The 2026 Iowa high school state wrestling tournament is in the books and 42 boys are now champions.
Over the last week, the tournament continued its stellar tradition as one of Iowa’s most storied events. Emotions were high and years of hard work, triumphs and shortcomings were all made worth it for a host of special athletes.
Here are the 10 best stories from this year’s champions at the Iowa state wrestling tournament.
Amir Newman-Winfrey keeps 106-pound tradition for Southeast Polk
First it was Nico DeSalvo, then it was Eddie Woody and now it is Amir Newman-Winfrey, who claimed the title at 106 with a dominant technical fall win over Dowling Catholic’s Cruz Gannon. Southeast Polk has now won the last three state titles at 106 pounds. Perhaps it’s no coincidence they’ve won the last three team state titles, too.
“Now it’s like an actual family tree,” Newman-Winfrey said. “We’ve been doing this for generation, generation and generations. It’s three now, so let’s make it a fourth.”
Waukee Northwest’s Carew Christensen earns elusive title
A two-time state medalist before 2026, Waukee Northwest’s 113-pounder finally got his elusive state title with a 10-9 decision over Iowa City West’s Diego Robberty. He led 8-3 early in the third period, and while Robertty pushed ferociously late to close, Christensen held on despite having little left in the gas tank.
“I got really tired, I’m not going to lie,” Christensen said. “I just kept thinking, ‘One minute and I’m a state champ.’ I just had that in my head the whole time.”
Van Meter’s Dylan Williamson wins thriller for second title
Williamson’s finals match at 120 pounds was one for the ages. Against Simon Bettos of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, the two wrestlers went to tiebreakers. Williamson got the ride out, while Williamson escaped with under eight seconds to go to win a state title.
All the moments training at Sebolt Wrestling Academy and Van Meter paid off when it mattered most.
“Getting out in that last eight seconds, it just felt so awesome,” Williamson said. “It felt so much better than last year, I’m not going to lie.”
Don Bosco’s Hayden Schwab returns from injury to win state title
Coming off shoulder surgery this offseason, Schwab was as dominant as anybody during the state tournament at 126. He won by fall, technical fall or medical forfeit in every match en route to his second state title.
Despite the setback, he gained a new perspective as a big senior year awaits.
“Talk about a new level of thankfulness, gratefulness that I actually get to go and do this,” Schwab said. “This is way more fun than just sitting in a chair at home with my arm all up and watching everybody else compete.”
Southeast Polk’s Eddie Woody wins tough bracket
Three Division I commits were in Woody’s 126-pound bracket — Ankeny Centennial’s Cale Vandermark (Iowa State), Weston Porter (Northern Illinois) and Alexander Pierce (Northwestern). He went on to defeat Vandermark by a 1-0 decision in the semifinals and Porter in a 4-2 decision in the finals.
When his recruitment opens this summer as a rising junior, the two-time state champion will have many colleges calling.
“I’m on that level, too,” Woody said. “I’m above those guys, I believe I’m No. 1 in the country and I’m going to wrestle like that.”
Southeast Polk’s Nico DeSalvo on track for four titles
DeSalvo, this year’s state champion at 138 pounds after a 4-2 decision over Bettendorf’s Cody Trevino, is now on the clock for a fourth state title. While milestones like those are great, DeSalvo has bigger goals after moving around the country to train and dedicating much time and effort to get to the level he’s at.
“I don’t plan on stopping just in high school, I plan on being a national champion at Arizona State University,” DeSalvo said. “It’s going to keep going, from there, it’s World champ, Olympic champ. This is not the ultimate goal, this is just a stepping stone.”
Osage’s Blake Fox wins fourth state title
Anytime a four-time state champion is crowned, the standing ovation from the crowd is one of the coolest traditions in Iowa. As the 33rd four-time state champion and the second from Osage, Fox (150 pounds) got his flowers in Des Moines.
“I’m so happy right now,” Fox said. “All the hard work leading up to that moment, it was crazy. I got my hand raised and saw everybody standing up, clapping for me; it was amazing.”
Bondurant-Farrar’s Nolan Fellers finally wins state title
After taking third for three years in a row, Fellers finally won his state title at 157 pounds. He defeated Johnston’s Parker Casey in a 4-2 decision.
The Nebraska commit has been among the elite talents for some time, but after working on the mental side of the sport this offseason, he’s finally achieved what he’s been chasing.
“It’s an unforgettable feeling,” Fellers said. “I’ve been working four hard years of my life to reach this point. I can’t even put it into words right now.”
Ankeny Centennial’s Max Dhabolt overcomes injury to claim crown
Dhabolt missed a good portion of the season after suffering a knee injury in the first dual of the year. In the state title match, he had to overcome his knee ailment and Carlisle state champion Jaxon Miller at 175 pounds.
Dhabolt (Iowa State) and Miller (Northwestern) are both Division I commits and showed why in the bout, as Dhabolt secured a thrilling 7-4 decision with his first-period takedown into two near-fall points.
Dhabolt lost the same match one month ago, but took time to get his conditioning back and came out with a win.
“I knew I had to go work harder and harder every single day in the room to get that back,” Dhabolt said. “That’s what I did.”
Fort Dodge’s Dreshaun Ross flips into history
When Ross secured a 21-6 technical fall over Dowling Catholic’s Brady Hagan, he slow walked over to the corner of the mat. After taking a moment to wave at the crowd and pump them up, he did a running flip to put on a show for the fans.
People asked him all day how we would celebrate, but the truth was, he didn’t even know until he secured the win.
“I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t know, just whatever feels right, feels right,'” Ross said. “That right there was all just what felt right in the moment.”
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: Top 10 stories from Iowa boys state wrestling tournament champions
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
