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Iowa returns from hiatus for loaded regular season finale weekend

by: Tanner Lafever02/06/26TannerLafever

After what felt like an interminable three-week wait, Iowa women’s wrestling finally returns to the mat this weekend.

Due to schedule quirks, the Hawkeyes haven’t competed since January 18th on Senior Day in Iowa City. And in fact, if you wind the clock back even further the team has only competed on two weekends dating back to December 14th.

(The Christmas break and a weather-related cancellation certainly played an unexpected, unavoidable role.)

Alas, the top-ranked team in America returns in full force this Saturday/Sunday – testing itself at a pair of high-profile events which will also serve as its regular season finale.

My goodness, where has this year gone so quickly?

Up first, Saturday’s Grand View Open – the last of the truly marquee open tournaments before the postseason begins.

There in Des Moines, Iowa joins a field littered with elite NCAA/NAIA talent (and beyond).

A whopping nine top-10 teams are set to compete – with plenty more from the 11-25 range as well. And among a tournament with 420 total entries as of Thursday evening, Iowa will be well represented.

A day later, Sunday’s ‘For Her Duals’ in Coralville provides an equally high-powered dual tournament format for the Hawkeyes to take on.

It’s an ambitious double-dip to be sure – as I’ll detail throughout this preview. But it’s the exact sort of thing the Iowa women’s program has always embraced. And with the extended layoff preceding it, perhaps there’s no better challenge for the present moment than this one.

How to watch

**all times Central Standard**

February 7 (Sat) – @ Grand View Open

  • Des Moines, IA (Johnson Wellness Center and Dave Sisam Arena)
  • Time: 9:00 a.m. start
  • TV/streaming: IA Wrestle/Rokfin (subscription required)

February 8th (Sun) – @ “For Her Duals”

  • Location: Coralville, IA (Xtream Arena)
  • Time: 10:30 a.m. start (final round expected to start at approx. 3:30 p.m.)
  • TV/streaming: B1G+ (subscription required)

You’re going to want to pack a lunch on Saturday – and maybe some snacks, too. After all, the Grand View Open is almost as much of a bear to consume as it is to compete in.

(OK, I might’ve exaggerated slightly.)

Thankfully, IA Wrestle/Rokfin has you covered with mat-to-mat streaming. So, you can attack this beast from the comfort of your own home.

As for Sunday’s ‘For Her Duals’, be prepared to pivot to B1G+ to catch all of the action.

Regarding the format: A pair of four-team pools (one NCAA, one NAIA) will wrestle a round robin amongst themselves, and then the corresponding placers from each pool will face off in one final cross-division matchup.

Iowa’s schedule lays out as follows:

  • #1 Iowa vs Ursinus (PA) – 10:30 a.m. start
  • #1 Iowa vs #17 William Jewell (MO) – approx. 10 minutes after both teams conclude Round One
  • #1 Iowa vs #2 McKendree (IL) – approx. 10 minutes after both teams conclude Round Two
  • #1 Iowa vs TBD – approx. 3:30 p.m. start (cross-division match)

**The Hawkeyes will compete on Mat 1 for all three duals during pool play**

What to watch for – Grand View Open

24 Hawkeyes will test their mettle against all comers (including one another) in Des Moines this Saturday.

For some of them, it’ll be part of a final tune-up weekend before the postseason begins. For others, it’ll be their last opportunity to don the Black & Gold until next winter. And for fewer still, these could be the final matches of their college career(s).

Iowa’s two-dozen entries – including Naomi Simon (not listed above, but competing unattached) – feature every likely/potential postseason starter except for Brianna Gonzalez and Kennedy Blades.

Eight of those Hawkeyes hold current national rankings. Added to the rest of a stupidly deep/talented field, they could help to amass as many as 82(!) total top-10-ranked wrestlers from the NCAA/NAIA ranks in one regular season tournament.

So yeah, buckle up folks.

But forgetting about the external competition for a moment, some of the greatest intrigue is regarding Iowa’s yet-to-be-determined postseason lineup.

Several starters appear all but certain – i.e. Reese Larramendy, Kennedy Blades, Kylie Welker, etc. However, a few weights could conceivably be secured and/or challenged for with one last impressive performance – especially in an NCAA-like tournament setting.

I’ll have a close eye on #5 Jaycee Foeller and Katja Osteen at 207 pounds.

The latter remains undefeated this season, and recently defeated Foeller, 7-0 at the Mike Duroe Invite.

Meanwhile, given Iowa’s embarrassment of riches at 103, I’ll be engrossed in every plausible outcome until a final decision comes down from Clarissa Chun.

Just writing those words seems almost unfair to frontrunner Val Solorio – the #1 ranked wrestler in the country, who sports an undefeated record vs. collegiate competition this season.

But hey, that’s what comes with being a Hawkeye, I suppose.

What to watch for – ‘For Her Duals’

Turning the page to Sunday, one’s attention can’t help but gaze toward Iowa’s last two matchups of the inaugural ‘For Her Duals.’

The Hawkeyes should take care of Ursinus (PA) and #17 William Jewell (MO) with ease – setting the stage for a must-see finish.

The first (guaranteed) confrontation will feature number one versus number two – Iowa versus McKendree (IL).

These two teams barely missed facing one another at the National Duals in early January. That same weekend, both also lost in upset fashion to #3 North Central (IL).

Both teams have ranked wrestlers at all 10 weights – the ‘lowest’ of whom is #7 Cali Leng at 124.

In fact, more than half (11/20) of their combined lineups are ranked either #1 or #2 in the country.

We don’t know whether all of them will be available and/or tabbed to wrestle on Sunday, of course. But still – these are just ridiculous statistics.

(And both teams have an abundance of high-level ‘alternatives’ as well.)

Presumably, whomever wins between the Hawkeyes and Bearcats will top the NCAA pool – and as such, draw the victor from the NAIA side of this eight-team event.

That NAIA half will feature its own must-see slugfests.

#1 Life University (GA) is the favorite, having won four of the past five National Duals titles. But #5 William Penn (IA) could roll out multiple Olympians as part of its own high-powered lineup.

Meanwhile, #8 Indiana Tech and #13 Ottawa (KS) are no slouches themselves.

A familiar foil to the Hawkeyes in recent years, Life has six top-ranked wrestlers in the latest NAIA poll.

Ashley Flavin’s program has shown no backdown in previous meetings with Iowa. And I’d love to see how the 2025-26 versions of these two championship programs match up.

Short time

Look, I’ve got another thousand words worth of notes jotted down for the weekend ahead.

(Seriously.)

But I’ll do all of us a favor by cutting things off here – and instead offering this:

Do not miss out on these next two days of Iowa women’s wrestling if at all possible.

The matchups (both team and individual) should really be that good all weekend long.

And I’ll have coverage of it all – both on social media and in recap form – as well as boots on the ground in Coralville for Sunday’s action.

Until then, I hope your excitement is at or rises to a comparable level to my own – in which case, rest up. Because once this train starts rolling on Saturday morning it’s full speed ahead for the next 30 hours (give or take).

Fortunately, we’ve been training for this all season long, right?

March is almost here, and we’re in peak condition to consume every ounce of awesome wrestling at our fingertips.

So, here’s hoping I can do my job to make it even more accessible/digestible for you good folks out there.

As always, thank you for following along and I’ll talk to you again real soon.

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