Tag: Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling

Dynasty Starter: Iowa Women’s Wrestling wins 2024 NWCA Duals National Championship

The dynasty is officially underway! The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s wrestling team has won the 2024 NWCA Duals National Championship.

Somebody get the pen and ink ready to start writing the story of another Iowa Hawkeyes dynasty because it is officially underway. The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s wrestling team has won the 2024 NWCA Duals National Championship.

In Iowa fashion, the ladies rolled to a title this year with a regular season that was complete and utter dominance in the way to be expected by Iowa wrestling.

On the year, the Hawkeyes went a perfect 9-0 on the year in duals. They ran through the NWCA Championships in dominant fashion with wins over Adrian College, Presbyterian, King University, and North Central College.

Up next for the Hawkeyes is the Iowa Duals on Jan. 21 in Iowa City followed by the Indiana Tech Warrior Duals on Jan. 26 and 27.

Things continue for the women when the NCWWC Regionals get underway on Feb. 23 and 24 which lead into the NCWWC National Championships on March 8 and 9.

This appears to be just the beginning for the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s wrestling team as a dynasty is ready to get underway and be built into a national powerhouse. The support is there, the talent is undeniable, and things are off to a start that while expected, could not be going any better.

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How to watch No. 2 Iowa wrestling at the 2023 Soldier Salute

Want to watch #Hawkeyes wrestling compete against the best in the country? The two-day 2023 Soldier Salute tournament will be streamed live on B1G+.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Friday, Dec. 29, and Saturday, Dec. 30 at the 2023 Soldier Salute, headlined by the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes. 

The second annual Soldier Salute, set to take place at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the Intermat’s top 30 including No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Missouri, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 Minnesota, No. 13 South Dakota State, No. 15 Navy, No. 16 Oregon State, No. 25 Northern Iowa and No. 27 North Carolina. The women’s team from Iowa is also set to compete.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Iowa wrestling in the 2023 Soldier Salute” link=”https://bit.ly/SoldierSession3″]

The tournament is hosted by the Iowa City Area Sports Commission and 100% of the annual tournament proceeds will be split between the United Service Organizations (USO) and a development fund targeted towards the continued growth of high school girls wrestling.

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. Individual mat cameras will be available for all four sessions of the Soldier Salute. All action will be airing on B1G+.

Soldier Salute Schedule

Date Session Time (E.T) How to watch
Fri, Dec. 29 Session 1 11 a.m. Watch Session 1
Fri, Dec. 29 Session 2 4:30 p.m. Watch Session 2
Sat, Dec. 30 Session 3 12 p.m. Watch Session 3
Sat, Dec. 30 Session 4 6 p.m. Watch Session 4

Last year the Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling team finished second in the NCAA to fellow Big Ten foe Penn State. They last won the national championship in 2021. Earlier this year, Iowa extended its win streak over No. 5 Iowa State to 18 in an epic dual.

[afflinkbutton text=”Stream Iowa wrestling in the 2023 Soldier Salute on B1G+” link=”https://bit.ly/SoldierSession3″]

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3-points takedown college wrestling rule change ignites social media

Takedowns in college wrestling are now worth 3 points instead of 2. Twitter reacted to this massive change in the sport.

It’s late in the match. The score is deadlocked 1-1 between two fantastic grapplers. Neither is giving the other an inch or an in. This is high-level collegiate wrestling.

Suddenly, late in the third period, the hometown wrestler swoops in for a single leg. After a long struggle, he finally gets the better of his opponent. The jubilated crowd becomes unglued and responds with a roar, “THREE!”

Sounds a little bit weird doesn’t it?

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel oversaw a massive change to the sport this past week. Takedowns will now be worth three points instead of the traditional two points. The Panel explained in the official release that the new rules will reward offensive actions and help eliminate a lot of the passive stalling we see today.

Members of the Wrestling Rules Committee, which proposed the change, agreed that increasing the scoring for takedowns by an additional point will enhance the sport by rewarding offensive actions and risk-taking.

The committee also agreed there was a need to create a more appropriate point differential between takedowns and escapes and incentivize offense when competitors are in the neutral position. – NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, NCAA.com.

The explanation does make sense. A lot of times in big matches you will see both sides pretty much come to a stalemate, neither side wanting to potentially give the other an opening. While some see this as the true strategy and mental game behind wrestling, other observers will criticize the lack of any action. If one wrestler deliberately doesn’t do much of anything, that’s stalling. However, if both competitors do, well, that’s strategic!

As you would expect, this new rule change caused ripples throughout the collegiate wrestling community. As expected, fans are extremely split on the decision and voiced their opinions on social media. Here are the best reactions to a massive change in college wrestling.

Spencer Lee is a Hawkeye legend, a look at his best moments with the Hawkeyes

Spencer Lee is among the greatest to ever do it at Iowa regardless of the sport. Here are some of his best moments with the Hawkeyes.

Regardless of the sport, Spencer Lee has more than a strong foundation to be arguably the best, most-decorated, all-time athlete to ever be a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes program.

Lee’s list of accomplishments is long: undefeated at home inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a two-time Big Ten champion, a three-time NCAA champion, a two-time Junior World champion, a US National Champion, and No. 1 ranking through nearly all of his collegiate career at the 125-pound weight class.

An elite mentality is part of what makes Lee so phenomenal. Lee famously won the 2021 NCAA championship with both of his ACLs torn, just an incredible feat that shows his toughness and grit to go get something he has worked so hard for.

As Lee eyes this season’s Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships, let’s take a moment to look at some of the best photos of Lee’s time as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes.