Notes: NWCA National Duals

THIS WEEK
The top-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team returns to the mat this weekend, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships. Competition begins at 2:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday.   

FOLLOW ALONG
- The NWCA National Duals will be streamed live on FloWrestling.
- Bouts begin at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Friday and continue at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.  Links to the live stream and live stats can be found on the Iowa women’s wrestling schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.

MAKING THE TRIP
Twenty Hawkeyes will make the trip to Cedar Falls. They include: Sterling Dias (103), Valarie Solorio (103), Ava Bayless (110), Nyla Valencia (110), Brianna Gonzalez (117), Harlee Hiller (117), Isabella Marie Gonzales (124), Cali Leng (124), Karlee Brooks (131), Emily Frost (131), Bella Williams (131), Lilly Luft (138), Skye Realin (138), Cadence Diduch (145), Reese Larramendy (145), Kennedy Blades (160), Katja Osteen (180), Kylie Welker (180), Libby Dix (207), and Jaycee Foeller (207).

NWCA NATIONAL DUALS FORMAT
Sixteen teams will head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to compete for the NWCA National Duals Championship crown.  Iowa is the No. 1 seed and will face off against 20th-ranked William Jewell in the opening round. The remaining top-eight seeds include: No. 2 McKendree, No. 3 Grand Valley State, No. 4 North Central, No. 5 King, No. 6 Presbyterian, No. 7 Colorado Mesa, and No. 8 Fort Hays State.

NATIONAL DUALS HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are back-to-back NWCA National Duals Champions. Last year, Iowa downed Aurora (35-10), eighth-seeded Wartburg (42-1), fourth-seeded McKendree University (33-11), and second-seeded North Central College (28-13) en route to the title.

In 2024, Iowa defeated Adrian College (49-1), seventh-seeded Presbyterian (39-4), third-seeded King University (31-8), and top-seeded North Central College (21-20) to win its first ever National Duals crown.

IN THE RANKINGS
- Iowa is ranked No. 1 nationally in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll.
- The Hawkeyes have a ranked wrestler in all 10 weight classes.
- Three Hawkeyes are ranked No. 1 in their weight class. Valarie Solorio is the No. 1 wrestler at 103 pounds. Karlee Brooks is ranked No. 1 at 131 pounds, and Kennedy Blades is the top-ranked wrestler at 160.
- No. 2 Nyla Valencia, No. 4 Brianna Gonzalez, No. 5 Cali Leng, No. 3 Skye Realin, No. 2 Reese Larramendy, No. 3 Katja Osteen, and No. 2 Jaycee Foeller round out the rankings for the Hawkeyes.

OSTEEN’S BIG DAY
Katja Osteen tore through the 180-pound bracket at the North Central College Invitational on Dec. 14. The senior defeated four ranked opponents on her way to the title, including No. 8 Isabella Phillips (Gannon), No. 5 Mia Gaetjens (Adrian College), No. 6 Abbie Miles (Northern Michigan), and No. 3 Shenita Lawson (North Central). Following her dominating performance, Osteen is ranked No. 3 nationally at 180 pounds.

OPEN CHAMPIONS
Twelve different Hawkeyes have claimed a total of 18 open titles this season. Senior Skye Realin leads the team with three titles (Waldorf, Blue Hose, Missouri Valley Open).

Four Hawkeyes have two titles on the season. They include: Valarie Solorio (Luther Hill, Blue Hose), Cali Leng (Luther Hill, Waldorf), Karlee Brooks (Luther Hill, Missouri Valley), and Reese Larramendy (Blue Hose, Missouri Valley).

SKYE’S THE LIMIT
Skye Realin entered the national rankings on Dec. 5. She is the No. 3 wrestler at 138 pounds. The senior is a perfect 16-0 on the season, including a win over then third-ranked Carina Giangeruso of Presbyterian. Realin has captured three open championships this season, including the Waldorf University Open, the Blue Hose Challenge, and the Missouri Valley Open.

A FORCE AT 145
Reese Larramendy is the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 145 pounds. This season, Larramendy is a perfect 14-0. Ten of her 14 victories have come via technical falls. The junior is outscoring her opponents 126-4.

VALENCIA RETURNS
Nyla Valencia entered the 110-pound rankings on Dec. 5. The junior is the No. 2 wrestler at 110 pounds. This season, she is 11-1 with ranked wins over No. 3 Chloe Dearwester (Presbyterian), No. 1 Ava Bayless (Iowa), No. 7 Trinity Pendergrass (Quincy), and No. 9 Adriana Gomez (Colorado Mesa). Valencia’s only loss of the season came to Gabriele Tedesco (Dec. 4-3) who is now the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 110. Valencia is outscoring her opponents 71-4.

UNDEFEATED ON THE MAT
The Hawkeyes are undefeated in dual competition. In the program’s three seasons, the Hawkeyes are 40-0 in duals. In their first season, the Hawkeyes were a perfect 16-0. Last year, Iowa finished the year 19-0. This season, Iowa is 5-0 in dual competition.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
Iowa returns 11 All-Americans from the 2024-25 season, including Ava Bayless, Kennedy Blades, Sterling Dias, Jaycee Foeller, Brianna Gonzalez, Emilie Gonzalez, Reese Larramendy, Cali Leng, Rianna Murphy, Naomi Simon, and Kylie Welker.

The roster boasts one three-time All-American (Jaycee Foeller; ‘22, ‘24-25) and seven two-time All-Americans: Bayless (‘24-25), Dias (‘24-25), Brianna Gonzalez (‘24-25), Emilie Gonzalez (‘24-25), Larramendy (‘24-25), Katja Osteen (‘22-23), and Welker (‘24-25). Six Hawkeyes have earned the distinction once: Blades (‘25), Leng (‘25), Lilly Luft (‘24), Murphy (‘25), Ella Schmit (‘24), and Simon (‘25).

NCAA SPORT
The 2025-26 season marks the first year of women’s wrestling as an NCAA championship sport. The first NCAA women’s wrestling championship is set for March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. It will include teams from Division I, Division II and Division III.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to the mat next weekend, traveling to the CK Mike Duroe Invitational in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, on Jan. 17, before hosting Lehigh and Otterbein in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 18.