I won\u2019t lie, was I able to catch up on some sleep these past few weeks without another imminent Iowa women\u2019s wrestling event on the calendar? Sure.<\/p>\n
But was my life really<\/em> any better for a few extra hours of shut-eye? I kind of doubt it.<\/p>\n And that makes the timing of this weekend\u2019s 2025 USMC Women\u2019s National Championships all the better.<\/p>\n Jump back into the sport less than a month after the college season ended? Check.<\/p>\n Do so with one of the single best\/most competitive events that the sport has to offer? EVEN BIGGER CHECK.<\/p>\n 19 current\/incoming Hawkeyes will take the mat in Spokane, Washington over the next three days. All of them will have their sights set on making Team USA \u2013 some for the first time, others looking to continue the habit.<\/p>\n Here’s who is heading to Spokane! <\/p>\n U23 competition begins on Friday followed by U20 getting underway on Saturday. #Hawkeyes<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/knxLvuGmf5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Iowa Women’s Wrestling (@IowaW_Wrestling) April 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n *Ella Schmit will compete at 68kg in the U23 division. Incoming freshmen Isabella Gonzalez (53kg) and Samantha Sachs (59kg) will contest U20\u2019s.<\/p>\n And they\u2019ll have to compete against the best young wrestlers in the country in order to make it happen.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s get right to it \u2013 starting with why this event is so awesome.<\/p>\n This weekend\u2019s festivities will determine national champions and World team spots across numerous age divisions.<\/p>\n At the youngest levels, girls 8-14 will look to stamp themselves as the best in the United States.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the U15 division will establish Team USA representatives for the Pan-American Championships to be held next month in Guatemala.<\/p>\n Stepping up to U17\u2019s, the winner of each weight class earns the right to represent the United States on the (U17) World Championships stage later this summer in Athens, Greece.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s the two elder-most divisions (U20\/U23) that hold the most immediate interest for the Iowa women\u2019s wrestling program.<\/p>\n Just like with U17\u2019s \u2013 win your weight at U20\u2019s and a World Championships spot is yours.<\/p>\n In 2025, that means an August trip to Sofia, Bulgaria. A year ago, the locale was Pontevedra, Spain \u2013 where four different Iowa women repped the Stars and Stripes<\/a>.<\/p>\n As for the U23 division, the ultimate prize of the U23 World Championships awaits in Novi Sad, Serbia (Oct. 20-26).<\/p>\n A title this weekend puts a wrestler in the catbird seat for one of those 10 spots. However, they could be supplanted if a different<\/em> age-eligible wrestler places in the top three at Senior World Team Trials in May (16-18).<\/p>\n A year ago, 2\/3 Iowa U23 World teamers claimed their spots via a similar procedure \u2013 both (Macey Kilty and Kylie Welker) went on to medal at Worlds<\/a>.<\/p>\n Something similar could ultimately happen in 2025, especially as it pertains to Welker and Kennedy Blades \u2013 neither of whom will compete at U23\u2019s this weekend.<\/p>\n *Of note, the two finalists for each weight\/division will wrestle a best-of-three series to determine a Women\u2019s Nationals champion.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered the mechanics of the process, let\u2019s get into what makes the actual competition so tough.<\/p>\n Per USA Wrestling<\/a>, the event is already set to be the biggest and<\/em> best in its history:<\/p>\n Screenshot courtesy of USA Wrestling<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of those numerous, highly credentialed entries, nearly 41 percent span the U20 (493) and U23 divisions (269).<\/p>\n And of that subset, a whole lot of them are Hawkeyes who\u2019ve excelled on big stages before \u2013 including this one:<\/p>\n Previous World Team Members<\/strong><\/p>\n U20 entries<\/span><\/p>\n Rianne Murphy (U17 \u2013 2023)<\/p>\n Isabella Marie Gonzales (U17 \u2013 2024) *incoming freshman<\/p>\n Karlee Brooks (U17 \u2013 2023)<\/p>\n Cadence Diduch (U20 \u2013 2024)<\/p>\n Naomi Simon (U20 \u2013 2024 bronze)<\/p>\n U23 entries<\/span><\/p>\n Sterling Dias (U17 \u2013 2018 bronze, 2019 silver)<\/p>\n Brianna Gonzalez (U20 \u2013 2024)<\/p>\n Reese Larramendy (U20 \u2013 2022\/2024)<\/p>\n Nearly half (eight) of Iowa\u2019s 19 entries have won this tournament at some age level \u2013 a few on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n Two others \u2013 Val Solorio (2022 U17 runner up) and Ella Schmit (2023-24 U20 runner up) have previously reached the best-of-three final.<\/p>\n Another four Hawkeyes \u2013 Rose Cassioppi, Emily Frost, Lilly Luft and Samantha Sachs \u2013 have finished fourth or better.<\/p>\n And two more \u2013 Ava Bayless and Emilie Gonzalez \u2013 were collegiate national champions as recently as a year ago.<\/p>\n That\u2019s 16\/19 Iowa entries who\u2019ve competed\/won on high-profile stages much like, if not identical to the one they\u2019ll step onto in Spokane.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a good thing too, because as we dive deeper into several of the challenging paths ahead of these Hawkeyes, they\u2019re going to need every bit of their experience\/talent to come out on top this weekend.<\/p>\n Four different (current) Hawkeyes who prevailed a year ago at Women\u2019s Nationals<\/a> will look to back it up in 2025.<\/p>\n Two \u2013 Brianna Gonzalez (53kg) and Reese Larramendy (65kg) \u2013 had already competed in the Black & Gold before those titles. A year later, they\u2019ll jump from the U20 to U23 division and look to have similar success.<\/p>\n For Gonzalez, a measure of redemption could be at play after a disappointing fifth-place NCCWC finish last month.<\/p>\n Last April, she teched Clare Booe twice to prevail 2-to-1 in their U20 final series. But Booe reversed the result in their first college meeting \u2013 winning 3-2 in the NCWWC semifinals.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Booe\u2019s opponent in that NCWWC final \u2013 2025 champ Sydney Petzinger (North Central) \u2013 is zero for her last three against Gonzalez, including two blowouts and a wild comeback win for the Hawkeye during January\u2019s National Duals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other contenders could be previous age-level World teamer Elena Ivaldi and multi-time college All-American Kendra Ryan (North Central).<\/p>\n Gonzalez defeated Ivaldi (10-0) a year ago at the Last Chance Olympic Trials qualifier. Ryan has competed at 110 pounds\/50kg over the past few years, so it\u2019ll be interesting how she adjusts to the bump up in weight class (~6.5 pounds to 53kg).<\/p>\n Conversely, 65kg seems like a pretty cut and dry two-horse race.<\/p>\n Current Hawkeye Reese Larramendy seeks her third World team in the past four years. Former Hawkeye Bella Mir (now of North Central) seeks her second since 2023.<\/p>\n These two met in the semifinals at NCWWC\u2019s last month \u2013 a 6-3 win for Mir, albeit a bout that turned on a four-point sequence in which Larramendy appeared to stop wrestling after hearing a whistle from an adjacent mat.<\/p>\n Regardless, it\u2019d be fascinating to see who garners the edge in a potential best-of-three series between the former Iowa teammates.<\/p>\n With the caveat that anything \u2013 even crazy things \u2013 can happen in the sport of wrestling, I\u2019d be shocked if Naomi Simon doesn\u2019t roll through the U20 division at 76kg this weekend.<\/p>\n Why? Well, because she just did so a year ago \u2013 winning all six matches via bonus points \u2013 and this year\u2019s field appears<\/em> less difficult.<\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s possible that someone surprises, perhaps from the high school level. But at present, I think Kalila Schrive (Menlo) represents Simon\u2019s stiffest competition.<\/p>\n They wrestled in last year\u2019s best-of-three final at the very same weight class in the very same venue\/division. Simon won by technical fall in both matches \u2013 14-3 and 12-0.<\/p>\n Not to put the cart before the horse, but I think this weekend could be just the start of a stellar summer for the reigning U20 World bronze medalist. But before the 18-year-old takes on the rest of the world, she\u2019ll need to be the best in America first.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there\u2019s a bit more unknown for Iowa\u2019s last returning U20 World teamer \u2013 Cadence Diduch.<\/p>\n This time a year ago, she fought her way through a gnarly bracket at 62kg to earn a spot on Team USA. Now, she\u2019ll try to do so at a new weight class (65kg).<\/p>\n The second element was a bit of a surprise to see given that Diduch competed at 138 pounds (~62.6kg) during her freshman season at Iowa.<\/p>\n That said, variables of a bump up in weight aside, 65kg looks like<\/em> an easier path than 62kg.<\/p>\n The most credentialed opponent in the field besides Diduch is North Central\u2019s Sydney Perry \u2013 a fellow true freshman from Illinois.<\/p>\n Perry took fifth at U17 Worlds back in 2022 and was seventh at 145 pounds (~65.8kg) last month at NCWWC\u2019s.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve talked a lot about returning Hawkeyes, but this weekend also provides a great introduction to a pair of newcomers.<\/p>\n Iowa\u2019s 2025 recruiting class currently sits at just two athletes, but both are mighty and both will be in action in Spokane.<\/p>\n Isabella Marie Gonzales \u2013 ranked #3 in the country regardless of age\/weight class<\/a> \u2013 is a returning U17 World teamer. And after nearly reaching the World final last summer (ultimately finishing fifth), she faces a new challenge in the U20 division.<\/p>\n Wrestling at 53kg, she\u2019ll have a who\u2019s who of high school stars littered throughout the bracket. But the top contenders may be two names we\u2019ve already mentioned \u2013 Clare Booe and Elena Ivaldi.<\/p>\n Both Booe and Ivaldi will also compete in the U23 division, which starts on Friday and ends Saturday around lunchtime.<\/p>\n How might they respond for U20\u2019s (Saturday afternoon\/evening and Sunday morning)? And whether they\u2019re fresh or not, is Gonzales ready to surpass her elder foes either way?<\/p>\n Elsewhere this weekend, Iowa\u2019s other<\/em> California \u2018cruit goes for her first World team amidst a stacked 59kg field.<\/p>\n Samantha Sachs finished fourth and fifth in her past two forays at Women\u2019s Nationals. But in a 10-month span that\u2019s already seen her win her first-ever Fargo and California high school state title(s) perhaps she\u2019s ready to cap it with her crowning achievement to date.<\/p>\n In contention will be a pair of current Hawkeyes (more on them in a bit) plus a pair of fellow high school seniors with whom Sachs (ranked #10 pound-for-pound and #3 at 130 pounds<\/a>) is battling for preeminent prep standing.<\/p>\n One of those \u2013 #1 (at 130) Aubre Krazer \u2013 reached the final at this same U20 weight a year ago. The other \u2013 #2 Bella Williams \u2013 was a U17 champ at 65kg.<\/p>\n Iowa has multiple wrestlers competing in several brackets this weekend.<\/p>\n I just mentioned 59kg in the U20 division. There, Hawkeyes Karlee Brooks and Emily Frost will both have something to say about who reps Team USA.<\/p>\n Brooks was a U17 World teamer just two years ago (defeating teammate-to-be Isabella Gonzales for the spot). She took fourth last April, with her only contested loss coming in the semifinals to the eventual U20 World champion.<\/p>\n Now, after an injury\/illness plagued freshman season she gets a fresh opportunity to perform like her usual free-flowing, point-scoring self.<\/p>\n She\u2019ll have to navigate some of the aforementioned high school talent, plus fellow Hawkeye Emily Frost \u2013 fourth at this weight in both 2023\/24.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, 50kg is preposterous everywhere you look.<\/p>\n In the U20 division, no fewer than four past age-level World medalists are present. So too, are numerous other young stars who\u2019ve proven themselves on the prep\/collegiate scenes.<\/p>\n At the top of the list? 2024 Olympic Trials runner up Audrey Jimenez.<\/p>\n That\u2019s who Iowa\u2019s Rianne Murphy and Val Solorio will have to contend with in a bracket the could have some truly bonkers matchups as early as the Round of 16, if not even sooner.<\/p>\n U23\u2019s won\u2019t be nearly as crowded from an outside standpoint \u2013 though returning champion Heather Crull, U20 third-placer Julianna Ocampo and 2024 NCWWC runner up Kaelani Shufeldt all present significant threats.<\/p>\n But Iowa will flood the field with three athletes of its own \u2013 Ava Bayless, Sterling Dias and Emilie Gonzalez.<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t shock if any member of the trio emerged victorious, though Dias (last year\u2019s runner up) has the added challenge of bumping up seven pounds from her collegiate weight class.<\/p>\n At 57kg (U20), Cali Leng (seventh at NCWWC\u2019s) and freshman Mia Goodwin have their work cut out for them as well.<\/p>\n The theme amongst Iowa\u2019s four remaining entries is (hopefully) a return to form and\/or from injury.<\/p>\n Both Lilly Luft (fifth at 136 pounds) and Ella Schmit (seventh at 143) were All-Americans for the Hawkeyes in 2024. Both have also had success in and around that time when it comes to Women\u2019s Nationals.<\/p>\n Luft took fourth at 62kg (U20) two years ago. Schmit reached the 65kg (U20) best-of-three finals in both 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n This past college season, both endured two-plus-month gaps in competition \u2013 Luft in particular due to several difficult injuries. Neither wrestled for Iowa at NCWWC\u2019s.<\/p>\n If <\/em>either is full-go this weekend a berth in the finals would not stun me.<\/p>\n For Luft (62kg \u2013 U20), NCWWC finalist \u2013 and 2023 U17 bronze medalist \u2013 Haylie Jaffe presents a tall task wherever they may meet in the bracket. But beyond Jaffe, no one else jumps out as insurmountable if Luft\u2019s near her best.<\/p>\n Whereas for Schmit, 68kg in the U23 division could have as many as 8-9 title threats \u2013 including the Bettendorf native.<\/p>\n Another Hawkeye who missed two-plus months this past season was Rose Cassioppi.<\/p>\n In 2023, Cassioppi was flying high during the summer with a third-place U20 finish and a runner-up US Open (senior division) finish to boot. She wasn\u2019t nearly as fortunate in 2024, missing out on Olympic Trials \u2013 which she\u2019d qualified for \u2013 due to a concussion.<\/p>\n If she\u2019s in form, Cassioppi fits right alongside a couple tough collegians in the smaller U23 field at 72kg. All of them, however, will be chasing reigning U20 World champ Jasmine Robinson.<\/p>\n And last but not least, Ava Rose (55kg \u2013 U20) makes what I believe will be her Women\u2019s Nationals debut.<\/p>\n The junior-to-be finished one win shy of NCWWC All-American honors in 2024 but slipped to a record of 10-11 this season.<\/p>\n Your entire tournament viewing experience this weekend will be available via FloWrestling<\/a>.<\/p>\n By the looks of it, there\u2019ll be a 14-mat setup in Spokane, and let me tell you \u2013 boy are you going to need it.<\/p>\n (Or at least I am as someone locked into this event for three straight days.)<\/p>\n As you can see from the schedule below, it\u2019s long hours and lots of matches<\/em> when it comes to Women\u2019s Nationals.<\/p>\n You\u2019re definitely going to want snacks and a source of hydration at the ready.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll probably need to utilize the multi-screen feature in order to catch every match in real time.<\/p>\n (Flo does archive every individual bout, in case you miss something.)<\/p>\n And if any\/all of that fails, you\u2019ll still have me covering things from start to finish \u2013 both here on the site and on my social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Friday, April 4th<\/strong><\/p>\n 12:00 p.m. \u2013 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n (U23) Preliminaries, Quarterfinals and Consolations<\/p>\n 5:30 p.m. \u2013 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n (U23) Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Consolations<\/p>\n Saturday, April 5th<\/strong><\/p>\n 12:00 p.m. \u2013 3:00 p.m.<\/p>\n (U23) Best-of-three Championship Finals + 3rd\/5th\/7th place matches<\/p>\n 4:00 p.m. \u2013 10:00 p.m.<\/p>\n (U20) Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Consolations<\/p>\n Sunday, April 6th<\/strong><\/p>\n 12:00 p.m. \u2013 3:00 p.m.<\/p>\n (U20) Best-of-three Championship Finals, Consolations, Consolation-Semis + 3rd\/5th\/7th place matches<\/p>\n Alright, you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n Shoot, let me rephrase that \u2013 we\u2019re ready<\/em>.<\/p>\n Not that any of our own preparedness for this weekend measures up whatsoever to that of the 19 Hawkeyes set to compete in Spokane, but hey, we can try.<\/p>\n I mentioned it during the introduction, but it truly is great to get back to another big-time wrestling event \u2013 especially for the Iowa women.<\/p>\n One month was more than enough time for me to recharge the batteries post-NCWWC\u2019s. Now I\u2019m raring to go for spring\/summer ahead.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping you guys out there are ready to scratch that same itch.<\/p>\n I highly encourage you to follow along with Women\u2019s Nationals however you can. There\u2019s no better showcase than this to watch the best young women\u2019s wrestling talent in America.<\/p>\n And if your head isn\u2019t totally spinning from consuming the current\/incoming Hawkeyes, you might want to peek around elsewhere, too.<\/p>\n Because be it U23\u2019s, U20\u2019s or especially U17\u2019s, not only is there a ton of great wrestling going on, but you\u2019ll more than likely catch a glimpse of the future of Iowa women\u2019s wrestling as well \u2013 whether you know it yet or not.<\/p>\n The post 19 Hawkeyes head to Women\u2019s Nationals for U20\/U23 Trials<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I won\u2019t lie, was I able to catch up on some sleep these past few…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is Women\u2019s Nationals?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A loaded field<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Returning champs (new division)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Returning champs (same division)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The newbies (incl. one returning champ)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Seeing double (or more)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Returning to form<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to watch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Short time<\/strong><\/h2>\n