As summer’s end approaches and students prepare for fall classes to begin, our wrestlers are starting to get their books ordered, headgear re-adjusted, and roommates sorted out… There is so much anticipation and excitement coming into every school year, and this year is no different!!
We love the team that’s been assembled this off-season and can’t wait for them to take the mat in three months!! We have so much appreciation for you, our committed fans, generous donors, and friends of our program—without you we couldn’t survive. Everything we do goes towards supporting our athletes’ professional pursuit of becoming World and Olympic Champions.
Next week, several of our coaches and athletes will be traveling to Colorado Springs for their second World & National Team Training Camp. These camps typically consist of a variety of sessions including: video, technique, live, strength, recovery, and motivational. Our athletes will get access to Team USA facilities and a diverse pool of new training partners.
Lester Bowling (77kg) is preparing for the U20 Greco-Roman World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia on August 16 & 17. Bowling is a U20 Pan-Am Champion and took 5th place at the U20 World Championships last year. All his matches can be streamed online at flowrestling.org
Just last week we added a new member to our team — Luke Luffman! Luffman is a four-time academic All-Big Ten honoree and a five-time NCAA qualifier who totaled more than 80 wins wrestling collegiately at the University of Illinois from 2019-2026. As a prep athlete, Luffman won 3 IHSA state titles and was a double-junior national champion in Freestyle and Greco Roman in 2019.
“Luffman was a worthy opponent that we always had to get ready for,” said University of Iowa associate head wrestling coach Terry Brands. “And now he’s in our room and he’s going to make our wrestlers better.”
Luffman joins a senior-level roster that includes HWC athletes Spencer Lee, Austin DeSanto, Stephen Buchanan, Patrick Kennedy, Michael Caliendo, Dean Peterson, and Crew Howard.
Over fifty years supporting Olympic and World medalists means Hawkeye Wrestling Club carries a level of prestige most programs never reach, and our team’s apparel belongs at that same level.
Support Spencer Lee’s journey to the 2026 World Championships by purchasing this versatile and stylish NIKE top that allows you to look and perform your best no matter what you’re doing. Adorned with Red, White, Blue, and GOLD designs for Spencer and Team USA!
Thank you for your support — we can’t do it alone! GO HAWKS!