By Iowa State Athletic Communications

AMES, Iowa - Women's wrestling will debut as Iowa State University's 18th intercollegiate athletics program during the 2027-28 academic year, Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced on Thursday.

"Iowa State enjoys a rich wrestling tradition, and we believe the addition of women's wrestling will afford tremendous opportunities for young women not only in Iowa, but around the country, to compete at the highest level in the sport," Pollard said. "This is a great day for wrestling in the state of Iowa and at Iowa State University, and we look forward to growing a program under Coach Alli St. John that will build off the historic success of our men's team.

"As we considered future opportunities for female athletes, it became clear that women's wrestling offered Iowa State University the best combination of strategic fit, start-up efficiency and growth potential," he added. "Women's wrestling is recognized as one of the nation's fastest growing sports at both the high school and collegiate level, and we are excited to help grow the sport for future generations of young women."

Identified as an emerging sport in 2020 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all three divisions, the NCAA held its first national championship in the sport last month in Coralville, Iowa. Currently, there are 113 NCAA members that sponsor wrestling as a varsity sport, including six at the Division I level—Iowa, Lehigh, Delaware State, Lindenwood, Presbyterian and Sacred Heart with Kent State having announced plans to begin a program in 2027-28. Within the state of Iowa, there are 15 universities and colleges that currently sponsor the sport.

Alli St. John Named First Head Coach Of ISU Women's Wrestling Program 

Two-time World Wrestling Championships silver medalist Alli St. John (Ragan) has been selected as the first head coach of the Iowa State women's wrestling program. The Cyclones will begin competing in the sport during the 2027-28 academic year; however, St. John's program is open for business as it begins to build a roster for its debut season.

"Alli St. John is one of the United States' most-decorated women's wrestlers ever, and we are thrilled that she has agreed to lead the Iowa State women's wrestling program as we launch an exciting new era in Cyclone Athletics," Pollard said. "She enjoys an outstanding reputation in the wrestling community, and we look forward to watching her build a championship program on the mat at Iowa State.

"She has done an outstanding job cultivating and working with donors to the Cyclone Regional Training Center the last three years, and her engaging personality and competitive spirit, coupled with the success she has enjoyed in the sport competitively, make her the right candidate to lead this program," he added.

In 2013, St. John represented the U.S. at the Summer Universiade and took silver in the women's 59 kg event. She again won silver in the women's freestyle 60 kg event at the 2016 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary and in the same event at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France. All-told, she represented Team USA on six Senior World Teams during her 10-year professional career for USA Wrestling.

Kevin Dresser Named ISU’S Director Of Men’s and Women’s Wrestling 

AMES, Iowa - After a storied 20-year collegiate coaching career that saw Iowa State and Virginia Tech return to national prominence, Kevin Dresser will transition into a new role within the Iowa State Athletics Department as Director of Men's & Women's Wrestling. In his new position, Dresser will provide mentorship, leadership and fundraising acumen to both the ISU men's and newly launched women's wrestling programs.

"Iowa State University has been so good to me and my family, and I look forward to my new role and the fact that I'm not really going anywhere," Dresser said. "I am honored for the opportunity Jamie Pollard gave me to coach the Cyclones nine years ago and believe we are handing off the program in great shape to one of the sport's top young coaches in Brent Metcalf.

"My memories of Hilton and sitting in the corner during some of those crazy and packed dual meets will be something I always treasure," he added. "We built something special and exciting over the last nine years, and I look forward to staying in Ames and contributing to these programs and this university in my new position. The future is so bright, and we are well positioned to continue to climb."

As head coach of the Cyclones, Dresser brought Iowa State wrestling back into the national conversation, highlighted by a pair of top 10 NCAA finishes, a 2024 NCAA team trophy and a 2024 Big 12 title. He inherited a program that scored just one point and finished tied for 57th at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Since then, Iowa State has finished T-45th, 16th, T-13th, 17th, 11th, 4th, T-27th and 8th at the national tournament.

Dresser, who has coached the sport for 38 years at multiple levels, leaves behind a coaching legacy as one of wrestling's greatest program builders. He is one of six NCAA Division I coaches all-time to lead two different schools to an NCAA Trophy finish.

"Kevin has enjoyed a very successful run as a Cyclone and Iowa State will forever be indebted to him for restoring the proud tradition of ISU wrestling," Pollard said. "He and his staff have worked incredibly hard to return our program to national prominence, and we are grateful for his leadership and vision in making that a reality.

"Kevin will be a tremendous asset to Coach Metcalf and Coach St. John as they begin their head coaching careers at Iowa State," he added. "His mentorship to them will be invaluable as they build their programs."

Dresser compiled a 265-86 (.755) record as a head coach, including a 105-35 (.750) mark at Iowa State. His 105 dual wins as a Cyclone are the fourth-most by a head coach in program history.

After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1986, Dresser embarked upon a decorated 18-year high school coaching career in Virginia where he guided Grundy High School to eight-consecutive state titles from 1989 to 1996. He later coached at Christiansburg High School where his teams would capture five state titles. Dresser turned his programs into high school powerhouses, with four of his teams finishing in the top 10 nationally, with seven ranked in the top 25.

Dresser moved up to the college ranks in 2006 when he took over as head coach at Virginia Tech. He led the Hokies to ACC dual meet titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and league tournament championships in 2013 and 2014. Dresser concluded his time in Blacksburg with four-straight top 10 NCAA finishes, culminating in a team trophy in his final season, and his .758 winning percentage (160-51-0) at Virginia Tech ranks third all-time in ACC history.

He assumed the reins of the tradition-rich Iowa State wrestling program in February 2017. It was a methodical rebuild for Dresser based on fundraising, fan support, recruiting, development and creation of the Cyclone Regional Training Center where postgraduates could pursue their world-level and Olympic dreams. After having just one NCAA Qualifier in his first season, Dresser's ISU squads have qualified eight or more wrestlers for the national tournament in every season since.

One of Dresser's top priorities when arriving to campus in 2017 was bringing blue-chip recruit and Cyclone legacy David Carr to Ames. A catalyst in turning the program around, Carr won four individual Big 12 titles and a pair of NCAA titles in 2021 and 2024.

Fan support was critical to Dresser's revival of the program and Cyclone fans are once again turning out in droves to watch wrestling in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State is one of three schools in the country, and the only one in the Big 12, to average 5,000-plus fans per dual in each of the last four seasons. Iowa State's top five average season attendance marks on record (since 1997) occurred during Dresser's tenure.

On Nov. 30, 2025, Dresser led Iowa State to its first dual win over Iowa in 21 years. The No. 6 Cyclones took six of 10 bouts to defeat No. 3 Iowa, 20-14, for their first victory over the Hawkeyes since 2004. A crowd of 12,292, the 10th-largest wrestling crowd in program history, traveled through a foot of snow to see the Cyclones snap a 20-match losing streak to their in-state rivals.

In his 20-year collegiate coaching career, Dresser coached his wrestlers to two national titles, 37 All-America honors and 39 conference titles. He is a two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2019, '24), five-time ACC Coach of the Year (2013, '14, '15, '16, '17) and the 2019 NWCA National Coach of the Year.

Dresser is a member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame (2009), the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame (2014) and the Roanoke Valley Wrestling Hall of Fame (2015). He was also presented a Lifetime Service Award by the Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.

The Humboldt, Iowa native and his wife, Penny, have three children: Emma, Anna and Jack.

Brent Metcalf Named Head Coach Of ISU Men’s Wrestling Team 

AMES, Iowa - Brent Metcalf, who has spent the past nine seasons helping Kevin Dresser methodically return the proud Cyclone program to national prominence, has been selected as the ninth head coach of the Iowa State men's wrestling program.

"Brent Metcalf has played a critical role in the rebirth of the Iowa State wrestling program over the last nine years, and we are thrilled to introduce him as the next head coach of the Cyclones," Pollard said. "He is one of the fiercest and respected competitors that I know, and I believe that he is the right person to build upon our past success to carry our program to even greater heights in future years."

Metcalf, who has spent the past eight seasons as a full-time assistant coach on the ISU staff after originally joining the program as a volunteer assistant prior to the 2017-18 campaign, has been instrumental in helping Dresser rebuild the Cyclone wrestling program from the ground up since 2017. Highlighted by two top 10 NCAA finishes, a 2024 NCAA team trophy and Big 12 title, his efforts have seen Iowa State re-enter the national conversation as one of the nation's top wrestling programs.

"I am excited and honored to be the next Head Wrestling Coach at Iowa State University and would like to thank Jamie Pollard and President Cook for entrusting me with the legacy of such a storied program," Metcalf said. "None of this would be possible without the vision and mentorship of Kevin Dresser, who for the previous nine seasons has continued to raise the standard of what it means to be a Cyclone wrestler.

"As we move to the next chapter we must continue to raise that bar," he added. "We will challenge our team to pursue National, World and Olympic Titles, compete fearlessly, and to be outstanding representatives of Iowa State University- in the classroom, on the mat and in life."

In 2026, 10 Cyclones qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2010. ISU's 8th-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Championships was the second top 10 finish for the Cyclones since Metcalf arrived in Ames.

The ISU coaching staff inherited a program that scored one point and finished tied for 57th at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Since then, Iowa State has finished T-45th, 16th, T-13th, 17th, 11th, 4th, T-27th and 8th at the national tournament.

"Brent (Metcalf), along with Coach Derek St. John, have been by my side over the last nine years and have been instrumental in our program's success," Dresser said. "He brings passion, knowledge, dedication and a great work ethic to this opportunity.

"Brent loves Iowa State and has had opportunities to leave Ames the past couple of years as our program has grown in stature, but he wanted to be here in Ames," he added. "I am excited for the future of Cyclone wrestling under Coach Metcalf's leadership."

Iowa State had no conference champions in 2017 and failed to have a wrestler reach All-American status. Since then, Metcalf has had a hand in developing 13 Big 12 Champions and 17 NCAA All-Americans.

Working closely with Cyclone blue-chipper David Carr, Metcalf helped Carr to four Big 12 titles, three national finals appearances and two national titles. Carr won his second national title by defeating four All-Americans and three past or future national champions. With Metcalf's guidance, Carr reversed two consecutive losses to Missouri's Keegan O'Toole in the national semifinals to reach the title match where he beat Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink.

He also played a large role in developing All-American brothers and current Cyclones Evan and Jacob Frost. Both brothers were under-the-radar prospects out of high school, rated outside the top 200 nationally, but achieved All-American status after developing in Ames with Metcalf as their individual coach.

Metcalf served as the National Freestyle Developmental Coach prior to his arrival in Ames. He joined the USA Wrestling coaching staff in November of 2016 and was responsible for coaching the age-group men's freestyle World Teams, directing the freestyle resident athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and serving as an assistant coach on the Senior national team.

A legend in the sport, Metcalf is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Iowa wrestling history. He won two NCAA titles (2008, 2010) and was a three-time NCAA finalist (2008-10) in his three seasons wrestling for the Hawkeyes.

Metcalf won the 2008 Dan Hodge trophy, given annually to the nation's best collegiate wrestler, and helped the Hawkeyes to three NCAA team titles (2008, 2009, 2010). He finished his college career with a 108-3 record, the second-best winning percentage in Iowa history (.973), a 69-match winning streak from 2008-09 and 47 career falls.

As a senior-level athlete, Metcalf was a staple in the United States' lineup from 2010-2016. He was a part of four U.S. Freestyle World Teams (2010, 2013, 2014, 2015). He won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada and claimed World Cup gold medals in 2014 and 2015 in Los Angeles. Other major international events he won included the 2014 UWW Golden Grand Prix Finals in Azerbaijan and a silver medal at the 2013 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia.

Metcalf qualified for the U.S. Freestyle National Team for six-straight years from 2010-16, winning U.S. Open titles in 2014 and 2015. He was also a member of the 2006 Junior World Team.

A native of Davison, Michigan, Metcalf is one of the most highly touted prep wrestlers to come out of the state. While wrestling for Davison High School, he posted a record of 228-0 with 156 victories by fall. He was one of the best athletes to wrestle in USA Wrestling's age-group program, winning six ASICS Junior National Titles, three each in freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Metcalf, who earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa in 2010, and his wife, Kristen, have four children: Chase, Cole, Wyatt and Georgia. He was inducted to the Glen Brand National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2023.