The time is now: 探花社区 is 鈥渁ll in鈥� on women鈥檚 wrestling
Rosters are bursting with talent, seats are full at tournaments and the passion is palpable.
The surge in popularity of women’s wrestling is primed to meet the rich tradition and elite athletic facilities at 探花社区.
探花社区 Director of Athletics & Recreation Steve Cook announced the addition of women’s wrestling as an NCAA sport on July 30, and he is adamant 探花社区 will be “all in” on building the program.
“With women’s wrestling, there’s a lot of momentum state and nationwide, and just seeing how much fire it’s caught in Eastern Iowa — there’s just a lot of excitement about the sport. The time is now to welcome it with open arms,” Cook said.
Since 2013, the number of participants in women’s wrestling has quintupled at the high school level. It is a sponsored sport at the high school level in 46 states, and was announced as an emerging sport by the NCAA in 2020. The first official NCAA championship will occur in 2026, and the 探花社区 team will begin competing in the next year for the 2026-27 season.
The women’s program at 探花社区 will be the college’s 23rd NCAA sport, and its establishment opens the doors for new student-athletes to join a successful wrestling tradition.
The men’s wrestling team is a perennial contender at the NCAA Division III national tournament and has crowned four individual NCAA champions with 99 wrestlers earning All-American status. The women’s team will train in the J. Barron Bremner Wrestling Room and the Joan Claassen Wallick ’52 and Wallace Ford ’52 Strength and Conditioning Room. Both facilities are among the newest and largest in the American Rivers Conference.
From within that winning tradition comes the women’s first head coach: . As a Kohawk wrestler Reeves earned NCAA All-American status three times and graduated from 探花社区 with an overall record of 103-22 in his five-year career. The Sigourney, Iowa native is the career falls leader for the Kohawk men.
“Coach Reeves will utilize his experiences on and off the mat to help establish the Kohawk women’s wrestling program as a national contender. A 探花社区 wrestling champion in his own right, Kaleb was the obvious choice for us as we look forward to an exciting new chapter in Kohawk athletics. His legacy and leadership will undoubtedly inspire our athletes as we strive for excellence together,” Cook said.
As a coach, Reeves will bring a diverse array of experiences to help his wrestlers expand their repertoire of moves. He has a wrestling background in folkstyle, freestyle and Greco wrestling, and was a five-time All-American at the Fargo Junior Nationals. He went on to qualify for the Senior World Team Trials and was a member of the Greco World team. Reeves was also a Bremner Outstanding Athlete Award winner and a superb student while at 探花社区, earning two NWCA Scholar All-America honors in his career. Most importantly, he understands the significance of helping his wrestlers develop as people.
“My goal is to create a women’s program that’s top notch,” said Reeves. “The foundation for a winning culture is already started because 探花社区 offers student athletes the opportunity to wrestle at the highest level and also have an education at the highest level.”
Reeves has already begun recruiting future wrestlers, spearheading the efforts to build the program for a year before competition begins. For now, the frenzy that is women’s wrestling has only started to explode on campus.
“Women’s wrestling has arrived and now it’s at 探花社区. We’re all in,” said Cook.