'For Her' mantra to define Iowa women's wrestling's first season as a program

IOWA CITY − On Nov. 4 when members of the Iowa women’s wrestling team step onto the mat for the first time in their Hawkeye singlets, it’ll all be about one mantra.

“For her.”

What does that mean?For Felicity Taylor, an Iowa native who never thought she would have a chance to compete for the Hawkeyes, it means to be the role model for the next generation.

For Bella Mir, a Las Vegas native, she never knew a community could have such a high level of investment and interest in women’s wrestling. Because of that, she heads into the year competing not for herself, but for a multitude of people.

“I want to have a legacy where I was inspiring people and not just doing it for me,” Mir said Wednesday during the Hawkeye women’s first media day.

That selfless attitude comes from an appreciation that they could not have been here without the people who opened the door for this opportunity. Whether that be Title IX pioneer Dr. Christine Grant, a parent or a fellow teammate who pushed them to another gear they didn’t know they even had.

It’s also for the ones who will come after them, the women in Iowa who no longer have to imagine a day when they could wear the Hawkeye singlet. Or maybe it’s just for the ones they compete alongside with.

“For them, it’s a good reminder for themselves and for this program when we can lead with gratitude and know that there's a bigger why than themselves,” Iowa coach Clarissa Chun said Wednesday.

On media day, the buy-in to that philosophy from the coaches and wrestlers was evident.

Here are some other key takeaways from Wednesday as excitement grows for Year 1 of Iowa women’s wrestling:

Anticipation, expectations grow for home opener on Nov. 12 in the Trailblazer Duals

When Iowa natives Taylor and Ella Schmit were asked about their initial reaction when they found out there would be a women’s wrestling program at Iowa, they both smiled wide and had a twinkle in their eyes.

Schmit and Taylor have both wrestled in Carver-Hawkeye Arena before as they wrestled up the prep ranks. Schmit, a Bettendorf native, particularly remembers being a 60-pound girl wrestling in the middle of Carver, thinking that never in a million years would she be able to go back and wrestle for the Hawkeyes.

Schmit, a longtime advocate for girls wrestling to be a sanctioned sport at the high school level, was thrilled with the announcement from the Hawkeyes as a senior in high school.“It was the best day of my life,” Schmit said.

Taylor also badly wanted to don the black and gold of her home-state team, but was pursuing student teaching while wrestling at McKendree. At the time of the announcement, she wasn’t sure if it was going to be in the cards. After her coach departed, she felt the time was right to pursue her dream.“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Taylor said.

After seeing thousands of fans pack Kinnick Stadium for Caitlin Clark and the women’s basketball program this past weekend, it finally started to set in that the season is here and the excitement for women’s sports is at an all-time high.

“It's a moment (the debut of the women’s wrestling program) that thousands and millions of girls across the world have waited for, a moment like this, an opportunity to be able to go to the University of Iowa, become a Hawkeye, get a great education, and be able to represent on the wrestling mat as a female athlete,” Chun said.

With all the excitement, however, comes a target placed right on the center of the team’s back. Iowa, despite never competing in a single dual as a program, already garners expectations of a dynasty like we see with Penn State or Iowa on the men’s side.For good reason, too. In four competitions last year, Iowa wrestlers went 126-22 in the Missouri Valley Open, the Soldier Salute, McKendree’s Bearcat Open and the USA Wrestling women's national championships. In that span, Iowa had 79 technical falls and 24 pins.

This is a team that is expected to be a national title contender, right from the first dual on Nov. 4 at East Stroudsburg. Chun expects her wrestlers to rise to the occasion.

“The reality is, every opposing team is going to want to take down a Hawkeye,” Chun said. “It's no different than the men's wrestling program. You are either for Iowa or not. Our women are up for that challenge.”

Who leads and starts for Iowa this season

Wrestle-offs for the team will take place on Thursday. However, winning your wrestle-off won’t necessarily decide if you start at one of the 10 weight classes for the Hawkeyes. It’s more of an evaluation.“It's a notification for us as a coaching staff to see the process,” Chun said. “For them to go through the process.”

The coaching staff had a tough time saying who has stood out the most or if any freshmen are going to see extensive run.

One interesting thing to monitor is who the vocal leader of this team is. As a program starting from ground zero, Chun doesn’t have someone who’s been in the program for more than a year or two. There’s not a veteran to show a freshman around campus or teach them the ins and outs of a locker room.

Taylor seems to have the inside track on the 143-pound class. A U23 National Champion and a Soldier Salute Champion, the senior said she doesn’t look to necessarily take on the leadership role, but provides a welcoming hand when needed. Kylie Welker may be another. She was credited by Chun for bringing in many of the team’s wrestlers and likely will start as one of the team’s best performers as a former Junior world champion and Senior world team member.

Chun struggled to narrow down which freshmen could contribute right away, but Lilly Luft could be one of them. Chun said what is impressive about Luft is the amount of room for growth she has combined with her drive.

“Lilly, she’s tough as nails and gritty, she goes hard,” Chun said. “She won't back down from anything or anyone, which is awesome.”

Whether she’ll start at 130 pounds over the likes of a fifth-year senior in Alexandra Baudhuin or senior Anakya Besco is unclear, but she likely has a shot.

There’s a lot to be decided during the wrestle-offs and in practice. If one thing is certain, it’s that this team has waited long enough to get on the mat and will be fired up to get started.