Wetjen, Welker Named December Student-Athletes of the Month

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa student-athletes Kaden Wetjen (football) and Kylie Welker (women’s wrestling) were named December Student-Athletes of the Month, the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee announced on Tuesday.

Wetjen, a senior from Williamsburg, was named the recipient of the Jet Award, recognizing the top return specialist in college football. In his first career start, Wetjen returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, tying the longest kickoff return in school history in the Music City Bowl versus No. 19 Missouri. It was the longest return since 2021, and Wetjen is the fifth Hawkeye to achieve the feat. He also tied the Music City Bowl kickoff return record and set a new Iowa bowl game record with three returns for 151 yards, averaging 50.33 yards per return. He finished the game with 180 all-purpose yards.

Welker, a redshirt sophomore from Franksville, Wisconsin, dominated the month of December, going 14-0 and recording three ranked wins. She finished with 11 technical falls and three pins, ranking No. 1 at 180 lbs for the season. Welker captured titles at the NCC Open title, going 6-0 with two ranked wins, and won the Soldier Salute with another 6-0 performance, highlighted by one ranked victory.