FAYETTE, Iowa - UIU women's wrestling hosts its first dual matchups of the 2026-27 season at home. The Peacocks wrestle Central and Loras at 6 p.m. in the first of four Upper Iowa Triangulars this season.
This will mark the team's second-ever home meet. Head Coach Jay Tiedemann enters his second season at the helm of the program and adds 25 wrestlers to the roster.
MEET THE PEACOCKS: RETURNERS
Upper Iowa returns four wrestlers: Eliana Callies, Ryley Hartman, Kylee Shoop and McKenzie Tollefson. Callies competes at 160 pounds, Hartman competes at 124 pounds, Shoop competes at 131 pounds and Tollefson competes at 145 pounds.
"They have all taken big steps forward in terms of leadership, which has set the tone for practice and this year's expectations," Tiedemann said. "It's been nice to see the growth from them, and I'm excited to see what they accomplish this season."
Shoop returns for her second season after ending the 2025-26 season with an overall record of 22-12. The Ryan, Iowa native totaled 14 wins by fall, six by tech fall and one by a decision.
"Kylee is hard to slow down, so she needs to keep attacking and pushing the pace to score more points," Tiedemann said. "She's the emotional heartbeat or stabilizer of the team."
Callies returns for her second year, after posting an overall record of 23-17 in the 2025-26 campaign. The Rochester, Minnesota native won 15 times via fall and four times via tech fall. She also won a pair of matches at the 2026 NCAA Region V Championships.
"I expect Eliana to be tough and disciplined, making it hard for teams to score on her," Tiedemann said. "When she does score, I'm expecting her to be efficient with her offense, leading to a lot of turns and pins."
MEET THE PEACOCKS: NEWCOMERS
The Peacocks add a total of 25 wrestlers to their roster. Five from Iowa, four from Illinois, four from Minnesota, four from Texas, three from Florida, two from Ohio, one from Nevada, one from Colorado and one from Wisconsin.
Starting at 103, Hailyn Gonzalez from Mission, Texas, joins the program. The freshman totaled 100 career wins and took sixth at state in high school. Macy Kegley is also in the mix at 103, a native of Boardman, Ohio.
"Hailyn always gives it her all at practice, always asking what she can do to get better," Tiedemann said.
Gabriela Kerber is from Orlando, Florida, and wrestles at 110 pounds. In high school, Kerber placed fourth and third at state in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Ivy Brandenburg is from Hastings, Minnesota, and wrestles at 117 pounds. Brandenburg won the Freestyle & Greco State Championship in 2025 and 2026.
"Ivy placed at some college meets that a high schooler is not supposed to place at, such as the Luther Open and the Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invitational," Tiedemann said. "She's very fast and physical, scoring a lot of points."
Maya Gonzalez is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and wrestles at 117. Gonzalez finished fifth at regionals during her senior season and posted a 25-11 record. She also runs cross country at UIU.
Kamdyn Saulter wrestles at 124 pounds. The Rosemount, Minnesota, native was a two-time placer at the MSHSL State Championships. She also placed at some college meets such as the Pointer Open and Buena Vista Open.
Morgan Krall is from Evansdale, Iowa, and also competes at 124. Additionally, she is a part of Upper Iowa's women's golf team. Krall placed fifth at the Iowa State Championship in 2026 in women's wrestling.
Kaja Williams is from Parrish, Florida, wrestling at 131. She placed seventh in the 2026 Florida State Championship, was the Father Devine Champion, and was Team Florida's representative at National Duals in high school.
Zmorah Izenstark also wrestles at 131 and is from Wilmette, Ill. She finished fourth at regionals in high school and made honor roll three times. Izenstark had a 21-10 record as a senior.
There is an ongoing battle for the 138-pound spot between Youngstown, Ohio, native Mya Quarles and Ames, Iowa, native Lexa Rozevink. Quarles won the 2024 Elyria Greco qualifier in high school and is a one-time state placer. Rozevink was a four-time IGHSAU Class 2A placer, including a second-place finish in 2025.
Lana Schafer from Cedar Falls, Iowa, wrestles at 145. She placed eighth at the 2026 IGHSAU Class 2A State Championships and posted a 36-12 record as a senior.
"Lana's very explosive and offensive," Tiedemann said. "She's going to score a lot of points for us."
Joining Schafer at 145 is Lexus Hernandez, who is from Edinburg, Texas. She was a Texas State qualifier and PSJA Bears & Fargo qualifier. Also competing at 145 is Isabella Smith, who is from Tyler, Texas. In high school, Smith placed fifth at the 2024 AAU State Championship.
At 160, Marley Colvin from Jordan, Minnesota, Riley Lancaster from Largo, Florida, and Ava Rodriguez from McAllen, Texas are newcomers at that spot. Lancaster was a two-time Florida State placer with a third-place finish in 2026.
Grace Mordhorst is from Washington, Illinois, competing at 180 pounds. Miyanna Rouser is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, also wrestling at 180. Mordhorst and Rouser were both former state qualifiers for their respective states.
Also competing at 180 are Brooklyn Graham from Winthrop, Iowa and Serenity Conway from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Graham was a two-time Iowa State Champion and Fargo National Champion.
"People are not going to score easily on her," Tiedemann said. "When Brooklyn wants you, she will score at ease and get pins."
Another battle is for the 207-pound position between Sophie Morales of Shakopee, Minnesota, and Skylar Wegener of Clinton, Iowa. Morales won the 2024 USA Wrestling Northern Plains Regional in high school and finished fifth at state in 2026. Wegener is a three-time Iowa state placer, including a fifth-place finish in 2026.
"Both Sophie and Skylar are good friends, but I'm excited to see them compete for that position on the mat this year," Tiedemann said.
Kiowa Quillen is from Thompsonville, Illinois, also wrestling at 207. She became Johnson City's high school's first-ever female wrestler to compete in sectionals.
MEET THE PEACOCKS: THE COACHING STAFF
Bentley Hills returns to the team as a Graduate Assistant. Hills wrestled for the past two seasons at Upper Iowa and knows the program well.
"Bringing Bentley back was a no-brainer as she was a good wrestler for us," Tiedemann said. "She exceeds my expectations, going the extra mile to get things done like working one-on-one with girls or running study tables."
The Peacocks also added Reshard Saulter as an assistant coach. He wrestled at Minnesota Morris in college.
"Reshard coached club and high school wrestling for years," Tiedemann said. "The girls have responded really well to his teaching and coaching, so I'm excited to see those relationships develop for him."
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
UIU hosts two meets this month: The first Upper Iowa Triangular on Friday, Nov. 6 against Central and Loras and then a dual against Ellsworth CC on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
"This will be a great experience for the girls as this will build team camaraderie and is a fun environment," Tiedemann said. "I just wanted them to get that experience, because the atmosphere was amazing last year in Dorman and people were really impressed with it on social media."
The Peacocks wrestle at the Luther College Open on Nov. 14 and the Waldorf Women's Open on Nov. 21 before competing in the GLVC Duals on Dec. 4-5.
"The GLVC as a whole is the toughest conference in America," Tiedemann said. "McKendree (Ill.) won the National Championship out of all divisions, while Grand Valley State (Mich.) took fourth and Quincy (Ill.) took ninth."
