Clarissa Chun

Clarissa Chun was named head coach of the University of Iowa women’s wrestling team on Nov. 18, 2021.

Chun is the first head coach in the history of the program. Iowa announced on Sept. 23, 2021, that it was adding women’s wrestling as an intercollegiate program, becoming the first NCAA Division I, Power Five conference institution to offer the sport.

2024-25

Chun continued her success in the 2024-25 season for the Hawkeyes claiming back-to-back NWCA National Duals titles and NCWWC national titles. The Hawkeyes had three individual national champions, and all 15 national qualifiers earned all-American honors. For the second straight season, the Hawkeyes went undefeated in dual competition going 19-0 during the 2024-25. Iowa outscored its opponents 718-114 in those duals and had 11 wins over ranked opponents. In the program’s two seasons they are 35-0 in duals. The program had 11 NWCA Scholar All-Americans.

Chun was named the 2024 Women's Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. Kennedy Blades, Macey Kilty and Kylie Welker were named finalists for the USA Wrestling’s Women’s College Wrestler of the Year after all going undefeated. Blades took the honor home. Going a combined 80-0, Blades, Kilty and Welker outscored their opponents 693-18 and only eight matches went into the second period. Kilty went 28-0 at 145 pounds with 20 victories via tech. fall. At 160, Blades was 25-0 with 23 tech. falls. and two pins. Welker was 28-0 at 180 pounds and did not surrender a point all season. She had 21 victories by tech. fall and six pins.

The Hawkeyes had all 15 regional participants qualify for the nationals. Iowa claimed the Region VII title, racking up 192 team points. Iowa had 15 student-athletes reach the finals, finishing with champions at all 10 weight classes. On the mat, the Hawkeyes went 43-5, with the five losses being head-to-head matchups in the championship round. Iowa didn’t surrender a single match point through the quarterfinal round.

2023-24

In the Hawkeyes’ inaugural season they went 16-0 in dual competition, captured the 2024 NWCA National Duals title, the NCWWC National Championship, had six individual national champions and 12 All-Americans. Chun was named 2023 Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling, NCWWC and The Open Mat. She was also awarded the 2024 NCWC Trailblazer Award and was USA Today’s Iowa Woman of the Year. Senior Marylnne Deede and sophomore Kylie Welker were named finalists for USA Wrestling’s Woman Wrestler of the Year. Welker was named The Open Mat’s Female Wrestler of the Year.

Iowa hosted the first ever women’s wrestling dual inside of Carver-Hawkeye arena on November 12, 2023 where the world record for attendance at women’s wrestling event was set with 8, 207 fans.

In duals, the Hawkeyes had nine wins over NCAA ranked teams and outscored their opponents 593-108. They had two shutout wins over No. 11 Lindenwood and Missouri Valley College. In their final dual in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, they defeated NAIA National Dual Champions Life University, 35-6.

The Hawkeyes had eight NWCA scholastic All-Americans and three Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2024. The women’s wrestling program was well represented at the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials with eight student-athletes competing.

Chun joins the Iowa women’s wrestling program from USA Wrestling, where she was an assistant coach on the women’s national team from 2017-21. Working on staff with former Hawkeye national champion and women’s national team head coach Terry Steiner, Chun helped lead the United States to 17 World medals, including seven gold, four silver and six bronzes, as well as an Olympic gold, Olympic silver and two Olympic bronzes.

In the United States’ most recent showing at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway, the women’s team won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals, a historic seven-medal performance that led Team USA to a second-place finish.

 

Prior to being hired at USA Wrestling, Chun was among the most accomplished athletes in international wrestling.

A two-time Olympian, she took fifth at the 2008 Beijing Games before earning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, competing at 48 kg. Chun wrestled at five Senior World Championships, which included a gold-medal performance at the 2008 Worlds in Tokyo. She also competed at the 2000, 2009, 2011 and 2012 World Championships.

During her career, Chun won five U.S. Open titles. She was a 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist and won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships. She was a runner-up at four U.S. World Team Trials and three U.S. Opens, in a career which spanned 18 years competing at the Senior level.

Chun competed for Missouri Valley College, where she was a star on one of the pioneer women’s college wrestling team programs. She made the Senior Women’s National Team while still a student at Missouri Valley.

After leaving college, Chun became a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete for many years, but has also trained at Regional Training Centers on college campuses.

Chun has coaching experience at both the international and college levels. She was a member of the men’s wrestling staff at West Virginia University, serving as the program’s Operations Assistant while also training at the Regional Training Center.

Chun was inducted in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in June, 2022. She is one of only four females bestowed Distinguished Member honors. In 2018, Chun was inducted into the Missouri Valley College Hall of Fame, Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame, and Roosevelt High School Hall of Fame.