5 Hawkeyes win Waldorf University Open Titles

FOREST CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa women’s wrestling team crowned five champions at the Waldorf University Open on Saturday. Nine of the 10 Hawkeyes that made the trip to Forest City, Iowa, registered top-three finishes.

At 103 pounds, No. 2 Rianne Murphy took the title. The sophomore opened the competition with a pair of technical falls, before registering a fall in 18 seconds over Iowa Western Community College’s Amara Ehsa in the semifinals. In the finals, Murphy won by a 4-2 decision over redshirt junior Sterling Dias.

Top-ranked Ava Bayless claimed the title at 110 pounds. The redshirt junior started the day with a 4-2 victory over Keana Bush (Grand View). A pair of technical falls followed, earning Bayless a spot in the championship bout. In the finals, Bayless won by decision, 8-0, over Grand View’s Eliana Martinez.

At 124 pounds, Cali Leng won her second open title of the season.  The junior opened the day with a pin (3:30) over Central Methodist University’s Sierra Alamilla. After registering back-to-back technical falls, Leng won be decision in the finals, securing the 5-0 victory over junior Ava Rose.

Emily Frost shined in her season debut, taking home the 131-pound title. Frost opened the day with a 10-0 technical fall over Grand View’s Aremie Steele. The junior registered back-to-back, sub-45 second pins over Teila Peters (Sioux Falls) and Sophie Bowers (Wartburg) to earn a spot in the finals. In the championship match, Frost secured the technical fall (10-0) over freshman Mia Goodwin. It marked the first open title of Frost’s career.

Skye Realin, the ninth-ranked 131-pounder, captured the 138-pound Waldorf Open Title. Realin registered four technical falls and a pin on her way to the title. The senior returned to competition after being injured for a majority of the 2024-25 season.

Three Hawkeyes captured second-place finishes, including Sterling Dias (103), Ava Rose (124), and Mia Goodwin (131). After losing a heartbreaker in her opening bout, freshman Libby Dix battled through the consolation bracket to finish third.

NOTABLES
- Iowa finished the Waldorf University Open with a record of 40-6.
- Three of Iowa’s six losses came in head-to-head matches.
- The Hawkeyes registered 13 pins and 20 technical falls.
- Nine student-athletes registered top-three finishes.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN
“It’s been a great day. It was a fun tournament to see our women compete against both NCAA and NAIA competition and get tested in different ways. I am proud of the way the group made mid-match adjustments and executed what they have each been working on individually.”

UP NEXT
Iowa travels South Carolina for a pair of matchups on Nov. 15-16. Iowa takes on fifth-ranked Presbyterian in the Throwdown on the Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina, on Nov. 15, before heading to the Blue Hose Challenge in Clinton, South Carolina, on Sunday.

RESULTS
103 lbs. – Sterling Dias, 2nd place
WIN Isabelle Apple (Grand View), Dec. 8-3
WIN Kaiya Lopes (Minot State), TF 11-0
WIN Kameyah Young (Iowa Central CC), TF 10-0
WIN Alanis Serrano-Rios (Waldorf), Fall 4:30
LOSS #2 Rianne Murphy, Dec. 4-2

103 lbs. – #2 Rianne Murphy, 1st place
WIN Erica Pastoriza (Iowa Central CC), TF 10-0
WIN Bertha Cabrera (Southeast CC), TF 10-0
WIN Amara Ehsa (Iowa Western CC), Fall 0:18
WIN Sterling Dias (Iowa), Dec. 4-2

110 lbs. – #1 Ava Bayless, 1st place
WIN Keana Bush (Grand View), Dec. 4-2
WIN Aneth Campos (Iowa Central CC), TF 11-0
WIN Mileena Notaro (Southeast CC), TF 10-0
WIN Eliana Martinez (Grand View), Dec. 8-0

124 lbs. – #5 Cali Leng, 1st place
WIN Sierra Alamilla (Central Methodist), Fall 3:30
WIN Isabella Silva (Grand View), TF 15-4
WIN Rosalia Rubio (Iowa Western CC), TF 4:44
WIN Ava Rose (Iowa), Dec. 5-0

124 lbs. – Ava Rose, 2nd place
WIN Karen Goitia-Cortez (Southeast CC), Fall 0:18
WIN Amelia Hermanson (Augsburg), TF 10-0
WIN Amanda Durrant (Waldorf), TF 10-0
WIN Berlin Kiddoo (Central Methodist), Dec. 4-0
LOSS #5 Cali Leng (Iowa), Dec. 5-0

131 lbs. – Emily Frost, 1st place
WIN Aremie Steele (Grand View), TF 10-0
WIN Teila Peters (Sioux Falls), Fall 0:40
WIN Sophie Bowers (Wartburg), Fall 0:44
WIN Mia Goodwin (Iowa), TF 10-0

131 lbs. – Mia Goodwin, 2nd place
WIN Cailyn Whittier (Wartburg), Dec. 14-11
WIN Paige Haaf (Augsburg), TF 10-0
WIN Nora Houglum (Jamestown), Fall 2:22
WIN Jasmine Serrano (Grand View), Dec. 3-1
LOSS Emily Frost (Iowa), TF 10-0

138 lbs. – #9 Skye Realin, 1st place
WIN Germara Guillory (Iowa Central CC), TF 10-0
WIN Lovey Beebe (Minot State), Fall 1:51
WIN Rachel Fode (Wartburg), TF 10-0
WIN Brinley Green-Griffin (Sioux Falls), TF 10-0
WIN Maci Avila (Midland), TF 16-4

138 lbs. – Danni Swihart, DNP
WIN Jordan Buffum (Iowa Central CC), Dec. 15-7
WIN Alexis Pehrson (Wartburg), TF 10-0
LOSS Maci Avila (Midland), Fall 1:34
WIN Dorie Richardson (Central Methodist), Dec. 6-6
LOSS Johanna Steinlicht (Sioux Falls), Fall 9-8

207 lbs. – Libby Dix, 3rd place
LOSS Zoe Adam (Sioux Falls), Dec. 8-5
WIN Madison Robinson (Unattached), Fall 1:11
WIN Zoe Adam (Sioux Falls), Dec. 9-5
WIN Skyler Bruno (Waldorf), TF 10-0

WIN Christina Page (Central Methodist), Fall 0:23
WIN Aniya Herbin (Minot State), Fall 2:56