Hawkeyes Crown 6 National Champions and Take Home the Team Title

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The second-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team finished the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Tournament with six champions and 12 All-Americans. The Hawkeyes brought home the team title with 204 total points.

At 101, the Hawkeye pair of No. 1 Emilie Gonzalez and No. 2 Sterling Dias faced off in the championship bout. The two fought all the way to the end, keeping it a close matchup the whole six minutes. In the end, Gonzalez came out on top with a 4-0 decision, earning the first national title for the program.

Second-ranked Ava Bayless followed, also keeping a close match against Lock Haven’s No. 4 Kaelani Shufeldt. The redshirt freshman brought home her first title after defeating Shufeldt via decision, 2-, at 109.

Hawkeyes met again for an all-Iowa finals match at 116, with No. 3 Brianna Gonzalez facing No. 4 Felicity Taylor. With a tough battle back and forth, Taylor capped off her senior season with the title, defeating Gonzalez via decision, 9-2.

At 143, second-ranked Reese Larramendy came out hot in her match against King’s No. 6 Aine Drury, picking up the first pin for Iowa in the finals. After running through the tournament finishing every match with a tech. fall, the redshirt freshman decided to finish her season with a fall in 4:10 over Drury.

Defending National Champion, Marlynne Deede captured her second title, and first as a Hawkeye. At 155, the top-ranked senior took the, 9-3, decision over No. 2 Cheyenne Bowman of King.

With Iowa leading by just .5 points as a team, Kylie Welker took it into her own hands to finish the job at 170. Welker shut the door with an, 11-0, tech. fall over No. 2 Yelena Makoyed of North Central to clinch the national title for both herself and the team.

All six national champions also secured a spot at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials next month at Penn State University.

NOTABLES
• The Hawkeyes earned a total of 497 match points. Grossing 25 tech. falls and 18 pins.
• Iowa captured 8 upsets and 28 ranked victories this tournament.
• Triumphant twins: The Gonzalez twins finished their season with a notable combined record of 41-3.
• Kylie Welker earned the most team points in the tournament (28.5).
• Clarissa Chun was named the 2024 NWCA Coach of the Year.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN
“We’re just getting started. In the sense that, our women just grove together, and get closer with each moment, opportunity, they take that. They know what it means to fight for Iowa, and it’s an honor to work with them.”

RESULTS

101lbs – #2 Sterling Dias, 2nd Place
WIN Emaline Hicks (Simpson), Fall 1:42
WIN #7 Odelia Lopez (Schreiner), Fall 2:48
WIN #3 Madison Avila (North Central), Dec. 3-2
LOSS #1 Emilie Gonzalez (Iowa), Dec. 4-0

101lbs – #1 Emilie Gonzalez, 1st Place
WIN Morgan Beathea (UW Stevens Point), TF 10-0
WIN Gina Bolognese (Simon Fraser), TF 10-0
WIN #8 Avery Kibelbek (King), TF 10-0
WIN #5 Lizette Rodriguez (McKendree), Dec. 6-3
WIN #2 Sterling Dias (Iowa), Dec. 4-0

109lbs – #2 Ava Bayless, 1st Place
WIN #9 Emily Mendez (Adrian), TF 10-0
WIN #7 Isabella Morales (Colorado Mesa), Fall 0:56
WIN #3 Jaslynn Gallegos (North Central), Dec. 5-0
WIN #4 Kaelani Shufeldt (Lock Haven), Dec. 2-1

116lbs – #3 Brianna Gonzalez, 2nd Place
WIN Carleigh Czerneski (Adrian), TF 11-0
WIN Jaia Ashley (Schreiner), Fall 3:14
WIN Abby Nelson (UW Stevens Point), TF 10-0
WIN #2 Sydney Petzinger (North Central), Dec. 10-1
LOSS #4 Felicity Taylor (Iowa), Dec. 9-2

116lbs – #4 Felicity Taylor, 1st Place
WIN Rose Ann Marshall (UW Stevens Point), TF 10-0
WIN Tatiana Walker (Sacred Heart), TF 10-0
WIN #5 Melanie Mendoza (King), Fall 5:47
WIN #1 Samara Chavez (King), Fall 5:58
WIN #3 Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa), Dec. 9-2

123lbs – #10 Ava Rose, DNP
WIN Hannah Suboni-Kaufman (Augustana), TF 10-0
LOSS #4 Virginia Foard (King), TF 10-0
WIN Sandie Pfiel (Augustana), TF 15-4
WIN Jayden Bazemore (Gannon), Dec. 7-4
LOSS #7 Mia Macaluso (East Stroudsburg), Fall 0:52

130lbs – Emily Frost, DNP
LOSS Sara Sterner (North Central), Dec. 6-4
WIN Anna Dicugno (King), Fall 1:26
WIN #5 Marquesis Haintz (Simon Fraser), 2:52
LOSS #8 Kylie Rule (Wartburg), TF 10-0

136lbs – #8 Lilly Luft, 5th Place
WIN Gianna Anaya (Emmanuel), Dec. 5-0
LOSS #1 Yele Aycock (North Central), Dec. 8-0
WIN Angelica Steffy (Mount Olive), Fall 2:10
WIN Holly Beaudoin (Colorado Mesa), TF 10-0
LOSS #6 Viktorya Torres (McKendree), Dec. 6-2
WIN #4 Jade Trolland (Simon Fraser), Dec. 6-2

143lbs – #2 Reese Larramendy, 1st Place
WIN Taylor Cutler (Adrian), TF 10-0
WIN Cloe Charlesworth (Ursinus), TF 12-2
WIN #6 Aine Drury (Elmira), TF 10-0
WIN #7 Maddie Kubicki (Presbyterian), TF 11-0
WIN #6 Aine Drury (King), Fall 4:10

143lbs – #5 Ella Schmit, 7th Place
WIN Sofia Vergara (Emmanuel), TF 10-0
WIN Alessandra Elliot (D’Youville), Fall 1:58
LOSS #6 Aine Drury (King), Fall 2:07
WIN Khadijah Sanusi (Sacred Heart), TF 12-1
LOSS Yasmine Oliveira (King), Fall 0:37
WIN Erica Schroeder (Colorado Mesa), Fall 2:13

155lbs – #6 Bella Mir, 5th Place
WIN #9 Tiera Jimerson (North Central), TF 11-0
WIN Molly Keller (Emory & Henry), TF 10-0
WIN #3 Nina Makem (Augsburg), Dec. 6-2
LOSS #2 Cheyenna Bowman (King), Dec. 6-0
LOSS #4 Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa), Fall 1:58
WIN #7 Madison Sandquist (Sacred Heart), Dec. 3-0

155lbs – #1 Marlynne Deede, 1st Place
WIN Emma Matera (Ursinus), Fall 0:47
WIN Nia Miranda (Mount Olive), Fall 4:55
WIN #8 Alex Hofrichter (Dubuque), TF 11-1
WIN #5 London Houston (North Central), TF 10-0
WIN #2 Cheyenne Bowman (King), Dec. 9-3

170lbs – #1 Kylie Welker, 1st Place
WIN Caylee Collins (Colorado Mesa), Fall 0:28
WIN Sidney Ramos (Tiffin), TF 10-0
WIN Schyler Caringi (Gannon), Fall 1:32
WIN Kami Senlycki (Wartburg), TF 10-0
WIN #2 Yelena Makoyed (North Central), TF 11-0

170lbs – #4 Haley Ward, DNP
LOSS #9 Henlee Haynes (Presbyterian), Fall 2:51
LOSS Katie Gakin (Emory & Henry), Fall 1:32

191lbs – #5 Jaycee Foeller, 2nd Place
WIN Brittney Reed (Emory & Henry), TF 14-4
WIN #10 Ella Beam (Presbyterian), Fall 2:32
WIN #4 Sara Lake (Lindenwood), Dec. 5-1
WIN #1 Traeh Haynes (North Central), Fall 0:42
LOSS #3 Sandra Guerrero (New Jersey City), Fall 2:22