Marlynne Deede, a 2023 national champion, to transfer to Iowa women’s wrestling program
Cody GoodwinThe Iowa women’s wrestling program added a big-time transfer on Monday in Marlynne Deede, a 2023 national collegiate champion from Augsburg.
Deede will join the Hawkeyes as a graduate transfer, with one year of eligibility remaining. She is a four-time All-American at 155 pounds and plans to compete with the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club after her college career is over.
“It was definitely a long process and a hard decision,” Deede said. “I really had to think about my priorities and what I wanted long-term, and Iowa made sense for what I wanted.
“I have goals that go beyond college wrestling and I’m so passionate for the sport. Wrestling only lasts so long, but I’d love to compete for Olympic and world teams.”
The Utah native is the most recent transfer portal recruiting win for Iowa coach Clarissa Chun. The Hawkeyes previously added Felicity Taylor and Nanea Estrella, among others, to help fortify their roster.
In Deede, Iowa is getting another successful, experienced veteran. She compiled a 77-20 career record for Augsburg, including a 31-2 record this year, with 18 technical falls and 8 pins, during a national title-winning season.
At the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, held in Cedar Rapids this past March — basically the NCAA women’s wrestling tournament — Deede outscored her four opponents 41-15 en route to first.
Deede took a visit to Iowa that same weekend. She was sold on the academics and the coaching staff, and she loved the post-graduate opportunity Chun and her staff presented with the newly established Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club.
“I think it’s really cool to have three people” — Chun, plus assistants Gary Mayabb and Tonya Verbeek — “on staff that can add to your wrestling in different ways,” Deede said. “They all bring different perspectives. They’re coaches I can have relationships with, on and off the mat.
“I’ve known Clarissa for years, when she worked at USA Wrestling. She has a lot of positive energy. I’m really excited.”
The Iowa women’s wrestling program begins competing in the 2023-24 season. The initial 15-woman roster all redshirted this past season, and another 8-woman recruiting class, plus Deede, will join the program next season.
Deede is excited for the opportunity to compete for the first, and still only, Division I Power 5 women’s wrestling program in the country next season.
“I’m really excited,” Deede said. “On my visit, one of the girls had a women’s wrestling sweatshirt on and she was stopped multiple times by people asking about the program. Everybody is excited about it.
“It’ll be cool to be in a place that really supports girls and women’s wrestling.”
More:Rose Cassioppi, sister of Hawkeye Tony Cassioppi, commits to Iowa women's wrestling team
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at@codygoodwin.