Michael Howell | KGAN

AMES — Another Iowa university is adding women’s wrestling. Iowa State announced Thursday the sport will be the school’s 18th sport.

The school recently cut the women’s gymnastics program after the team abruptly canceled the rest of their season this year.

Alli St. John (Ragan) has been tabbed to the first head coach of the new program, which will start play in the 2027-2028 school year.

St. John is a two-time World Wrestling Championships silver medalist and two-time Women’s College national champion at King University in Tennessee.

“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to be the first head coach of women’s wrestling at Iowa State University,” St. John said. “This is a historic moment not only for Iowa State University, but for the sport of wrestling, too. Iowa State has a rich wrestling tradition, and I’m excited to expand that legacy on the women’s side as we work to build a premier program in Ames that produces not only NCAA champions, but World and Olympic champions as well.”

Iowa State also announced former Hawkeye wrestler Brett Metcalf will take over as the head coach of the men’s program. He’s been an assistant there for the past nine seasons.

Metcalf was a two-time national champion wrestling for the Hawkeyes.

“I am excited and honored to be the next Head Wrestling Coach at Iowa State University,” Metcalf said. “None of this would be possible without the vision and mentorship of Kevin Dresser, who for the previous nine seasons has continued to raise the standard of what it means to be a Cyclone wrestler.

Head coach Kevin Dresser will be the Cyclones first-ever Director of Men’s and Women’s Wrestling. He has been the head coach of the Cyclones wrestling team since 2017.

A press release from Iowa State says in this new position, Dresser will, “provide mentorship, leadership and fundraising acumen to both the ISU men’s and newly launched women’s wrestling programs.”