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A new Cy-Hawk rivalry: Iowa St adds women's wrestling program

by: Tanner Lafever04/16/26TannerLafever

On September 23, 2021, the University of Iowa became the first Power-Five institution to add a varsity women’s wrestling program.

Just over 4.5 years later, it’s set to be joined by another – from just down the road in Ames. And with it, an all-new version of the Cy-Hawk rivalry will become a reality.

That’s right, women’s college wrestling is coming to Iowa State University.

The school made the announcement among a bevy of wrestling moves (men’s and women’s) at a press conference on Thursday morning.

Included among them was the hiring of the program’s first-ever head coach – two-time World silver medalist Alli St. John.

ISU will embark on its inaugural season in 2027-28 – featuring 30 roster spots and 10 total scholarships to allocate.

Women’s wrestling now becomes the 18th varsity sport for the Cyclones – replacing the recently shuttered women’s gymnastics program. And it’ll presumably join a dozen other sports as part of the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series against the Hawkeyes.

The connections to Iowa don’t end there, either.

Black & Gold ties

At present, just six out of 113 varsity NCAA programs currently hail from Division I institutions:

  • Iowa, Lehigh, Delaware State, Lindenwood, Presbyterian and Sacred Heart

Along with Iowa State, Kent State and Mercyhurst (PA) are set to bring that total to nine by the 2027-28 season.

But among the group, the only two Power-Five schools are both from The Hawkeye state.

And given the University of Iowa’s wildly successful three seasons to date, one would imagine the Cyclones will draw upon their easternly neighbors as a guide of sorts for a fledgling women’s program.

One thing is for certain: whether ISU likes it or not, it’s ties to the Hawkeyes are undeniable.

At some point, Alli St. John (formerly Alli Ragan) would’ve rubbed elbows with Hawkeye head coach Clarissa Chun as either athlete/coach through USA Wrestling – for which Chun served as assistant women’s national team coach (2017-21) prior to leading the Iowa program.

St. John also lived/trained in the Iowa City area as a member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club during the late 2010s. Her (new) last name is probably a familiar one to Iowa fans too, taken from her husband, four-time Hawkeye All-American and 2013 NCAA champion Derek St. John – a long-time assistant coach for the Iowa State men’s program.

Derek’s old boss, Kevin Dresser – a 1986 national champ for the Hawkeyes – will now serve as “Director of Men’s and Women’s Wrestling” after a nine-year run as head coach of the Cyclone men.

And his new boss happens to be the biggest Hawkeye legend of the bunch, three-time NCAA finalist and two-time national champion Brent Metcalf – who was elevated into the men’s head coaching position to succeed Dresser.

Like I said, there’s Hawkeye ties everywhere you look.

What it means for the Hawkeyes and the sport of women’s wrestling

While Iowa State could (in time) become the Hawkeyes’ most formidable foe on the women’s scene, don’t make the mistake of thinking those within the Iowa program weren’t thrilled by Thursday’s news.

This has been the goal ever since Iowa’s inaugural roster began to take shape in early 2022.

As much as its athletes/coaches take pride in their trailblazing efforts for the sport, they’ve always yearned for other high-profile programs to do so right alongside them.

Lehigh was a step in that direction when it declared full varsity status last May. And Oklahoma State’s burgeoning club program could be next – if the school would just pull the trigger on its proverbial ‘pistols.’

(Both the Mountain Hawks and Cowgirls traveled to Iowa City for duals this past season.)

Now that Iowa State is firmly in the fold, it’ll only raise the profile and competitive level of the entire sport – including the Hawkeyes.

Part of that profile will undoubtedly be an all-new women’s Cy-Hawk wrestling rivalry.

And you can already count Clarissa Chun among those itching to get it started.

Regarding Thursday’s news, the Hawkeye head coach said the following in a statement provided to IA Wrestle’s Ross Bartachek:

“This is a big step forward for women’s wrestling.”

“I’m excited for young women to have opportunities to get a great education and be a competitive athlete for Iowa State. Cy-Hawk in women’s wrestling is what I looked forward to as we get frenzied with it in all the other sports! I dreamed of it, believing it would happen one day. Keep growing women’s wrestling! Love to see it!”

In the wake of this overwhelmingly positive development for the Cyclones, the entire state of Iowa and women’s wrestling as a whole, the only question remaining is this:

Who’s going to be next?

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