WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2025
This is a huge month, full of wrestling action! High school state tournaments across the country, the last three home duals for our Hawkeyes, the first UWW (United World Wrestling) rankings series tournament AND to close out the month – a SUPER MATCH between Spencer Lee & Masanosuke Ono – right here in WRESTLETOWN, USA!
Like you, we love wrestling and the positive impacts it has on so many lives. We are so appreciative of your support and generosity to allow us to do this work each and everyday! Thank you for standing beside our athletes as they pursue being the best athletes in the world!
CLUB UPDATE
#2 ranked wrestler in the world, Spencer Lee is currently wrestling at the Zagreb Open – UWW Rankings Series Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia. His semifinals match will begin this morning at 5:30am CST with the 57kg finals beginning at 11:00am CST. Spencer is with HWC Head Coach Dan Dennis and former teammate Pat Lugo. Watch all the matches here on Flowrestling.org
Notable entries for the Zagreb Open with ties to America: Roman Bravo Young (MEX), Daniel Deshazer (USA) and Brandon Courtney (USA). RBY and Deshazer are in the same quarter and could meet Spencer in the semifinals. Courtney is on the other side of the bracket.
Spencer Lee and fellow Clubman Austin DeSanto are also gearing up to compete at the FloWrestling Night in America event on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, IA. Spencer will face off against Masanosuke Ono from Japan and Austin will wrestle Seth Gross.
Ono, U20 and senior world champion from Japan captured both titles at 61kg, in the same year (2024). Lee has won three age level world titles (U17, U20, U20) and Olympic silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games. This clash will be the headlining match of the event.
DeSanto and Gross have wrestled 4 times, and the series is tied 2-2. Gross is a 3x All-American and NCAA champion. DeSanto is a 4x All-American and a 2024 Olympic Team Trials Qualifier.
Here is a current list of matches on FloWrestling Night in America. Click here to purchase tickets!
HAPPENING NOW
Our Hawkeyes are in the heart of their B1G schedule with the very tough #4 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers coming to town this Friday night. The Huskers have ranked opponents at all ten weight classes… 125 – #6 Smith, 133 – #16 VanDee, 141 – #4 Hardy, 149 – #2 Lovett, 157 – #4 Taylor, 165 – #13 Minto, 174 – #14 Pinto, 184 – #7 Allred, 197 – #22 McDanel, HWT – #21 Andrews.
Our Pre-Match Social for this great dual will be at Joe’s Place in downtown Iowa City – right across from the Old Capital and University of Iowa Pentacrest – if you haven’t been to one of our socials yet we hope this week can be the first! Doors open at 4:00pm for this 7:00pm dual.
Less than two weeks ago nearly 900 unique donors helped us MAKE A BIG SPLASH at our HWC Arctic Plunge! We had 150 jumpers, and raised just over $250,000 for the club – a new record! Your support and energy makes a huge impact on our team—creating a powerful wave that reaches further and further every time you give.
Each donation you make is like that first ripple, inspiring others to join the movement and amplifying the impact we can achieve together. Your generosity fuels a chain reaction, creating positive change that extends far beyond what any one of us could do alone. Together, we are building a wave of progress, and possibility for our athletes — one ripple at a time.
UPCOMING EVENTS
This transformative program has been able to enhance hundreds of wrestlers’ lives through consistent, passionate work, and rigorous training for the past 50 years. Our goal is to continue that tradition of excellence into perpetuity! Help us celebrate that incredible work by honoring our Clubman at our Annual Banquet Saturday, May 3, 2025 at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center in southeast Cedar Rapids.
This event is fun, casual, and open to any and all wrestling fans! Attendees will enjoy dinner, live and silent auctions, the 2024-25 highlight video, talks from Dan Dennis, Terry Brands, Tom Brands, and enjoy the presentation of the Rob McReynolds Passion Award! We hope you will attend!
Pre-Match Social | Friday, February 7 — Joe’s Place — More Info
Annual Banquet | Saturday, May 3 — Hotel at Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids — Coming Soon
Riverside Golf Outing | Monday, June 23 — Blue Top Ridge Golf Course — Coming Soon
Inner Circle Tailgate Party | September 2025 — Goschke Family Training Center — TBA
Sporting Clay Shoot | October 2025 — Highland Hideaway Hunting — TBA
MERCHANDISE
HWC Inner Circle Members get access to exclusive merchandise all season long and we will be dropping another few items prior to B1G and the NCAA tournaments – so stay tuned! To find store details, look back through your email and search “New Inner Circle Merchandise!” to find our store password and promo codes! And then, start shopping!
Not an Inner Circle Member? Shop our General Store or Join the Inner Circle today!
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It’s a great day to be a Hawkeye! GO HAWKS!
Chad Beatty
Executive Director
HAWKEYE WRESTLING CLUB
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