Multi-sport star Libby Dix commits to Iowa women's wrestling

When it comes to the Iowa women’s wrestling program it’s never too late to add another talented team member for the upcoming season.

That notion proved true last July, when Iowa signed a trio of transfers – headlined by superstars Macey Kilty and Kennedy Blades.

Now, almost a year later, it’s happened again – this time by adding one of the best all-around athletes from the state’s high school ranks.

As such – and as of Monday evening – Libby Dix is a Hawkeye.

(IA Wrestle’s Ross Bartachek was first to report the commitment, subsequently confirmed by the Mount Vernon graduate on social media.)

And suddenly, USA Wrestling’s sixth-ranked wrestler in America at 190 pounds is taking her considerable talents to Iowa City.

Here’s what she brings to the back-to-back national team/dual champions.

Better all the time

Continuous improvement.

That’s one of the first themes you’ll notice when diving into Dix’s wrestling career to date.

As a freshman at Mount Vernon, she took fifth in the final Iowa girls state championship event hosted by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA). Her record was 18-5.

A year later, Dix rolled to a 41-2 record – ending her season with a loss in the state finals against soon-to-be Iowa teammate Naomi Simon – the first four-time girls state champion in Iowa history.

As a junior, Dix won the final 29 matches of a 36-1 campaign, including a state title at 190 pounds. She’d repeat that feat in her final high school season – only without a lost this time – going 45-0.

The Mount Vernon star won her final 74 matches in a Mustangs singlet (140-8 overall), including back-to-back state titles.

That – plus her national ranking – was surely enough to put Dix on the radar of most top women’s programs.

And yet, despite her talent/credentials, she was not only originally headed elsewhere for college, but to compete in a different sport altogether.

All-around athlete

Why be a state champion in just one sport when you can become such in two instead?

Who knows if Libby Dix ever asked herself that question, but she sure ‘answered’ it with her actions anyway.

In addition to her wrestling accolades, Dix also placed on four separate trips to the Iowa High School Track & Field Championships. In each instance, she did so in her top event – the discus – placing fifth/third/third from 2022-24.

This past May she put it all together as a senior – winning the Class 3A title with a throw of 148 feet, 10 inches.

Because of that success – along with a third-place finish in the shot put (2024) – Dix initially pledged her college commitment as a thrower to Northern Iowa’s track & field program back in the spring.

But that too was going to have to wait for her full, undivided attention.

Why? Well, it just so happens she’s wrapping up an impressive softball career to boot.

Listed as a first baseman/DH, Dix is a career .275 hitter as a three-year starter for one of the top programs in Class 3A – with whom she made yet another state final appearance back in 2023.

Whether it’s on the mat, in the ring or on the diamond she just seems to excel wherever she competes.

Future fit

The late timing aside, Dix’s commitment to the Iowa program is interesting for several reasons:

1.) Her addition brings Iowa to 31 projected athletes in 2025-26 – one more than the pending roster cap of 30.

Now, amidst the whole saga of the NCAA House settlement there’s been some discussion about grandfathering in certain athletes who may’ve been otherwise abruptly affected by these sweeping changes across collegiate athletics. So, perhaps there’s a bit more wiggle room with the women’s wrestling roster than we realize.

But if not, the Hawkeyes only have a few months to meet this season’s new criteria.

(I’ll be keeping an eye out for anything official.)

2.) When/where might we see Dix make her Iowa debut?

If forced to predict, at present, a redshirt season feels most likely for the Mount Vernon product.

With newly adopted NCAA rules limiting postseason qualifiers to 10 per school, Dix would need to beat out several returning All-Americans to earn a starting spot at either 180 or 207 pounds. And that’s after deciding which weight class best suits her after competing between them (190) as a high school junior/senior.

Four of Iowa’s five options at those weights currently have two or fewer years of eligibility remaining. So, a redshirt could give Dix the opportunity to hit the ground running once things start to clear out a bit.

It could also prove beneficial for Dix’s seasoning in the freestyle discipline – which she’d never even competed in prior to this summer.

(That very same freestyle inexperience is what makes her such an intriguing college prospect.)

With natural athletic gifts aplenty, her ceiling as a wrestler could be incredibly high given the elite, sustained training/coaching she’ll receive at Iowa.

Bottom line, it’ll be fascinating to watch how it all unfolds.