Iowa Wrestling Weekend That Was: Busy weekend for Iowa’s first women’s wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun

A new coach makes the rounds, Iowa State and UNI crown champions at South Dakota State’s Daktronics Open, NCAA champions upset and Coe’s heavyweight continues early dominance during the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

Clarissa Chun makes the rounds

University of Iowa announced Clarissa Chun as its first head coach for the women’s wrestling program. Chun doesn’t officially start her new role until February (to fulfill some previous commitments), but she started to make the rounds during a whirlwind of a weekend.

Chun’s hire was announced Thursday. She participated in an introductory news conference with Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta and Deputy Director of Athletics, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Women’s Administrator Barbara Burke.

The busy weekend began after posing for photos with Barta, Burke and Iowa men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands.

Chun was a guest to a social before the men’s 32-12 dual victory over Princeton Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She met and hung out with women’s wrestling supporters and attended the dual. Chun was introduced to the Iowa wrestling crowd during intermission, which responded with a standing ovation that lasted about a minute.

Chun seemed overwhelmed a bit by the crowd reported as 14,905, making a heart symbol and covering part of her head with her hands. Her reaction was recorded on camera.

“This is wild,” Chun can be heard saying and then added, “Go Hawks!”

Saturday included more of the same. Chun attended the President’s Tailgate before the Hawkeyes’ 33-23 football victory over Illinois. Chun stood at the 10-yard line during one of the first quarter media timeouts and was welcomed by a warm reception from the Kinnick Stadium crowd. Chun watched the remainder of the game from the suites.

The terms of Chun’s contract were made available to The Gazette after a FOIA request. The five-year contract will allow her to make $115,000 for the first year, climbing to $120,000 for the second and $130,000 per year for the last three years. Chun received a $10,000 signing bonus with a chance for $10,000 retention bonuses.

Added incentives include money for serving as an ambassador of the program and sport, team grade-point average, national team and individual finishes and earning National Coach of the Year honors.

Iowa State’s golden quartet

Iowa State crowned four champions at South Dakota State’s Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D., including Cyclone national champion and top-ranked David Carr at 157. Carr recorded three technical falls to reach the finals, defeating Nebraska’s Peyton Robb, 7-5, in sudden victory. Interestingly, previously unranked Robb beat North Carolina’s No. 5 Austin O’Connor, 5-2. O’Connor won the 149-pound NCAA title in March.

Kysen Terukina (125), Zach Redding (141) and Jarrett Degen at 149 also won titles. Terukina won his second title of the season, beating teammate Corey Cabanban, 3-1, in the finals. Both are former Hawaii preps. Cabanban reached the finals with a 4-3 upset of Northern Iowa’s Brody Teske, who was ranked seventh at the time.

Marcus Coleman (184) added a notable win for the Cyclones. He beat Nebraska All-American and 11th-ranked Taylor Venz, 5-3, en route to a runner-up finish.

Parker Keckeisen leads UNI

UNI 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen has picked up where he left off, earning All-America status with a third-place finish in March. Keckeisen captured the 184 title, beating the 20th-ranked Coleman, 8-4. The Panther sophomore was dominant in his first two matches, posting a technical fall and major decision.

Keckeisen was the lone Panther in the final. Teske rebounded from the loss to Cabanban to place third. Kyle Biscoglia (133), Cael Happel (141), Cayd Lara (157) and heavyweight Tyrell Gordon also placed third for UNI.

Happel, a four-time state champion from Lisbon, went 3-1. He scored 31 points in four matches, falling to Minnesota’s Marcos Polanco in the semifinal.

Another champ upset

Stanford and Cornell University wrestled this weekend. The Cardinal are now coached by former Big Red skipper Rob Koll. Cornell won the home dual, 30-9, receiving a huge win by freshman 165-pounder Julian Ramirez, who beat defending NCAA champion Shane Griffith, 3-2. Ramirez scored a first-period takedown and avoided a late takedown on the edge to keep his lead for the win.

Home sweet home for Coe

Coe crowned four champions at its home invitational Saturday. Alex Friddle (125), former West Liberty prep Will Esmoil (157), former West Delaware prep Jared Voss (197) and heavyweight Kaleb Reeves placed first.

Reeves, ranked second nationally in NCAA Division III, won all four matches by pin. He also won last week’s Luther Open. Reeves owns a 9-0 mark with nine pins this season.