A dose of nostalgia: Hawkeyes take on Grand View on Iowa PBS

A staple of Iowa’s wrestling’s past returns on Thursday night – albeit with a slight twist on tradition.

The occasion? An intrastate clash between elite programs.

I’m talking about NCAA #1 Iowa (4-0) vs NAIA #2 Grand View (2-1) – not only a great matchup but quite possibly the most accessible event of the year for anyone hoping to tune in from within state borders (or far beyond them).

That’s because Thursday’s dual will be broadcast on both Iowa PBS (formerly Iowa Public Television) and for free on the Iowa PBS YouTube account.

(A 30-second trailer for the event can be seen here.)

Long-time wrestling fans from this state may be feeling a bit nostalgic at the mention of IPTV (Iowa Public Television), once the medium through which so many consumed the sport.

Beginning in the 1970s, IPTV built a steadily growing and eventually renowned product thanks to its airing of the Iowa High School State Championships and coverage of collegiate programs across the state – including Iowa, Iowa State, Drake and Northern Iowa.

Per FloWrestling’s Kyle Klingman – thanks to conversation with long-time IPTV voice Tim Johnson:

“Nationwide taping distribution began in the late 1980s (including) dozens of meets per year in the late 80s and 90s.”

And while wrestling’s run on IPTV slowed to an eventual stop in 2012 – thanks to the advent of the Big Ten Network, among other factors – it was undoubtedly the introduction (especially to college wrestling) for so many people who still love and consume the sport to this day.

That’s why Thursday night is so cool. And it’s perhaps fitting that women’s wrestling – which has injected incredible momentum into the overall sport in recent years – is responsible for bringing the Hawkeyes back onto the (now) Iowa PBS stage.

And with that history in mind, let’s dive into an awesome dual between two great teams!

How to watch

December 11 (Thursday) – @ #2 Grand View (NAIA)

• Location: Waukee, IA (Waukee Northwest HS)
• Time: 8:15 p.m.
• TV: Iowa PBS
• Streaming: Iowa PBS YouTube

Another fun element of this dual is that it follows an ‘undercard’ featuring a one-versus-two girls high school matchup.

Preceding the Hawkeyes and Vikings at Waukee Northwest High School will be #1 Raccoon River vs #2 Ankeny. And one would bet the athletes from Class 2A’s top ranked teams will stick around afterwards to get an up-close look at where they may be hoping their future wrestling endeavors will take them.

Meet the Vikings

In the latest NAIA Coaches Ratings (which will be updated the same day as this dual), a total of 12 Grand View wrestlers make an appearance:

• 103 – #2 Judy Sandoval*, #18 Isabelle Apple
• 110 – #7 Tristan Nitta*, #9 Eliana Martinez
• 117 – #3 Mayangelie Colon*, #4 Cailin Campbell
• 124 – #2 Catharine Campbell*, #5 Maya Davis*
• 138 – #12 Adrienna Turner
• 145 – #13 Haidyn Snyder
• 160 – #10 Kami Senlycki
• 180 – #7 Nicole Olson

*Denotes returning All-American

That depth/talent reflects a program that earned runner-up honors at both the NAIA National Tournament and National Duals in 2024-25.

So far this season, Iowa has had just five crossover matchups against the dozen Vikings listed above.

Both Sterling Dias (8-3) and Val Solorio (12-4) own decision victories over #18 Isabelle Apple. And at 110, Ava Bayless has yet to allow a point through two matches against #9 Eliana Martinez (8-0 and 11-0).

The lone Hawkeye defeat came from reserve 138-pounder Danni Swihart, who fell 15-7 to #12 Adrienna Turner on opening weekend.

Taking care of business

Even against a quality foe like Grand View, the top-ranked Hawkeyes will be sizable favorites once again.

We’ve already seen Iowa flex its collective muscle in similar situations this season.

The first came against #6 Presbyterian (35-9) about a month ago. And this past weekend, both #5 Colorado Mesa (36-8) and Oklahoma State (39-4) succumbed to a Black & Gold onslaught.

This week’s team-provided match notes did not include probable starters for the Hawkeyes. So, it’s not yet clear whom Clarissa Chun will have at her disposal against the Vikings.

But so long as it’s a representative Iowa squad, expect the visitors to pull away with a comfortable victory – and then immediately turn their attention toward Sunday’s loaded North Central College Invitational.

(I’ll have more on that later this week.)

Short time

Per usual, I’ll have you covered with real time updates on social media throughout Thursday’s dual.

And if you stay up late or wake early the following morning (or anytime really) feel free to pop on over to Hawkeye Report for my recap of all the action.

Hopefully – at least to those of whom it directly applied – you enjoyed the trip down memory lane regarding IPTV’s relationship with the sport of wrestling.

But regardless of whether Thursday’s broadcast tugs on your heart strings or not, it’ll still be an awesome matchup in what I’d imagine will be a pretty cool environment at Waukee Northwest High School.

I know I’m excited to tune in – and equally pumped to write about the evening that was once it’s all over.

Thanks, as always, for reading. And I’ll talk to you again real soon.