Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard warned Alli St. John that being the first head coach of the women’s wrestling program might be like drinking through a fire hose, and that’s exactly what it has been.
From recruiting visits to media requests, staff hires and everything in-between, St. John said that starting a program from scratch is as exhausting as it is exciting. Everyone wants to know more about Iowa State’s newest sport.
“It’s like the hot thing right now,” St. John said. “I think staying on that is super important for us.”
A lot has to be done before the Cyclones start unattached competition in 2026-27, followed by the inaugural season of the program in 2027-28. The Register caught up with St. John at the May 18 Cyclone Tailgate Tour stop in Des Moines to discuss a variety of topics. The program has made several significant moves in the last month, with more on the way.
Interest skyrocketing around Cyclone women’s wrestling
In one week alone, St. John said, Iowa State hosted recruiting visits on May 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16. Another big visit is set for mid-June for members of the class of 2027, with the Cyclones looking to establish their roster in the coming months. Interest in the program is rising by the day as recruits reach out seeking to learn more.
Elite talent is already starting to head to Ames. The program’s first commit was Piper Fowler, an NAIA champion with William Penn University and a U17 World champion. She also made the U20 World Championships for the United States in 2024 and will again represent the country in 2026 at U20s at 76 kilograms. Much like Kylie Welker was to Iowa when she was the first commit to the Hawkeyes, Fowler represents a foundational piece of the roster with legitimate World and Olympic ambitions beyond collegiate competition.
St John said she expects more commits and announcements in the coming days, but the early returns are already coming from their recruiting efforts since the program was announced in April.
“Once they see everything, they’re like, ‘Holy crap, this is something I want to be a part of,'” St. John said. ”That’s awesome on our end to see that, the excitement and the growth of how this program’s going to be built.”
Iowa State hires program builder in Jake Kadel, more on the way
Before the program was even announced, St. John told her husband Derek St. John that she would try to hire Jake Kadel to her staff if she got the chance to be head coach. Derek St. John told his wife that hiring his former Hawkeye teammate was a slam dunk.
“He’s like, ‘That’s a no-brainer,'” Alli St. John said. “He (Derek St. John) went to college with him at Iowa, he knows the type of person he is and just the things that he’s built at William Penn with very little resources. Some of the stuff that he (Kadel) would tell me, I’m like, ‘How’d you make that happen with that?'”
Kadel built the Statesmen into a powerhouse at the NAIA level. He earned three top-four finishes at the NAIA Championships, including ending as a runner-up in the 2026 NAIA Championships. Kadel coached nine NAIA champions and 18 NAIA All-Americans, including four champions and seven All-Americans this past season.
Kadel did two things simultaneously in Oskaloosa — he built a winning team while recruiting at a high level. He brought in Fowler, one of the top prospects in women’s wrestling from the 2025 recruiting class, and has since helped convince her to follow him to Ames since taking the new job. He also brought Nigerian Olympians Christianah Ogunsanya and Esther Olawale to William Penn, making his recruiting hauls at William Penn some of the best in the nation regardless of division.
St. John said another hire for her staff will be announced as soon as this week. The program hopes to hire a fourth coach by January 2027.
What will the roster look like come fall?
While the Cyclones won’t compete officially this season, that won’t stop them from getting on the mat against opponents from other programs.
St. John reaffirmed they’ll be entering open tournaments under the Cyclone Regional Training Center for this upcoming season. Given the number of open tournaments in women’s wrestling, they’ll be able to compete just about every week of the season if desired, with the culmination of their year being the U17, U20, U23 and Senior World team trials instead of the NCAA Championships.
By this fall, St. John said, the Cyclones hope to have 10-15 wrestlers committed to the program and competing in unattached fashion at the open tournaments under the CRTC. By 2027-28 for their first official season, they’ll get to the 30-wrestler roster limit.
How is the facility coming along?
The exact timeline to the space in Beyer Hall being ready for wrestling isn’t clear, but it doesn’t sound as if it will take too long.
St. John said they are in the process of clearing out the gymnastics equipment in Beyer Hall. Once that is done and the gym space is flattened for wrestling mats, the facility will be set to go for the team. Until then, they will use the men’s practice facility at Lied Recreation Athletic Center.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s wrestling updates on roster, staff hires and more
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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