Iowa sending 18 to Spokane for Women's National Championships
Barely a month after its final competition of the college season, Iowa women’s wrestling returns to the mat this weekend.
Reason being – the 2026 USA Wrestling Women’s National Championships have arrived.
Staged at ‘The Podium’ in Spokane, Washington, this annual event features everything from 8U to U23 Nationals over the span of four days (April 9-12).
It also includes age-level World Team Trials for the U17 and U20 divisions.
For the purposes of Iowa fans, attention should be primarily trained upon U20s and U23s – within which 13 current Hawkeyes and five incoming freshmen are registered to compete.
Of those 18 total wrestlers, eight have previously made an age-level World team in their careers – including U20 World medalists Everest Leydecker (2025 gold) and Naomi Simon (2024 bronze).
Make no mistake, this event (and the US Open later this month) is an extension of Iowa’s season. And it’s been on the minds of these Hawkeyes ever since last year’s edition concluded.
Some will look to continue their momentum from the college schedule. To others it represents an anticipated championship event for those who may not have made Iowa’s postseason lineup.
As for the younger Hawkeyes in the fold – especially current/incoming freshmen – it can be a springboard/breakout opportunity with the Iowa coaching staff either in their corner or watching attentively from mat side.
Oh yeah, and the competition will feature most of the very best college/high school wrestlers from around the country.
Point being – you don’t want to miss out on this.
So, here’s everything to be on the lookout for.
Meet the team
I mentioned 18 Hawkeyes are registered across the U20/U23 divisions. However, there are 21 total entries thanks to a trio of athletes doubling up across both divisions.
Class of 2026 signees Carley Ceshker (62 kilograms) and Everest Leydecker (55/57kg) could be in action all four days (Thursday through Sunday). Meanwhile, freshman Bella Williams is listed at 59kg for U20s and 65kgs for U23s.
(That 6kg disparity for Williams strikes me as a bit odd, but for now I’ll take it at face value.)
Here’s the full list of Iowa wrestlers/recruits registered to compete:
*denotes incoming freshman
U20 Division
- 50kg – Rianne Murphy, *Madison Nieuwenhuis
- 53kg – Isabella Gonzales, Harlee Hiller, *Taylor Whiting
- 55kg – *Everest Leydecker
- 57kg – Karlee Brooks, Mia Goodwin
- 62kg – *Carley Ceshker, Bella Williams
- 65kg – Cadence Diduch
- 68 kg – *Nora Akpan
- 76kg – Naomi Simon
U23 Division
- 53kg – Ava Bayless
- 55kg – Cali Leng, Ava Rose
- 57kg – *Everest Leydecker
- 59kg – Emily Frost
- 62kg – *Carley Ceshker, Skye Realin
- 65kg – Bella Williams
From this list, each of Rianne Murphy, Isabella Gonzales, Everest Leydecker (twice), Karlee Brooks, and Bella Williams have previously won this event to make a U17 World team.
Leydecker has also done so in the U20 division, as have Cadence Diduch and Naomi Simon (twice).
Skye Realin is the lone Iowa entry to have made a previous U23 World team – though it should be noted that winning ‘U23 Nationals’ this weekend doesn’t automatically guarantee one’s spot.
(If a U23-eligible athlete finishes in the top three at the Senior World Team Trials later this spring, they’ll have first dibs on the U23 World team spot at their weight.)
How to watch
**All times Central Standard**
April 9-12 – @ 2026 USA Wrestling Women’s National Championships
- Location: Spokane, Washington (The Podium)
- Time: All Day
- TV/Streaming: FloWrestling
- Brackets/Results/Mat Assignments/etc: USA Bracketing
- Additional event details available HERE
Thursday, April 9
Session I: 4:30 – 9:45 p.m.
- U20 Preliminaries & Consolations
Friday, April 10
Session II: 12:00 – 3:30 p.m.
- U20 Quarterfinals through Championship Finals (& Consolations)
Saturday, April 11
Session IV: 12:00 – 4:30 p.m.
- U23 Preliminaries & Consolations
Session V: 5:30 – 10:00 p.m.
- U23 Championship Rounds & Consolations
Sunday, April 12
Session VI: 12:00 – 3:30 p.m.
- U23 Semifinals through Championship Finals (& Consolations)
What to watch for – past medalists seek return to World stage
Of the two Hawkeyes who’ve previously made (and medaled for) World teams, neither competed in an Iowa singlet this season.
Naomi Simon spent the year in redshirt after an All-American finish (third) in 2025 as a true freshman. But despite limited official competition for the Decorah native, she’s been preparing for this tournament all along.
The goal? To go back-to-back-to-back as Team USA’s rep at 76kg.
In both 2024 and 2025, Simon bonus’d her way to titles at the uppermost weight class. And two years ago, she parlayed her spot on Team USA into a World bronze medal.
To make a third consecutive team, she’ll have to navigate what I believe to be her toughest field yet.
Then again, nobody she wrestles this weekend is going to be anywhere near as good as who she trains with in the Iowa room every day (cough, cough, Kylie Welker).
Meanwhile, Iowa’s other World medalist in attendance – number one pound-for-pound high school prospect Everest Leydecker – has yet to officially don the Black & Gold singlet.
But when the reigning U20 World champion does arrive in Iowa City this summer, she’ll do so with similar expectations to those of Welker and Kennedy Blades before her.
Leydecker has already proven herself to be among the world’s best – regardless of age – and will be a heavy favorite this weekend.
But her brackets (both U20 and U23) certainly won’t lack talented competition, either. Among them will be multiple NCAA/NCWWC finalists, plus a potential rematch against fellow high school superstar Epenesa Elison – the other half of an awesome bout staged at Who’s Number One last October:
What to watch for – twice as nice
I mentioned these names already, but in addition to Leydecker/Simon another half-dozen Hawkeyes have made age-level World teams for the Stars & Stripes.
And each of them would love to become a two-time member this weekend.
At 50kg, Rianne Murphy finds herself in arguably the deepest weight of U20s – featuring at least three past World medalists and an abundance of collegiate/high school talent.
The junior-to-be is 54-11 during her Iowa career (including 34 pins). She’ll also face the added challenge of bumping up 7.2 pounds from her collegiate weight class (103) to compete at 50kg.
Up at 53kg, Isabella Gonzales is one of the young Hawkeyes who could turn heads after an inconsistent, yet tantalizing freshman season.
She’ll compete ~7.2 pounds below her college weight class (124) – the same 53kg at which she placed sixth a year ago and first in the U17 division circa 2024.
I view Gonzales as an equal championship threat to just about anyone in the field. That said, she may have to navigate several Iowa teammates to get there – including fellow freshman Harlee Hiller (fourth at 53kg in 2025) and incoming recruit Taylor Whiting (third in 2025).
Yet another Hawkeye making a move from her collegiate weight is Karlee Brooks. Competing at 57kg – 5.34 pounds below her All-American weight (131) from last month – one could easily categorize the sophomore as a favorite and/or co-favorite this weekend.
The key will be consistency and her ability to avoid some of the untimely lapses that cost her at times this season – which concluded with a seventh-place finish at NCAAs.
Moving on to Bella Williams, the freshman was a U20 and U23 runner up in 2025 (both at 59kg). This year, she takes on a field at 62kg headlined by returning World teamer Haylie Jaffe.
The two-time All-American from McKendree defeated Iowa’s Lilly Luft in last year’s best-of-three final.
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Williams will close her weekend with U23s in the 65kg bracket – a weight at which she made the U17 World team back in 2024.
Next up is Cadence Diduch – who’s looking to make yet another deep run at this event.
Each of the past two years, the Illinois native has found herself in nailbiting, best-of-three U20 finals.
In 2024, Diduch came back after dropping match one to win the championship at 62kg.
Last year, the results were reversed up at 65kg – where she’s entered again this weekend.
As for the field, Diduch (and everyone else) will be searching for a way to overcome high school phenom Taina Fernandez – a two-time U17 World champion and the crown jewel of the 2027 recruiting class.
Last but not least, we jump to the U23 division for Skye Realin.
Two years ago, prior to her transfer to Iowa, Realin won U23 Nationals at 59kg.
Now up at 62kg, the graduating senior will be among what was already a stacked bracket prior to Senior World teamer Adaugo Nwachukwu joining the fray.
What to watch for – the rest of the collegiate contingent
Six more wrestlers from Iowa’s 2025-26 roster will take the mat in Spokane.
The one with the most promising title hopes could be Harlee Hiller (53kg) – fresh off a 26-7 freshman season in which she tied for the team lead with 14 falls.
Hiller finished fourth at U20s last year, including a dramatic late pin of Isabella Gonzales – whom she may very well match wits with again this weekend.
Also at U20s, Mia Goodwin (57kg) will look to improve upon her 1-2 performance from a year ago.
As for the remaining U23 entries, Ava Bayless headlines the bunch at a new weight (53kg) compared to her 50kg runner-up finish last April.
Even if she’d stayed down, the 2024 NCWWC champion was going to face a loaded field. That said, 53kg features the biggest ‘boss’ of all – 2025 Senior World teamer Cristelle Rodriguez.
Both Cali Leng and Ava Rose are registered at 55kg. Last year (as U20 entries) Leng placed eighth at 57kg while Rose DNP’d (going 2-2) at the weight they’ll both contest this weekend.
Emily Frost rounds out the U23 crew at 59kg.
The soon-to-be senior placed fourth/fourth/fifth from 2023-25 in the U20 division and now makes her U23 debut following a 20-3 collegiate season during which her only losses came against Iowa teammates Karlee Brooks and Bella Williams.
What to watch for – freshmen forays
Along with Leydecker, every member of Iowa’s high-powered 2026 recruiting class will be on display this weekend.
Madison Nieuwenhuis (50kg) placed third/fourth at the two most recent editions of this event (both at 46kg in the U17 division). She joins soon-to-be teammate Rianne Murphy in ‘bumping up’ to the lightest (and perhaps toughest) U20 weight class.
Meanwhile, friend – and future roommate – Taylor Whiting (53kg) was third a year ago at U20s.
She returns to the same division/weight class looking to step even higher up the podium and could be a championship contender alongside current Hawkeyes Isabella Gonzales and Harlee Hiller.
At 62kg, Carley Ceshker will pull U20/U23 double duty – with her best chance at a deep run likely coming at the former.
The Wisconsinite has placed at all four of her previous trips to the Women’s National Championships. To date, U17 runner-up honors in 2023 (to Leydecker) remains her high-water mark.
And finally, Nora Akpan (68kg) rounds out the crew – competing two weight classes (13.2 pounds) above last year’s eighth-place effort.
Akpan remains relatively new to the national stage (especially at this weight range), so I’ll be interested to see how the late-blooming prospect fares out in Spokane.
Short time
With the transfer portal in full effect for the past week or so, it’s not like I need to convince folks that any semblance of an ‘offseason’ for Iowa wrestling has pretty much come and gone.
But if you needed further reinforcement, consider Women’s Nationals to be your official notice.
For the next two-plus months, a whole bunch of past/present/future Hawkeyes will be involved in an equally abundant number of high-profile freestyle tournaments around the country/world.
And just like this weekend, I’ll have coverage of it all here at Hawkeye Report.
So, buckle up and enjoy the ride. And be sure to keep tabs both here and on social media for the latest news/updates on the Iowa men’s and women’s programs.
Freestyle season is officially upon us, and I can’t wait to get started!
