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Women's Recruiting Updates Thread: Hawks land commitment from one of nation's top lightweights, Ryleigh Sturgill

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Tanner Lafever

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sstark46 said:
Haven't heard much of Jaclyn's recruitment, though she's one I hoped we would go hard after. Any interest between her and Iowa?
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Absolutely - and her family also has deep ties with Coach Mayabb dating back to Jaclyn’s older brothers.

I’ve heard that Bouzakis will be taking her OV in the not-too-distant future along with several other prospects. But I’m still working to nail down the date + who all will be joining her.
 
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Reymundo

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Tanner Lafever said:
There's obviously been a pair of public commitments announced since you asked this question - but I wanted to follow up because for the first time, I have been told of a silent commit for the women's program.

I'm not at liberty to divulge who it is at the moment - but I'll just say that they're one of Iowa's priority targets in the 2027 class.

So yeah, things are definitely picking up a bit earlier this recruiting cycle!
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Thanks for the update, Tanner. Are you at liberty to divulge an approximate timeframe of when silent commit will become public knowledge?
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Reymundo said:
Thanks for the update, Tanner. Are you at liberty to divulge an approximate timeframe of when silent commit will become public knowledge?
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Probably around Signing Day (11/11) at the latest.

I haven’t been told that explicitly, but that’s my expectation at this point.

I’ll try to remember to anyway, but if I forget, circle back to me around then and I’ll confirm the athlete in question once they’re officially a Hawkeye.
 
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Squatch96

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Anon1751369530 said:
Is Tania Fernandez 100% college bound or is she looking to just go the international route via OTC as well?
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Tanner said hes herd of a silent commit from one of the priority targets Fernandez had many great things to say about the hawks and iowa city in general it could be brooke Huffman but no inside info or anything im starting to feel good about Fernandez wearing the black and gold
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Squatch96 said:
Tanner said hes herd of a silent commit from one of the priority targets Fernandez had many great things to say about the hawks and iowa city in general it could be brooke Huffman but no inside info or anything im starting to feel good about Fernandez wearing the black and gold
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All I'll say regarding the silent commit I was told about is that it is not Fernandez.

(Don't ask me any more than that, though lol)

At this juncture, I do feel pretty good about Iowa's chances of landing her, however.
 
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Squatch96

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Tanner Lafever said:
All I'll say regarding the silent commit I was told about is that it is not Fernandez.

(Don't ask me any more than that, though lol)

At this juncture, I do feel pretty good about Iowa's chances of landing her, however.
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I was just assuming it would be one the recruits that already visited but recruiting always seems to be a surprise 😆 thanks for the info tanner!
 
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Squatch96

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Huge pick up! Outside of Fernandez Huffman in my opinion was the biggest must get just based on roster need now they just wait for Fernandez and Sturgill big visit weekend paying off
 
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Squatch96

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Any visitors this weekend its a big weekend in iowa city? For mens or women's wrestling
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Bouzakis is the obvious headliner of next weekend's crop of visitors, but don't sleep on the other three, either:

- Cameron Leng (#8 at 125), the younger sister of current Hawkeye Cali Leng, is a 2x Fargo All-American.
- Julia Araujo (#5 at 155) has been a regular top five placer at all the biggest national events.
- Ciyanna Okocha (#2 at 170) won Super 32 and HS Showcase titles last year.
 
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Tanner Lafever

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NOTE: I've taken a page from @KyleHuesmann's book and decided to make this the official women's wrestling recruiting thread.

I'll be posting all pertinent updates in here going forward - and will alter the thread subheading to highlight the latest news.

(I will also post a separate thread for new recruiting-related articles, be they commitments or otherwise - but they'll be in here as well.)

If you guys have any questions/suggestions/etc. - now or going forward - feel free to drop 'em in here (or direct message me) so that I can make this space the go-to resource for WWR recruiting.

And thanks as always for following along!
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Couple more updates:

1. Be on the lookout for another 2027 commitment in the not-too-distant future.

2. Iowa also got a close look at a top 2028 prospect this week, as Abigail Gonzalez has been in town training with the IWWC.

A Florida native, Gonzalez recently cemented her status as the #1 ranked wrestler at 115lbs with wins at Fargo in July and Who's Number One a week ago.

She's in the black shirt in the first photo of the gallery below, drilling with another international visitor for the Iowa women - former U20 World champ Miyu Nakamura:

 
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Reymundo

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Tanner Lafever said:
Couple more updates:

1. Be on the lookout for another 2027 commitment in the not-too-distant future.

2. Iowa also got a close look at a top 2028 prospect this week, as Abigail Gonzalez has been in town training with the IWWC.

A Florida native, Gonzalez recently cemented her status as the #1 ranked wrestler at 115lbs with wins at Fargo in July and Who's Number One a week ago.

She's in the black shirt in the first photo of the gallery below, drilling with another international visitor for the Iowa women - former U20 World champ Miyu Nakamura:

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Another silent commit?
 
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PKlooksgreat

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Tanner Lafever said:
Yep - you’re going to start seeing a lot more of those sibling ties going forward.

Bouzakis has two older brothers in the D1 ranks (at Ohio St and Pittsburgh), and Sturgill has a brother entering his second year at Indiana.
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They have Clayton Whiting, Oscar Williams and Aden Valencia's sisters already on the roster, too
 
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WhiteDog125

WhiteDog125

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Squatch96 said:
Would you rather have iowa state start a program and pass them?
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As an Iowa fan I want them to win of course. But, the more competitive it is the better. And obviously the more d1s that add the better. That being said I don’t think the clones are passing them anytime soon 😉whatever benefits the sport of wrestling overall is what I say
 
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Squatch96

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WhiteDog125 said:
As an Iowa fan I want them to win of course. But, the more competitive it is the better. And obviously the more d1s that add the better. That being said I don’t think the clones are passing them anytime soon 😉whatever benefits the sport of wrestling overall is what I say
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Yah my bad man didnt mean to sound snarky or anything 😆. But agree buts its still nice to get some recruits that the clones wanted!
 
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Tanner Lafever

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PKlooksgreat said:
They have Clayton Whiting, Oscar Williams and Aden Valencia's sisters already on the roster, too
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Yep, there are quite a few on the current roster already.

And there has also been a pair of Iowa men’s/women’s wrestling family crossovers to date:

- Tony and Rose Cassioppi
- Samantha and David Calkins
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Reymundo said:
Another silent commit?
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I’m not sure that I can technically call them a ‘silent commit’ per se.

The language used was more so along the lines of “Iowa should have another commitment coming soon.”

A subtle distinction, I realize, but in the case of Huffman I’d been explicitly told that she had already committed and was just waiting to announce the news publicly.
 
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Squatch96

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Tanner Lafever said:
I’m not sure that I can technically call them a ‘silent commit’ per se.

The language used was more so along the lines of “Iowa should have another commitment coming soon.”

A subtle distinction, I realize, but in the case of Huffman I’d been explicitly told that she had already committed and was just waiting to announce the news publicly.
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Im guessing sturgill thanks for the updates
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Here's that forthcoming commitment I was referring to:



Long-time Hawkeye fan (and elite lightweight prospect) Ryleigh Sturgill officially joins Iowa's 2027 recruiting class, becoming the fourth member to date (each of whom took their OV for the Cy-Hawk weekend last month).
 
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Squatch96

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Matscouts put up there girls 27 big board for the Commits Huffman #5,Skrocki #8,Sturgill #23. Mullin Unranked. Others of note Taina Fernandez #1, Jaclyn Bouzakis #10, Ciyanna Okocha #17, Julia Arajuo#21 they had Cam Leng ranked 47 in 2028 class?. And Clover Williams at #30 bella's sister? Are we recruiting her?
 
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Reymundo

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Squatch96 said:
Matscouts put up there girls 27 big board for the Commits Huffman #5,Skrocki #8,Sturgill #23. Mullin Unranked. Others of note Taina Fernandez #1, Jaclyn Bouzakis #10, Ciyanna Okocha #17, Julia Arajuo#21 they had Cam Leng ranked 47 in 2028 class?. And Clover Williams at #30 bella's sister? Are we recruiting her?
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I find it difficult to see how you put Bouzakis at #10. I would put her ahead of Huffman and Skrocki.
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Squatch96 said:
Matscouts put up there girls 27 big board for the Commits Huffman #5,Skrocki #8,Sturgill #23. Mullin Unranked. Others of note Taina Fernandez #1, Jaclyn Bouzakis #10, Ciyanna Okocha #17, Julia Arajuo#21 they had Cam Leng ranked 47 in 2028 class?. And Clover Williams at #30 bella's sister? Are we recruiting her?
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Williams is Bella’s sister, yes - but I’m not sure if she’s a target for the Hawkeyes.

As for the rest of the rankings, I’d have to see the full list in order to give an informed opinion. But what I can say sight unseen - and agree with @Reymundo - is that there’s no planet on which Bouzakis is the 10th best recruit in this class 🤣
 
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Tanner Lafever

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BTW, each of the four official visitors I reported were coming this weekend are already in town.

Bouzakis, Okocha and Leng have been here all week going through practices with the IWWC - and Araujo just arrived yesterday morning.

Top 2028 prospect (and Florida native) Abigail Gonzalez was still here as of yesterday, too - having spent at least a full week training in Iowa City with the team.

They’re all here at the same time as the full U23 Ukrainian Women’s National Team - which I wrote about after being fortunate enough to watch a couple practices on Tuesday/Wednesday:

www.on3.com

Iowa and Ukraine women's wrestling reunite ahead of U23 Worlds

There’s no better place to be this week than inside the Iowa wrestling room. Where else are you going to find a cultural/competitive exchange between
www.on3.com www.on3.com
 
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Squatch96

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Tanner Lafever said:
Williams is Bella’s sister, yes - but I’m not sure if she’s a target for the Hawkeyes.

As for the rest of the rankings, I’d have to see the full list in order to give an informed opinion. But what I can say sight unseen - and agree with @Reymundo - is that there’s no planet on which Bouzakis is the 10th best recruit in this class 🤣
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I was a little surprised she was 10 as well they had Fernandez,kaili Manuel,marlee Solomon,VonGonten,Brooke Huffman,Riley Hannrahn,Ella Poallillo,Eve skrocki and Sarrisa Tucker 1 through 9
 
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Squatch96

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Tanner Lafever said:
BTW, each of the four official visitors I reported were coming this weekend are already in town.

Bouzakis, Okocha and Leng have been here all week going through practices with the IWWC - and Araujo just arrived yesterday morning.

Top 2028 prospect (and Florida native) Abigail Gonzalez was still here as of yesterday, too - having spent at least a full week training in Iowa City with the team.

They’re all here at the same time as the full U23 Ukrainian Women’s National Team - which I wrote about after being fortunate enough to watch a couple practices on Tuesday/Wednesday:

www.on3.com

Iowa and Ukraine women's wrestling reunite ahead of U23 Worlds

There’s no better place to be this week than inside the Iowa wrestling room. Where else are you going to find a cultural/competitive exchange between
www.on3.com www.on3.com
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Awesome read as well Tanner! Should be a great time for the visiting recruits i did have a question for you ive seen Cam Leng in the 2028 big board but since shes officially visiting im assuming shes a senior? Also do you think this will be the last big visit weekend could be 9/10 recruits? maybe more in the class?
 
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Tanner Lafever

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Squatch96 said:
I was a little surprised she was 10 as well they had Fernandez,kaili Manuel,marlee Solomon,VonGonten,Brooke Huffman,Riley Hannrahn,Ella Poallillo,Eve skrocki and Sarrisa Tucker 1 through 9
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Yeah, that‘s a whack list, IMO.

It looks like they mostly prioritized this year’s U17 World medalists - which is fine as a data point, but some wrestlers (like Bouzakis) weren’t U17 eligible and faced much tougher competition to make the U20 team.

I think #4 is the absolute lowest I could rank Bouzakis in the 2027 class right now - and #2 or #3 feels like the most appropriate spot based on her wins and track record.

Squatch96 said:
Awesome read as well Tanner! Should be a great time for the visiting recruits i did have a question for you ive seen Cam Leng in the 2028 big board but since shes officially visiting im assuming shes a senior? Also do you think this will be the last big visit weekend could be 9/10 recruits? maybe more in the class?
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That’s correct, Cami Leng is a senior - Class of 2027 - ranked #8 at 125lbs by Flo.

As to your second question, I’m not sure how many signees the Iowa staff might ultimately be willing to take this recruiting cycle. But this will not be the last weekend for official visitors.

There should be another group coming in sometime next month.
 
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Squatch96

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Tanner Lafever said:
Yeah, that‘s a whack list, IMO.

It looks like they mostly prioritized this year’s U17 World medalists - which is fine as a data point, but some wrestlers (like Bouzakis) weren’t U17 eligible and faced much tougher competition to make the U20 team.

I think #4 is the absolute lowest I could rank Bouzakis in the 2027 class right now - and #2 or #3 feels like the most appropriate spot based on her wins and track record.


That’s correct, Cami Leng is a senior - Class of 2027 - ranked #8 at 125lbs by Flo.

As to your second question, I’m not sure how many signees the Iowa staff might ultimately be willing to take this recruiting cycle. But this will not be the last weekend for official visitors.

There should be another group coming in sometime next month.
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I know willie who does the big board for the boys will put a recruit like Brooke huffman higher on a big board cause theres very few recruits like her at 190 pounds so he impact on a college team might be bigger i figured bouzakis would be top 5 as well. I just like how Matscouts does there big board one thing I wish flo would do more for the girls side as always thanks for the info tanner!
 
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