No. 1 Hawkeyes suffer first loss in program history in National Duals semifinals, finish tournament with bronze

CEDAR FALLS — Top-ranked Iowa women’s wrestling has felt invincible for the last two years. Since its inception, the Hawkeyes have won national titles, both individually and as a team.

In the National Duals tournament, after acing the first two rounds of competition, Iowa faced No. 3 North Central College. Just shy of an hour after starting the semifinal dual, the Hawkeyes’ Jaycee Foeller stepped into the circle in a winner-take-all, heavyweight bout.

North Central pulled off the upset, with Daisa Yearby pinning Foeller in the first three-minute period.

And for the first time in program history, the No. 1 Iowa women’s wrestling team lost a dual.

“We fought, they fought, and all we gotta do is move on to the next,” Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun said. “We can’t dwell on what just happened, because it doesn’t help us move forward.”

The Hawkeyes finished National Duals in third, after defeating No. 4 Grand Valley State College, 26-15, in the bronze-medal dual. The loss ended Iowa’s chance to three-peat the National Duals title as well.

The wrestlers have lost before: You can’t compete in the sport and not experience at least one individual loss in your career. But it felt different to lose together.

“They care about each other. They ride the highs and lows together,” Chun said. “That's what is fun about dual tournaments is you're mat-side with your teammates. Duals are special that way, and those memories that they make are important.”

Through the emotions of the first loss — the tears, the shock and disappointment, Chun made sure to meet her team with positivity, knowing the Hawkeyes still had one more dual to compete in.

“A lot of us had our heads down, and just their inspiring words always helps lift our spirits again and again,” Karlee Brooks said. “We're really grateful for them. They're telling us this isn't our end goal, we have more to compete for.”

Brooks only competed in the semifinal and final round, winning both her bouts. Reese Larramendy beat NCC’s Bella Mir, the top-ranked wrestler in the 145-weight class. There were multiple Hawkeyes with back-to-back wins, including Kylie Welker and Kennedy Blades — who helped provide a spark for Iowa when the program was down against NCC in the semifinals.

“That’s the ups and downs of these duals,” Chun said. “You can feel good about those moments even though it hurts in the heart.”

What the Hawkeyes have to remember is that North Central College, Grand Valley State, McKendree and many other programs Iowa didn’t face over the weekend, the Hawkeyes will face again.

It could be at For Her Duals in February, or not until NCAA Nationals in March. Maybe even both, but the opportunity to redeem itself exists in the not-so-distant future for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes may not have defended their title, but Chun’s emphasis on developing her team stood tall through the tears. Instead, Iowa stood tall with bronze, knowing there’s more to compete for.

“I always so coming back and getting third is harder than winning the whole thing,” Welker said. “And I think that’s a testament to our team.”

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