Three Iowa wrestlers earned medals at the 2025 Under-20 Pan-American Championships

The Iowa Women's Wrestling program continues its stellar 2024-2025 campaign at home and internationally.

Coming off an undefeated 19-0 season, a second consecutive National Championship, and all 15 members of the squad being named All-Americans, the Hawkeyes continued their success internationally.

Iowa had multiple wrestlers in South America for the 2025 Under-20 Pan-American Championships in Lima, Peru, and three wrestlers capped off the tournament with first and second place finishes.

Bella Williams (59 Kg)

In April, Iowa added the commitment of talented wrestler Bella Williams to the 2025 recruiting class. Williams was a highly coveted recruit, ranked the No. 8 overall wrestler pound for pound by USA Wrestling and No. 2 overall at 130 pounds.

Williams was born in Hawaii, but moved to Oklahoma when she was 10 years old. She has been competing in wrestling ever since.

She has had success in the United States, winning three Oklahoma state championships, and internationally, capturing the gold at the 2024 Under-17 Pan-American Championships.

Williams headed to Lima, Peru, for the 2025 Under-20 Pan-American Championship and did not skip a beat.

Williams went 4-0 in the round-robin-style tournament, including two falls and two tech falls. She capped off her undefeated run by beating Ella Finding (Canada) and Cecilia Barranco Solano (Mexico) to take the gold medal.

Cadence Diduch (65 Kg)

Before heading to Lima, Iowa sophomore Cadence Diduch had a solid 2024-2025 freshman season with the Hawkeyes.

Diduch with a 17-5 record in the 138-pound weight class, including nine tech falls and two pins, en route to earning All-American honors.

Diduch, a two-time Illinois state champion and 2023 Under-17 Pan-American Championships gold medalist, looked to continue her success at the 2025 Under-20 Pan-American Championships.

Diduch cruised through her first two matches, earning two technical falls by a score of 10-0. She pinned her semifinal opponent, Valeria Perez Pacheco, in under three minutes and earned a spot in the gold medal match.

In the gold medal medal, Diduch made quick work of Mackenzie Cayer (Canada) 10-0, earning her third tech fall, and taking the gold medal.

Lilly Luft (62 Kg)

Iowa wrestler Lilly Luft mainly served as an alternate this season in the 138-pound weight class.

Luft had a 30-11 record as a freshman (203-2024) and was ranked in the top 10 at 138 pounds at the end of the season.

Before joining the Hawkeyes, Luft, a Charles City, Iowa, native, was ranked No. 1 in her weight class in high school and was a three-time Iowa state champion.

At the Under-20 Pan-American Championships, she cruised to the gold medal match, including a pin over Diana Estarita Martinez (Colombia) in the semifinals.

She faced a tough matchup in the gold medal match and lost 2-1 to Annika Finnes (Canada) to capture the silver medal.

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