Iowa women's wrestling national champion to forgo final year

The Iowa women’s wrestling program is going to have to replace one of the best wrestlers in its history next season.

Kennedy Blades arrived on the scene for the 2024-25 season, the second year of the Hawkeyes‘ program. From the jump, she made an impact.

Blades finished her junior season with a 25-0 record, including an unfathomable 23 tech falls. She followed that up with a 19-0 senior season, culminating in an NCAA national championship in the first year that women’s wrestling was a sanctioned NCAA sport.

With one final year of eligibility remaining, many expected Blades to return to Iowa and try to repeat as national champion. Instead, Blades took to Instagram on Friday to announce that she will be forgoing her final year of eligibility for an exciting new venture.

Breaking news: Kennedy Blades announces that she will begin pursuing her Senior Level Career full time, and also be joining Real American Freestyle.

Blades also said she will continue to train in Iowa, but is moving on from college wrestling. pic.twitter.com/H9dPhQkee5

— Ross Bartachek (@rossbchek) June 5, 2026

Blades will be joining Real American Freestyle to continue her wrestling career beyond college. Real American Freestyle is an unscripted wrestling promotion founded by Hulk Hogan. Unlike amateur wrestling, this promotion allows wrestlers to compete and profit from the sport. Their website describes the promotion as such:

“Real American Freestyle is the first unscripted pro wrestling league for the best athletes in the world.”

While Blades will not be competing for the Hawkeyes next season, she will remain in Iowa City to train for the Olympics, where she’ll look to compete in the 2028 games. She’ll be missed on next year’s roster, but Blades’ impact on the program will not be soon forgotten.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s wrestling national champion to forgo final year