A trio of northeast Iowa natives will be hitting the wrestling mats in major tournaments this weekend.
The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) get underway Friday (03.08) and continue Saturday (03.09) in Cedar Rapids, with Charles City’s Lilly Luft seeded 8th in what’s considered a wide-open field at 136 pounds. Luft, completing her first season with the University of Iowa women’s wrestling team as a true-freshman, gets a first-round bye.
Also wrestling for the Hawkeyes is fifth-year senior Felicity Taylor of Spillville and South Winneshiek High School. Taylor is the fourth-seed and also gets a first-round bye. She is a three-time NCWWC finalist.
Coming into this year’s nationals, the top two favorites to win the team title are No. 1 North Central College and No. 2 Iowa.
Earlier this season, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics recommended making women’s wrestling an official championship sport, with the first official NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships to be held in 2026.
On the men’s side of wrestling, Minnesota’s Michael Blockhus, Cresco native and New Hampton High School graduate, is the second-seed at 157 pounds for the Big Ten Tournament Saturday and Sunday hosted by Maryland. The sixth-year senior finished as the conference runner-up at 149-pounds last year
