FACES IN THE CROWD
BARELY OUT of high school, Kylie Welker has never shied away from the biggest stages in her sport.
The No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the 2022 class won gold at the ’21 Junior World Championships, bronze at the U23 Worlds and finished second in the U.S. Olympic trials last April at just 17 years old.
Add one more stage: In February, Welker became the first wrestler to commit to the Iowa women’s team, which will compete during the 2023–24 season. As women’s wrestling continues to grow (and looks to potentially become an NCAA championship sport), Iowa became the third Division I school to add such a program in September.
“I like making history,” Welker says. “I did a lot this past year, so I just thought to myself, if I were to go to college, I want to make a big announcement and set big expectations.”
Welker wasn’t sure whether she wanted to go to college even after being recruited by Iowa coach and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun, whom she looked up to as a kid. But after a three-day visit to Iowa City, she was sold.
“At home, I didn’t have a strength training coach, nutritionist or any of those resources,” she says. “There’s a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle, so I wanted to set up something more structured.”
Welker’s goals haven’t changed, despite the newfound attention. She hopes to make the 2024 Olympic team and dominate at the collegiate level, just as she did against high school competition.
“I like to set my goals and expectations high,” she says. “So I expect nothing less.”