What’s next for Iowa women’s wrestling?

IOWA CITY — The question was obvious, the answer probably equally so.

The University of Iowa, in its inaugural season, established itself as the premier women’s wrestling program in the country.

What will Year 2 bring?

“Do it again,” sophomore Kylie Welker said without hesitation.

The Hawkeyes went 16-0 in duals last season, won an NWCA National Duals title and capped the season with the NCWWC tournament crown.

They return nine All-Americans, including four national champs — Welker at 170 pounds, Emilie Gonzalez at 101, Ava Bayless at 109 and Reese Larramendy at 143. There are also seven freshmen — including four-time Iowa state champion Naomi Simon of Decorah — and four transfers, including junior Kennedy Blades, a silver medalist at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

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“This team is insane,” said Welker, who likely will wrestle at 160 or 180 (170 has been eliminated), with Blades in the other spot.

“And as an encore, how can we continue to get better and do the same,” Coach Clarissa Chun said Tuesday at the team’s media day. “You know, I think nothing really changes in that regard.

“... I really try to have our women not think about the outcome. Yes, we want to win. That's definitely the goal. That's what we talk about, is winning those matches, national duals, national championships.

“But at the end of the day, let's just get better at wrestling.”

That, in a nutshell, is basically what Welker has in mind, too.

She went 23-1 last year with 16 technical falls and six pins. She was the Open Mat NCAA Women’s Wrestler of the Year. But she let a berth in the Olympics “slip through my finger tips,” finishing second at the Olympic Trials.

“That really crushed me a little bit,” she said.

She wasn’t down for long, though. She got a chance to wrestle in an international tournament in Spain and won gold. In September, she and teammate Macey Kilty earned spots on the 2024 Senior World Championship team. They leave Sunday for Tirana, Albania.

“I definitely needed that because I was pretty beat up after the Trials,” Welker said. “To be able to turn around and just move forward is really what I needed. I guess is shows who I am.”

Welker not only went right back to work in the wrestling room — “wrestlers never really stop,” she said — but also worked on her “mental game.

“I feel like sometimes my biggest competition is myself,” she said.

There’s plenty of competition in the Iowa wrestling room, from national champions and All-Americans to freshmen who are eager to make an impact.

“I'm excited for the season,” Chun said. “Oh, man, the freshmen are hungry ... (they) wanted to be a part of a program where iron sharpens iron. They wanted to be a part of the program regardless if they were the starter or not.”

But, make no mistake, “they want to be the starter.”

That includes Simon, who likely will be battling Blades or Welker for the 180 spot.

“I’m just going to show up every day and give it my best,” Simon said. “It’s super competitive, but it’s super fun. It makes everybody better.”

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