Recruiting never stops in the world of collegiate athletics, and the Iowa women’s wrestling program is no different.
As such, the Hawkeyes have made a habit of adding significant pieces to their roster in the summer months just before a new season. And their newest addition comes at a perfect time/weight.
Today, the program announced the signing of Brooklyn Hays – a 22-year-old Utah native with strong Senior-level credentials.
And just like that, the Kennedy Blades-sized void in the Iowa lineup has been filled about as well as one could hope for.
“We’re proud to welcome Brooklyn to the Hawkeye family for the upcoming season,” said head coach Clarissa Chun in the school’s press release. “She will bring an infectious energy to the team and will be an exciting addition to our program.”
Now, instead of relying on unproven freshmen to replace one of the sport’s most dominant stars, Clarissa Chun can turn to Hays – who is no stranger to competing against the world’s best herself (and in notable fashion).
In fact, were it not for Blades, Hays would’ve represented the United States at the 2025 World Championships. Now, for the 2026-27 NCAA season, she’ll represent the Hawkeyes in Blades’ stead – after the latter elected to forgo her final year of eligibility to pursue a professional career.
A circuitous route to Iowa City
Four years ago, Brooklyn Hays was part of the 2022 high school recruiting class from which Iowa added to its inaugural roster – many of whom have since starred for the Hawkeyes.
Back then, Hays was much less heralded than many of her now teammates – ranked as the 15th-best prospect in America at 164 pounds.
A few weeks after those final rankings were released, she closed her high school career with a Fargo title. And her ascent has gradually continued in the years to follow.
A freshman season spent at Augsburg University (MN) concluded with a sixth-place NCWWC finish after Hays reached the semifinals at 170 pounds. Along the way, she compiled a 31-13 record – including 20 pins and four technical falls.
(Coincidentally, one of her Augsburg teammates that season was future Iowa national champion Marlynne Deede.)
The 2022-23 season was also Hays’ last as a collegiate competitor, as she elected to move to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs.
Since then, Hays has been a regular on the Senior National Team, placing fourth or better at the US Open and Olympic Team Trials from 2023-25.
Last year proved to be her most successful domestic season yet, as a World Team Trials Challenge Tournament victory earned Hays a berth at Final X. There, she faced Blades for a spot on the World Team at 68 kilograms.
Despite entering as a massive underdog, Hays made Blades earn everything she got in a best-of-three sweep – falling by 10-4 and 5-2 decision(s).
Brooklyn Hays scraps with Kennedy Blades in Round 2 of their 2025 Final X series.
Earlier that spring, she also won her second-consecutive U23 national title – with the closest of her five matches being a 9-0 victory.
What she brings
A tall brawler on the mat, Hays won’t necessarily put points on the board as effortlessly/explosively as her Hawkeye predecessor.
That said, her rugged, six-minute style has proven difficult for even some of the world’s best to deal with.
Last summer, following her loss to Blades at Final X, Hays placed third at the Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial – a UWW Ranking Series event held in Bulgaria.
There, she picked up a pair of high-quality international wins – defeating France’s Kendra Dacher and Türkiye’s Buse Tosun by 4-3 and 6-5 decision respectively.
For context: Tosun is a four-time World/Olympic medalist, winning a World title in 2023 and earning bronze at the Paris Olympics a year later.
Amongst her other international forays, Hays owns a Senior Pan-Ams gold medal and has placed as high as fifth at the U23 World Championships.
All of this is to say that she won’t be fazed by the caliber of competition at the NCAA level.
And while Hays won’t operate with the same margin for error as Blades has for the past two years, she’ll begin the 2026-27 season as one of the biggest title threats at her projected weight class of 160 pounds.
Future fit
As for how Hays adapts to a new team dynamic at Iowa, one would expect a relatively seamless transition.
In training at the USOTC for the past few years, she would’ve overlapped with several past/present Hawkeyes who’ve done the same – i.e. Karlee Brooks, Katja Osteen and Bella Williams.
She’s also crossed paths with plenty of Iowa coaches/athletes at a variety of USA Wrestling functions – including a week-long training camp held in Iowa City this past December.
Hays trained alongside the Hawkeyes as recently as this past December during a U.S. National Team camp hosted in Iowa City. (Photo by: Brooklyn Hays Instagram)
In terms of next season’s lineup, one would expect Hays to slide right into the spot vacated by Blades. There, she’ll presumably have one year of eligibility left – the same as her predecessor.
Meanwhile, her presence should also allow for young options like Adriana Palumbo and Nora Akpan to gain some collegiate experience without being relied upon to produce for a team with national championship expectations.
(Of note: Hays did undergo surgery last winter for an apparent left arm/shoulder injury and hasn’t competed since. So, her health/recovery will be worth monitoring going forward.)
But besides that, it’s difficult to categorize her addition as anything other than a huge win for Iowa.
Be it fit or talent – Brooklyn Hays checks each of those boxes ahead of her first and only season as a Hawkeye.
In the words of Coach Chun, “Recruiting never ends.”
And it sure seems like that approach has paid off in a major way once again.