Iowa women’s wrestling moves up to No. 1 in NWCA poll

IOWA CITY — Iowa women’s wrestling is officially the top team in the country, jumping from No. 8 to No. 1 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association poll.

It follows a dominant first two weeks of competition. The Hawkeyes went 4-0 in their four duals with a combined score of 170-6 and also took six first-place finishes at the Princeton Open earlier this month.

Three of the dual wins came at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the Trailblazer Duals, which featured the first four Division I women’s wrestling teams in the country in front of what was believed to be a record-breaking crowd.

The NWCA individually ranked 13 Iowa wrestlers.

Three Hawkeyes — Reese Larramendy at 143 pounds, Marlynne Deede at 155 and Kylie Welker at 170 — are the No. 1 wrestlers in their weight class. Another three — Emilie Gonzalez at 101, Felicity Taylor at 123 and Ella Schmit at 143 — are ranked No. 2.

The high rankings are no surprise considering Iowa is the first Division I Power Five athletic department to sponsor an intercollegiate women’s wrestling team.

Iowa will next compete Friday and Saturday in the Missouri Valley College Open. Deede will compete individually at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Tuesday.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com