Iowa women’s wrestlers Cassioppi/Ward enter transfer portal

A pair of Iowa women’s wrestlers have entered the transfer portal.

First reported by FloWrestling, Rose Cassioppi and Haley Ward confirmed the news on Tuesday evening via their social media.

Now, it appears the second-year Hawkeyes will take their college careers elsewhere.

Between them, the duo amassed a combined record of 40-11 – including 33 bonus-point victories and one postseason appearance.

They’re also the first Hawkeyes to announce their intention to transfer since the 2024-25 season ended 39 days ago.

Here’s a breakdown of what head coach Clarissa Chun is set to lose with their departure(s), plus the potential ramifications on the overall Iowa roster moving forward.

Rose Cassioppi

An immediately familiar name to Iowa fans thanks to her older brother – Tony, a four-time All-American – Rose Cassioppi wrestled a grand total of 18 matches as a Hawkeye (going 12-6).

That number was zero during her first year in Iowa City.

Cassioppi redshirted in 2023-24 after entering college as the #14 rated pound-for-pound recruit in America (#2 at 164 pounds).

Instead, the Roscoe, IL native qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Trials thanks to a fifth-place finish at Senior Nationals. Unfortunately, she never got to realize that dream (alongside her brother) due to a concussion suffered in the leadup.

Still, her pedigree and accolades made Cassioppi a source of strong interest entering her debut collegiate season at 160 pounds.

After a solid start, more adversity struck as a shoulder injury caused the redshirt freshman to miss two months of competition from December through January. And a last-minute return was not enough to earn her a spot in Iowa’s 15-woman postseason lineup.

Rose Cassioppi ends her Iowa career undefeated (1-0) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena thanks to this 10-0 win last November. (Photo Credit: Alyssa Skala, Iowa Athletics)

“So grateful to have been apart of this team and so excited for what the future holds,” said Cassioppi to the news of her transfer.

Wherever she ends up next, she’ll have three years of NCAA eligibility remaining to compete.

Haley Ward

A fellow member of Iowa’s 2023 recruiting class, Haley Ward (#3 at 164 pounds) was ranked just behind Cassioppi.

But unlike her teammate, Ward – a 2023 U20 World team trials finalist – took the mat right away for the Hawkeyes.

Not only that, but she thrived.

In each of her first 26 victories competing at 170 pounds, Ward either bonus’d or shut out her opponents – many of whom carried national rankings.

That stellar run earned the freshman the #4 overall seed at the national tournament, behind, as it turns out, a trio of current/future national champions – including fellow Hawkeye Kylie Welker.

Haley Ward did lots of winning during the 2023-24 season – including a Soldier Salute title. (Photo Credit: University of Iowa Athletics)

The end of the season was somewhat anticlimactic for the Buckner, MO native, however.

Ward went 0-2 at the national tournament – albeit while donning a heavy wrap on her left arm.

That last part is notable, as it turned out Ward would medically redshirt in Year Two at Iowa because of her injury.

Now, she too (also with three years of eligibility remaining) will head elsewhere to conclude her college career, leaving behind a 28-5 career record as a Hawkeye.

“On to new things – all love for my Iowa teammates,” said Ward in an Instagram story.

One thing’s for certain; her next destination is getting an excellent wrestler.

Iowa’s path ahead

Let’s be clear, it’s never a positive to lose quality athletes to the transfer portal.

But as it pertains to Iowa, the Hawkeyes are fortunate to have some decent options left at 160/180 pounds.

For instance, returning undefeated national champions (and World/Olympic medalists) Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker aren’t a bad place to start.

Both Blades/Welker have two years of eligibility remaining. And even had Cassioppi/Ward stuck around it was unlikely (to say the least) that either of the latter duo would’ve supplanted either of former as Iowa’s number one option in the lineup.

That’s doubly true when it comes to 180, as Naomi Simon remains on the Iowa roster as well.

Simon – a 2024 U20 World bronze medalist who took third at NCWWCs last month (losing only to Welker) – shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, 10 days ago she pinned her way through U20 World team trials to make Team USA yet again.

There may be no better ‘back up’ option in the country than Simon – who’ll be just a sophomore next season.

At present, Iowa doesn’t have another natural fit behind Blades at 160, so depth there is a (mild) concern.

The Hawkeyes could address it internally – perhaps with someone like Ella Schmit bumping up in weight class. Or they may look elsewhere for a completely new face.

With the Cassioppi/Ward departure(s), Iowa now projects to have 28 wrestlers on its 2025-26 roster – two below the impending 30-athlete limit. Therefore, a flexibility suddenly exists for it to add talent from the high school/transfer pool if it so desires.

It would hardly surprise if they did exactly that at some point between now and the fall semester.

One thing you can count on is that if/when anything happens, we’ll have it all covered here at Hawkeye Report.

The post Iowa women’s wrestlers Cassioppi/Ward enter transfer portal appeared first on On3.