The No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes welcomed the No. 9 Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Otterbein Cardinals for Senior Appreciation Night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
The Hawkeyes kicked off the evening facing the No. 9 Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the initial dual. At 103 pounds, Iowa’s Sterling Dias secured a decisive win over Lehigh’s Hattie Mack by technical fall. However, Lehigh responded with their first victory, as No. 5 Audrey Jimenez earned a technical fall against Iowa’s Ava Bayless.
Iowa quickly regained momentum with an impressive upset at 117 pounds, where freshman Harlee Hiller pinned No. 7 Abigail Cooper in just 2:37. Following that, No. 7 Cali Leng recorded a technical fall over Lehigh’s Alexa Cilliotta. Lehigh struck back with a big upset as No. 3 Aubre Krazer defeated Iowa’s No. 1 Karlee Brooks.
Despite this, the Hawkeyes dominated the remainder of the dual, shutting out the Mountain Hawks as the final matches ended in technical falls and pins. Iowa sealed the dual with a convincing 37-7 victory.
In the final dual of the night, the Hawkeyes squared off against the Otterbein Cardinals. Riding the momentum from their earlier success, Iowa dominated once again, winning all ten matches and cruising to a 42-1 finish.
From 103 to 160 pounds, every Iowa wrestler earned a technical fall over their Otterbein opponent. The dual concluded with No. 1 ranked Kylie Welker at 180 pounds receiving a forfeit victory, followed by Katja Osteen pinning Otterbein’s Marvet Hejazin in just 30 seconds.
At the conclusion of the action, the Hawkeyes honored five seniors: Ella Schmit, Ava Bayless, Skye Realin, Katja Osteen, and Sam Calkins, celebrating their contributions to the program.
Looking ahead, Iowa is set to travel to Albany, New York, for the Journeyman College Duals on Saturday, January 24, 2026, with competition beginning at 12:45 PM CST.
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