What Is The Hawkeye Wrestling Club?

Our Mission
a group of people watching a band on stage in front of a crowd
HAWKEYE WRESTLING CLUB History
About Us
Our Mission Goes
Beyond
The Mat

With a relentless pursuit of excellence, Iowa Wrestling has a reputation and tradition unlike any other. Since 1973, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club has played a vital role in the continued success of not only the Iowa Wrestling program, but also our athletes’ quest to become World and Olympic Champions.

What Drives Us
To Be
Champions

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club Exists to promote wrestling in Iowa and America by producing honorable elite level athletes through high level wrestling opportunities.

There are very few who can deny the sense of pride felt when one of our nation’s athletes stands atop the podium on the world stage, with a gold medal draped around his neck. Especially when it’s a homegrown talent from the state of Iowa.

Our
Roster
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Olympic Silver Medalist

2x US Open Champion

Bill Farrell Champion

Pan-American Champion

 

2x Hodge Trophy Winner

3x NCAA Champion

5x NCAA All-American

Spencer Lee

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US Olympic Team Trials Qualifier

4x NCAA All-American

Austin DeSanto

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US Olympic Team Trials Qualifier

 

4x NCAA All-American

4x B1G Champion

Alex Marinelli

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5x NCAA All-American

Jacob Warner

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3x NCAA All-American

Kaleb Young

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4x NCAA All-American

Brandon Sorensen

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4x NCAA All-American

4x Conference Champion

Jayden Eierman

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Height: 5-7

Weight: 174 lbs

University of Iowa, Freshman

Albany, GA

Gabe Arnold

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Height: 5-6

Weight: 125 lbs

University of Iowa, Sophomore

Fort Dodge, IA

Drake Ayala

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Height: 5-11

Weight: 149 lbs

University of Iowa, Freshman

Waverly, IA

Ryder Block

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Height: 5-9

Weight: 174 lbs

University of Iowa, RS Senior

Iowa City, IA

Nelson Brands

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Height: 5-8

Weight: 165 lbs

University of Iowa, Sophomore

Geneva, IL

Michael Caliendo

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Height: 5-8

Weight: 165 lbs

University of Iowa, Sophomore

Putnam Valley, NY

Will Carano

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Height: 5-7

Weight: 125 lbs

University of Iowa, RS Freshman

Fresno, CA

Joey Cruz

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Height: 5-8

Weight: 157 lbs

University of Iowa, Freshman

Burlington, IA

Isaiah Fenton

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Height: 6-2

Weight: 285 lbs

University of Iowa, RS Freshman

Inwood, IA

Easton Fleshman

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Height: 5-6

Weight: 133/141 lbs

University of Iowa, Freshman

Valley City, ND

Koye Grebel

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Height: 5-6

Weight: 133 lbs

University of Iowa, Senior

Layton, UT

Aidan Harris

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Height: 5-8

Weight: 165 lbs

University of Iowa, Junior

Kasson-Mantorville, MN

Patrick Kennedy

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Height: 6-3

Weight: 285 lbs

University of Iowa, Freshman

Iowa City, IA

Ben Kueter

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Height: 5-11

Weight: 285 lbs

University of Iowa, RS Freshman

Solon, IA

Gage Marty

JOIN THE HWC
Inner Circle

Join a community of people who are passionate about Hawkeye Wrestling and help us grow, develop, and craft champions.

The Inner Circle
Benefits

One-Of-A-Kind Wrestling Gear

This is stuff you won’t find anywhere else, from anyone else.

Private Wrestling Fan Forum

Chat with other fans and get engaged in the Hawkeye Wrestling Club community

Insider Access in Iowa Wrestling

Get industry-level insights that will help you train and perfect your game.

Exclusive Hawkeye Wrestling Club Content

Gain access to the content for HWC, made by HWC.

Hawkeye Wrestling Club
The start of
HWC

When Dan Gable came to Iowa City in 1972, he had a vision of excellence that was contagious. He spent time fostering relationships, honing athletes skills, and sharing his passion for wrestling with everyone he interacted with. Athletes, fans, and donors all knew exactly what the Hawkeyes were setting out to do… dominate. 

And they did.

Gable’s teams won everything… dang-near every time. His record as a coach was 355-21-5 between 1976-1997 (21 years). He coached 152 All-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 B1G champions, his teams won 21 straight B1G championships, and 15 NCAA titles.

In order to elevate to the highest levels year-in, and year-out, Gable knew he needed support. So at the very beginning of his coaching career he recruited the best wingman anyone could find – Roy Carver.

HWC & Our Supporters
About Us
Hwc's Greatest
Wingman

Carver was the sole contributor to the University of Iowa wrestling team and the then newly founded Hawkeye Wrestling Club for nearly a decade prior to his death in 1981. Together they build the foundation for the biggest wrestling empire in the United States and arguably the world.

To date, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club has celebrated 17 World Medalists, 6 World Champions, 19 Olympians, 10 Olympic Medalists, and 5 Olympic Champions! Carver’s impact was enormous and is still being felt today by Hawkeye grapplers. 

Over the past 50 years, hundreds of athletes have benefited from Carver’s contributions and Gable’s vision. Two of those athletes were Tom Brands and Terry Brands, the current torch bearers of the University of Iowa Wrestling program and Hawkeye Wrestling Club.

When they took over the program in 2006, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club funds were depleted. With less than $10k in the bank, Tom and Terry set out to leave it better than they found it, in a big way. Not only in the bank, but also on the mat! That hunger to be the best is a catalyst for the Brands’ everyday. Now more than ever, they need your support to be the very best. For the past 17 years, the Brands brothers have coached the Hawkeyes to a 265-25-1 record, 4 NCAA and 6 B1G team titles, crowning 13 NCAA champions, 25 B1G Champions, and 100 All-Americans.

After tireless work by the leadership of our program, the HWC is best positioned to transform athletes’ lives by providing them with the best training environment, coaching, and teammates the world has to offer.

And with you, we will get back to the top of the wrestling world in perpetuity. 

 

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Globally known
Program

The state of Iowa is synonymous with wrestling because of the success the University of Iowa and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club has obtained.

As of 2023, the state of Iowa now has a staggering 71 national team titles between five different divisions and eight different colleges. The University of Iowa leads the way with 24 NCAA D1 National Championships. That’s why we have been coined WRESTLETOWN, USA!

People Behind
The Athletes

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club touches all levels of wrestling and is at the epicenter of developmental impacts in our sport. Our program’s coaching tree extends to every corner of the United States from youth to international programs.

The natural progression for high level athletes is to go into coaching, but not all are as passionate for the sport as our Hawks. Coaching coaches is what our program does… Dan Gable has coached approximately 20 head division one coaches and a countless number of coaches at other levels. Tom Brands is also building a representation for developing aspiring coaches with approximately 15 of his athletes choosing to stay in the sport of wrestling as a viable career path.

Being legitimate on the mat takes a lot of unseen hard work behind the scenes, so does the day-to-day operations of a premier institution like the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. We pride ourselves on being professional and understand the value of running an efficient event and marketing our team to the masses. When we travel, people flock to us because they want to catch a glimpse of what we’re all about.

HWC DONATIONS
Make Your
Donations
Here

Hawkeye wrestling club survives on donations from people like you. With your support we can make the Hawkeye Wrestling Club the best Wrestling Club in the world!

Hawkeye Wrestling Club
News
Copy Of HWC LOCKUP (1)

HWC Newsletters

November 21, 2023

Check out our HWC monthly newsletters.
Copy Of HWC LOCKUP (1)

2023 HWC Rob McReynolds Passion Award

September 20, 2023

2023 HWC Rob McReynolds Passion Award
Copy Of HWC LOCKUP (1)

Spencer Lee and Jacob Warner Join Hawkeye Wrestling Club

April 21, 2023

Hawkeye Wrestling Club welcomes Spencer Lee and and Jacob Warner to the program.