before, Reese (Larramendy) was like, ‘Yeah, we’re down by four points,’” Blades said. “And I was like, ‘We what?’ … But then she’s like, ‘Hey, don’t worry. We were like 20 points down last year.’”

Saturday’s national title punctuates an overall outstanding second season for Iowa, which went 19-0 in duals and won NWCA National Duals. Iowa remains the only power-conference school to sponsor an intercollegiate women’s wrestling program.

“The goal is to have 10 champs next year,” Blades said.

  Buy Photo

Full individual results

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

Sign up for our curated Iowa Hawkeyes athletics newsletter at thegazette.com/hawks.