World champion and 2022 top prospect Kylie Welker becomes Iowa women’s wrestling program’s first signee

Another piece to the Iowa women’s wrestling program puzzle has been set into place.

Hawkeyes Coach Clarissa Chun has the first name to officially add to the roster.

Iowa announced Thursday that Kylie Welker, a 2021 Junior World champion and the nation’s top pound-for-pound recruit in the 2022 class, has become the first signee to the women’s wrestling program.

Welker will join the first NCAA Division I women’s wrestling program from a Power-5 conference. She embraces the challenge of building the program.

“It’s definitely cool,” Welker told The Gazette in a phone interview Wednesday night. “I think it’s awesome because it is history in the making. We’re starting something new.

“I’m excited to be a part of that and create a team. That’s definitely exciting, because it’s so new and an opportunity not a lot of female wrestlers have had or will have in the future. Hopefully, it starts something for these other D-I colleges. Hopefully, it opens up new opportunities for other females as well.”

The Hawkeyes locked in a talented competitor. In addition to last year’s Junior Worlds title, she earned bronze at the 2021 U23 World Championships. Welker claimed bronze at the Cadet World Championships in 2019. She was a member of the 2021 U.S. Senior World Team and fell just short of making the U.S. Olympic team in March, losing to Olympic silver medalist Adeline Gray in the finals.

Welker has excelled at every level.

“This is an incredible moment for Kylie, her family and the Iowa wrestling program,” Chun said in a news release. “She is the complete package — competitively, socially, academically — and the perfect ambassador for the university and this program. We continue to make history in Iowa City. The work doesn’t stop for me or for Kylie with this commitment. This is only the beginning for her and Iowa women’s wrestling.”

The relationship between Chun and Welker dates back to the recruit’s middle school days. They traveled overseas together while Chun was still working with USA Wrestling’s women’s freestyle team.

“I love Coach Chun,” Welker said. “We really made a connection. I really like her and the things she has to offer. Definitely, somebody I have a lot of respect for her.

“I know she knows my goals and she’s willing to help me achieve my goals. That is really important to me.”

Welker graduated from Waterford Union High School a week ago. She will train in Iowa City and compete unattached for the 2022-23 season.

She attended Iowa’s men’s dual with Penn State on Friday. The sold-out crowd for the No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup left an impression on her. Welker chose Iowa over training options at regional training centers and even the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“The visit went really well,” Welker said. “I really enjoyed the campus and I got to watch the dual, so it was really awesome.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever been to before. It was crazy. It was very exciting and definitely didn’t disappoint.”