Iowa and Nebraska Wrestlers to Watch at Fargo 2026

Iowa and Nebraska are wrestling states to their core, and the pipeline from high school mats to Fargo runs deeper here than almost anywhere else in the country. Iowa has more than 13,000 rostered wrestlers and nearly 385,000 matches in the database. Nebraska is right there with more than 12,000 rostered wrestlers and nearly 378,000 matches. Both states have well-established freestyle and Greco-Roman programs that feed directly into Fargo preparation, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of the strongest years yet for both delegations.

Iowa's top-rated wrestler is not a boy — it is Chloe Sanders of Vinton-Shellsburg, who carries a 2519 overall rating on a 146-11 record. Sanders has more wins than any other wrestler on this list and has been one of the most dominant forces in Iowa girls wrestling. Katie Biscoglia of Raccoon River-Northwest (2398, 105-8) and Skylar Slade of Southeast Polk (2361, 90-11) add depth to a girls program that is growing rapidly. Brylee Irsik of Nebraska Wrestling Academy (2336, 227-32) has an eye-popping 227 career wins — the most of any wrestler from either state — along with a 2064 Greco-Roman rating that makes her a legitimate dual-style threat. The Simon sisters from Decorah, Anastasia (2348, 72-10) and Ana (2340, 36-2), are both rated above 2330 and represent a genuine sibling pipeline.

On the Iowa boys side, Apollo Willuweit of SODAK Grapplers leads at 2499 on an 89-1 record. Dawson Youngblut of Don Bosco (2431, 88-11) carries a 2033 freestyle rating, and his Don Bosco teammates Hayden Schwab (2360, 46-2) and Hendrix Schwab (2359, 49-4) give the program three wrestlers rated above 2350. Southeast Polk is the deepest team in the state: Amir Newman-Winfrey (2408, 71-7) has the best cross-style profile in Iowa with a 2198 freestyle rating and a 2212 Greco-Roman rating, Eddie Woody (2371, 26-0) is undefeated, and Nico DeSalvo (2365, 47-1) has lost just once. Maximus Dhabolt of Ankeny Centennial (2418, 98-15) is another cross-style wrestler with a 2126 freestyle rating and a 2018 Greco rating.

Nebraska's top wrestler is Zolah Williams of Kearney, who carries a 2502 overall rating on a 128-4 record with a 2053 Greco-Roman rating — one of the highest Greco marks among girls wrestlers nationally. Kiernan Meink of Millard South (2474, 121-8) leads Nebraska's boys with a 2038 Greco rating of his own, and Khy'ree Thomas-Calloway of Omaha Bryan (2426, 87-2) is right behind. Columbus is emerging as Nebraska's deepest wrestling pipeline: Jaeston Delano (2417, 83-2), Ethan Secoy (2351, 109-6), and Mason Petersen (2351, 160-34) all come from the same program. Petersen stands out with 160 wins and dual-style ratings above 2000 in both freestyle (2003) and Greco-Roman (2011). On the girls side, Maggie Fiene of Conestoga (2371, 91-2), Carsyn McBride of Kearney (2348, 63-1), and Jordyn Campbell of Yutan (2332, 54-0 — undefeated) add depth behind Williams.

These two states share a wrestling culture that prizes toughness, volume, and year-round development, but they produce talent in slightly different ways. Iowa leans on powerhouse programs — Southeast Polk alone has four wrestlers on this list, and Don Bosco has three. Nebraska's strength is more distributed, with Columbus, Millard South, Omaha Bryan, and Kearney all contributing elite talent. Both states have standout cross-style wrestlers (Newman-Winfrey, Dhabolt, Petersen, Meink) — the kind of athletes who tend to perform well in Fargo's freestyle and Greco brackets because they have already logged high-level reps in both disciplines.

For the full profiles on any of these wrestlers — including WPR scores, archetype breakdowns, rating trajectories, and complete match histories — click through to their MatMetrics profile. June qualifiers will reshuffle some of these ratings, but the foundation is clear: Iowa and Nebraska are loaded heading into Fargo 2026.