No. 1 Hawkeyes Advance to Semis at National Duals

The top-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team collected wins against 20th-ranked William Jewell and Sacred Heart at the NWCA National Duals on Friday. In total, the Hawkeyes registered five pins and 12 technical falls.

Eli Basler | Iowa Athletics

#1 IOWA VS. #20 WILLIAM JEWELL 
Kicking things off for the Hawkeyes at 103 pounds, Sterling Dias got the 11-0 technical fall over Juliana Alejandro. Second-ranked Nyla Valencia followed, claiming the win at 110 via forfeit. 

At 124 pounds, Isabella Marie Gonzales secured the win over Miyah Palacios with a 10-0 technical fall. Junior Emily Frost followed with a quick pin (1:22) over Shelby Kemp to lock in the win at 131 pounds. Lilly Luft made it back-to-back pins for the Hawkeyes, securing the fall at 138 pounds over Zainab Ibrahim.

At 145 pounds, Cadence Diduch got the win over Mckinzie Ross with an 11-0 technical fall. No. 1-ranked Kennedy Blades kept things rolling for the Hawkeyes with a 10-0 technical fall over Paige Barber at 160 pounds. 

No. 3 ranked Katja Osteen notched the third pin of the dual for the Hawkeyes with her win at 180 over Jianna Chavez. Second-ranked Jaycee Foeller closed out the first dual at 207 with a 45-second, 10-0 technical fall over Desiree Hall. 

#1 IOWA VS. SACRED HEART
Starting off the second dual, No. 1 ranked Valarie Solorio got the pin at 103 in under a minute over Aaliyah Payne-Parris. She was followed by Ava Bayless who got the 10-0 technical fall over Tiffany Stoshak at 110 pounds. 

No. 4 ranked Brianna Gonzalez collected a win at 117 pounds over Tatiana Walker with an 11-0 technical fall. No 5 ranked Cali Leng kept things going for the Hawkeyes at 124 with a 10-0 technical fall over Lauren Nguyen. Another 10-0 technical fall at 131 by Bella Williams over Bella Sowards made it four in a row for the Hawkeyes. 

At 138 pounds, No. 3 Skye Realin secured the pin over Elleahna Anderson. No. 2 ranked Reese Larramendy followed this up with her win over Selena Sifuentes Shal with a 10-0 technical fall. No 1 Kennedy Blades kept the trend going with a 10-0 technical fall over Love Daley at 160 pounds. 

At 180 pounds, Kylie Welker made her season debut a quick one with a 10-0 technical fall over Madeline Hodges. 

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN 
“It’s always good to have Kylie back in the lineup, she brings the energy and experience, and so it’s great to have her back.”

“This is the national duals so you’re going to see top 16 teams in the country, you’re going to see some of the very best that you’re going to face this season, that’s where we are in the season. We still have a couple of months in front of us before the national championships, and there’s always room to grow and learn.”

NOTABLES
– Iowa collected five pins and 12 technical falls
– The Hawkeyes went a combined 18-2 in the two duals
– Scored a combined 79 team points only allowing 8 

RESULTS 
#1 Iowa 40, #20 William Jewell 5
Wt.      Match                                                                                        
103        Sterling Dias (I) over Juliana Alejandro (WJ), TF 11-0
110         Nyla Valencia (I) wins via forfeit.
117         Alexandra Waitsman (WJ) over Harlee Hiller (I), Fall 1:04
124         Isabella Gonzales (I) over Miyah Palacios (WJ), TF 10-0  
131         Emily Frost (I) over Shelby Kemp (WJ), Fall 1:22
138         Lilly Luft (I) over Zainab Ibrahim (WJ), Fall 2:01
145         Cadence Diduch (I) over Mckinzie Ross (WJ), TF 11-0
160         Kennedy Blades over Paige Barber (WJ), TF 10-0 
180         Katja Osteen (I) Over Jianna Chavez (WJ), Fall 1:22
207        Jaycee Foeller(I) over Desiree Hall (WJ), TF 10-0         `

#1 Iowa 39, Sacred Heart 3
Wt.      Match                                                                                          
103        Valarie Solorio (I) over Aaliyah Payne-Parris (SH), Fall 0:54
110         Ava Bayless (I) over Tiffany Stoshak (SH), TF 10-0 
117         Brianna Gonzalez (I) over Tatiana Walker (SH), TF 11-0
124        Cali Leng (I) over Lauren Nguyen (SH), TF 10-0 
131         Bella Williams (I) over Bella Sowards (SH), TF 10-0
138        Skye Realin (I) over Elleahna Anderson (SH), Fall 2:20
145        Reese Larramendy (I) over Selena Sifuentes Shal (SH), TF 10-0 
160        Kennedy Blades (I) over Love Daley (SH), TF 10-0 
180        Kylie Welker  (I) over Madeline Hodges (SH), TF 10-0 
207       Josephine Larson (SH) over Libby Dix (I), Dec 5-2               

UP NEXT
The Hawkeye women’s wrestling team returns for day two of the National Duals on Saturday. Competition begins at 10:30 a.m. (CT).