‘Sky’s the Limit’: 7 Questions for Clarissa Chun, Iowa Women's Wrestling Coach

Chun is in her second year at Iowa and looking forward to how her team can set the example for the growth of women’s wrestling.

Iowa women's wrestling coach Clarissa Chun is acknowledged during a NCAA wrestling dual between Iowa and Princeton, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. 211119 Princeton Iowa Wr 014 Jpg / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

On September 23, 2021, the University of Iowa Athletics announced the addition of women's wrestling to its intercollegiate athletics program. With this move, Iowa became the first NCAA Division I school in the Power-4 conference institutions to offer the sport. Women’s wrestling began competing during the 2023-24 season.

Clarissa Chun was named the Iowa women's wrestling head coach in November 2021, making her the first female head coach in the program's history. Chun has received numerous accolades as a competitor since graduating from Missouri Valley College, including becoming an inductee to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in June 2022. She is one of only four women to receive this honor. 

This is how Wrestling Town, USA welcomes our new head coach... @ClarissaChun! #Hawkeyes x #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/kJVSGPeCrm

— Iowa Women's Wrestling (@IowaW_Wrestling) November 20, 2021

Chun is also a two-time Olympian competing at 48 kg and placed fifth at the 2008 Beijing Games and Bronze medal at the 2012 London Games. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Senior World Championships and won five U.S. Open titles during her professional career.

In her first season as Iowa women’s wrestling head coach, she led the team to nine wins over NCAA-ranked teams, was undefeated 16-0 and outscored opponents 593-108, according to Iowa Athletics. The team finished the season as the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Champions and returned to Carver-Hawkeye with six champions. Chun was named USA Today’s Women of the Year honoree for the state of Iowa in 2024.  

Women’s wrestling is considered an NCAA emerging sport and is anticipated to become an NCAA Championship sport by winter 2026. The final decision on the championship will be decided by vote during the NCAA Convention from January 15-18, 2025. Right now, women’s collegiate wrestling is in a phase where all participants compete in a national competition held at the end of the season organized by a coalition of wrestling organizations. Currently, women's collegiate wrestling is offered at four Division I, 28 Division II and 44 Division III institutions.

Show 'em off 💍 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/msBCZiU1Gw

— Iowa Women's Wrestling (@IowaW_Wrestling) October 11, 2024

Interview with Coach Chun

As the first Iowa women's wrestling coach and the first NCAA Division One Power-4 conference institution to offer the sport, how do you feel that your role as the head coach has shaped the future of women's wrestling at the collegiate level?

 CC: “I tell our team we are setting the standard. There [are] a lot of expectations that are put upon the fact that women's wrestling is tied to the University of Iowa. That standard is the exact standard for any Division I Power-4 conferences that are around.

We have to make sure we're doing things the right way. We [have to be] strong in our values of integrity and character as a program because if we falter from that it could jeopardize any future possible Division I Power-4 conferences from wanting to start women's wrestling. We have to give them reasons why [they should] add women's wrestling, not why [they should not] add women's wrestling.” 

What has the fan support been like in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and on the road when the team travels to new schools and states?

CC: “It’s wild. Iowa and wrestling go hand in hand and as a state, they know wrestling. They support sports in general because the universities are the professional teams in the state of Iowa. I didn’t know what to anticipate or expect, but I hoped they [would] enjoy watching women wrestle.

In our first home dual, we had over 8,000 people come out to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which was amazing. The energy was felt, and it felt like [we were receiving] the same support as men’s wrestling, which I really appreciated. We never want any one of our student athletes to feel less than [others] because they’re just as deserving. They work hard daily in the classroom and on the wrestling mats to be able to showcase what they do and for the fans to support and cheer them on like they do any other sport is amazing.

We went to the University of Sioux Falls last year and dueled with them, and it was really cool to see the fans show out from the upper Iowa area. There are a good handful of people who have come out to watch our women wrestle from all corners of the country whether at William Jewell, Missouri Valley, or Life University. The Hawks' fans are far and wide.

It’s so cool to be a part of a bigger community. I went to a small NAIA school, Missouri Valley College. I’m very proud of where I come from, but it is such a different feeling to be a part of something as prestigious as the University of Iowa academically and athletically.”     

How did your experience competing last season influence your coaching strategy for this year?

CC: “I don’t know if there’s a whole lot different that I would change from last year to this year. I’m always looking to make adjustments. My coaching staff and I are always looking at how we can do things better. We want to continue to do things that are working and then make adjustments to things that are maybe not working. Our main focus is focusing on the people in front of us and helping them through their individual needs to bring out their best selves.

Sometimes I feel like a broken record because I continually say, “Bring your best self and what does your best look like?” At the end of the day, as much as we want to win, which is our goal, it’s going to require everyone to [show up] as the best versions of themselves to [achieve] that outcome. If we can look inward and find ourselves as we do that, both individually and as a team, that’s what I want for them long beyond the titles and their time here at the University of Iowa. That process of self-discovery is more long-term than their four or five years here [with us].”

Are you seeing the team take that opportunity to grow and use it as momentum to continue their growth on the mat, whether or not it ends with another title or championship?

CC: “There have been a good amount of them that have built off of what their best version of themselves are and added to their toolbox, so to speak. Perhaps last year, they had one or two skills, but now they have a couple of things to add to and that’s where their growth and development happens. [It's also important] to ask ourselves what we are doing mentally, emotionally and spiritually because that’s the complete whole. You can have all the physicality and technique in the world, but if your mind is not in the right place then it can fall apart. We continue to work through their self-talk, whether or not it is beneficial to moving us forward or holding us back.”

What advice would you give to younger female wrestlers who are seeing this sport grow and see they do have the opportunity to compete collegiately?

CC: “You have to get [back] up when you get taken down, and everyone will get taken down. You have to find ways to give yourself grace through the sport. As long as they find some joy in it, I think it’s a good direction for them to continue. However, if they lack joy they need to figure out why they are doing this and if it’s for them or not. If they want to pursue it at a collegiate level, that’s a great opportunity to get an education while continuing to compete. I encourage them to put their best effort [forward] not only on the wrestling mat but also in the classroom because this can be something great for their future beyond the sport of wrestling.”

What are you looking forward to for the rest of this season?

CC: “I hope to have a lot of great memories of our women competing well and competing at their best. As long as they give their best effort out there, you can’t hang your head too low. At the end of the day, the goal is to raise that national championship trophy in March. I’m looking forward to moments like that. Day-to-day we want to deepen the understanding of the student athletes and the relationships that we try to build with every one of them. We have 32 athletes on the roster and three coaches, so we do our best to give our best to them.”

Where do you hope the future of Division I women’s wrestling will go?

CC: “I would love it to be to the point where the men are at, where women’s wrestling can compete for a Big 10 title against Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. I want to have a [conference] championship, and then a division I national championship would be phenomenal to have for women. There are amazing women out there, and if you give them the opportunity to have a place and a space to thrive and excel, then they will. The sky’s the limit for them, no different than the men.

Our team has great achievers in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. We have women in our program who want to get to the world level in wrestling and want to save lives by going the pre-medicine route. You can have space for both.”