Iowa Announces Women's Wrestling: Which HS Stars Benefit Most?

Destiny Rodriguez of Oregon. Photo courtesy of USA Wrestling.

by Emma Bruntil, AWW staff writer
Twitter & IG: @Emaaabruntil

The wrestling community was sent into a frenzy on Thursday, September 23rd when the University of Iowa announced its decision to make women’s wrestling the school’s 14th female sport, making Iowa the first Power Five DI school to add the one of the nation's fastest growing high school sports on the market. In a press release from HawkeyeSports.com, Gary Barta, the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair, stated, “Our wrestling history and success makes this a perfect fit. We are confident that at Iowa, our women’s wrestling student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete at the highest level athletically and academically.”

The University of Iowa plans to expand their current wrestling facilities to accommodate a women’s squad, with the Hawkeye women’s team set to make its competitive debut during the 2023-2024 season. This most recent announcement came after the addition of three new female RTC athletes for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club: WCWA Champion and 4x Junior World team member Rachel Watters, 2x Senior world teamer Victoria Francis, and 2021 NAIA champion Jordan Nelson. Now that Iowa has solidified itself as a key player in the women’s wrestling landscape for years to come, the question still remains: Which high school women’s wrestling stars are most likely to benefit from Power Five schools adding women’s wrestling as a new sport? Could we see the likes of Oregon’s Destiny Rodriguez suit up in the black and gold? Or how about 72 kg senior world teamer and current high school P4P #1 Kiley Welker? Here’s an inside look at what wrestlers in the class of 2023 are most likely to take advantage of future DI opportunities.

Destiny Rodriguez

Destiny Rodriguez cemented herself as one of the top recruits in the class of 2023 with her strong performances at both Fargo and Who’s Number One this year. At the Junior Nationals, Rodriguez won what was arguably one of the toughest weight classes in the women’s division when she snagged the 144-pound Junior women’s title. Rodriguez’s path to victory included a 9-7 decision over Junior World Team Trials finalist Katerina Lange of Minnesota. This was a particularly notable win after Lange’s strong showing at the Women’s Nationals in Texas, where she took a match from NCWWC champion Alara Boyd. In the Fargo finals, Rodriguez beat yet another hammer in Wyoming Seminary's Reese Larramendy by a score of 13-3. Two months later, at Flowrestling’s Who’s Number One, Destiny Rodriguez took on a huge challenge in Texas’s Jasmine Robinson, a breakout star who fived her way to double Fargo titles at 152 pounds. The match (aside from one big throw from Robinson) was all Rodriguez, though. The Oregon native controlled the pace on her way to an impressive 11-4 victory. Rodriguez, like several other girls on this list, is from the Pacific Northwest, and could very well stay close to home for her college career should schools like Oregon State, Cal Poly, or Utah Valley add women’s programs. However, in a recent tweet, Rodriguez tagged the University of Iowa and Hawkeye Wrestling in a headshot from Who’s Number One with a caption stating “Let’s talk.” Rodriguez could very well be the Hawkeyes first blue chip commitment, and with her talent she could likely make a big impact on the college level.

Paige Morales

Paige Morales is one of several girls who won double titles at the FargoDome this summer. Morales, a California native, started off her impressive run with a 16U title, beating Kiely Tabaldo 4-0 in the championship bout. In the Junior tournament, Morales won a 16-9 barnburner over Indiana’s Rianne Murphy in the semifinals, before once again besting her California teammate Kiely Tabaldo in an 8-4 victory to claim the Junior crown. At Who’s Number One, Morales took on a Cadet world bronze medalist in Sunnyside’s Audrey Jimenez, a rising star out of the state of Arizona. The pair went back and forth in a match that saw both wrestlers put up big points. Jimenez and Morales both traded step outs early in the first period before Jimenez secured two points on an exposure to lead 3-1. After a wild scramble, Jimenez led 5-3, adding another takedown to extend her lead to 7-3 at the break. Morales fired back with a big throw to tie the score at 7-7, while Jimenez quickly forced a step out for an 8-7 lead. Exposure by Morales and a Jimenez reversal made it 9-9, before Jimenez blocked a throw attempt by Morales to secure the fall at the end of the second period. Morales will be a force to be reckoned with on the next level, and will likely be a perfect fit for 109 pounds. Top California recruits like Morales could easily end up close to home should schools like Bakersfield, Cal Poly, or Arizona State add DI programs. Currently, California natives Pauline Granados, Lizette Rodriguez, and Michelle Camacho have all had success at McKendree University, so it is always a possibility for Morales to follow in her California teammates footsteps and become a Bearcat.

Hanna Errthum

Hanna Errthum is one of the most underrated recruits in the class of 2023. The Wisconsin native had a stellar showing at Fargo this year, with an impressive 8-6 win over Utah’s Esther Han in the semifinals of the Junior women’s tournament. Esther Han recently notched some big wins at the Senior World Team Trials in Lincoln, making Errthum’s win over her even more impressive. Errthum did fall to 2021 Pan American champion London Houston in the Fargo finals, but she had a great tournament nonetheless. At Who’s Number One, Hannah Errthum took on Janida Garcia of California for the top spot at 132 pounds. Garcia jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, and looked to be close to the tech fall before Errthum got her offense going and got a takedown to put herself on the board. Several more exchanges lead to a 10-4 score in favor of Garcia, before Garcia compiled several more takedowns to beat Errthum in an exciting 16-8 battle. The University of Wisconsin, which already boasts three female RTC athletes, could be at the top of Errthum’s list should they add a program by 2023. The University of Minnesota, which shares a border with Wisconsin, is also a consideration.

Rose Cassioppi

Rose Cassioppi may be the most likely girl in all of high school wrestling to end up at the University of Iowa now that they have added a women’s program. Cassioppi’s older brother, Anthony Cassioppi, is a 2-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, and helped Iowa win the school’s first team title since 2010 at NCAA’s last March. Cassioppi had herself quite the year in 2021, finishing runner-up at Women’s Nationals to Wyoming Seminary’s Lillian Freitas. Frietas swept the pair’s finals series in two straight matches, 7-0 and 8-0, respectively. Cassioppi then went on to capture gold at the Pan American Championships in Mexico, the first international win of her young career. A month later in Fargo, Cassioppi beat Stella Steigler of Virginia 11-0 in the semifinals to set up an epic finals match with Texas star Jasmine Robinson. Cassioppi fell to Robinson in an 11-0 technical fall. At Who’s Number One, Cassioppi filled in as a last second replacement for Kylie Welker, taking on Cadet world bronze Lillian Freitas once again. Frietas got the better of Cassioppi, walking away with a 9-3 win. Cassioppi’s upward progression this season is quite impressive, making her one recruit colleges should definitely keep their eyes on. As an Illinois native, Cassioppi could easily find herself at Northwestern or the University of Illinois should they add women’s teams, but if I had to guess, I would say that Rose Cassioppi will follow in her older brother's footsteps and join the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

Shelby Moore

You’d be hard pressed to find any high schooler that had a better 2021 than White River High School junior Shelby Moore. Last April, Moore won not one, but all three divisions at the National High School Recruiting Showcase in Coralville, Iowa. The Washington native cruised to a 16U,18U, and open title at 122 pounds, and an unblemished 15-0 record on the weekend. After a 3rd place finish at Women’s Nationals in May, Moore won both the 16U and Junior divisions at Fargo, icing her dominant run with a 5-1 victory over Junior world team trials finalist Jennifer Soto. Most recently, at FloWrestling’s “Who’s Number One,” Moore took on Cadet world champion Katie Gomez in a battle of #1 ranked wrestlers. The pair’s match, which was the main event on the card, was a thrilling back-and-forth affair that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Gomez jumped out to an early lead with several re-attacks off of Moore’s offense. Gomez then appeared to have the match all but won, before Moore mounted a huge comeback in the second period to put herself within striking distance. In the end, world champion Katie Gomez prevailed, beating Moore with a tight 11-10 win. Currently, there are no DI men’s college programs in the state of Washington, so we will likely see Moore leave the evergreen state for her college career. However, Moore has trained at the Beaver Dam RTC at Oregon State University, which could be an intriguing option for the class of 2023 recruit should they add a women’s team in the next couple of years.

A Note on the Class of 2022…

While this list of athletes is only from the class of 2023, it’s important to consider that the class of 2022, which includes stars such as world champions Kiley Welker and Kennedy Blades, will also be impacted by the addition of DI programs. While some programs (such as Iowa) may not compete until the 2023-2024 season or later, it is likely that we see a wave of this year's high school seniors take grayshirt years. The alternative options would be for athletes like Blades or Welker to compete for a DI university as a club sport, or commit to a university and redshirt until the following season.