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Iowa, Clarissa Chun reach contract extension through 2031

by: Tanner Lafever05/29/26TannerLafever

The first-ever head coach in Iowa women’s wrestling history will remain its only head coach well into the foreseeable future.

That’s because the University of Iowa announced on Friday morning that Clarissa Chun has signed a contract extension through 2031 to continue her stewardship of the trailblazing Hawkeyes.

Less than five years ago – on November 18, 2021 – Chun was named the inaugural head coach of a brand-new program.

Now she’ll lead a well-established, annual title contender through at least the next five years in Iowa City.

Said Chun through the University’s press release:

“I’m incredibly grateful for the continued trust and support from Beth Goetz and the University of Iowa. This extension reflects the commitment we’ve made to building a championship program the right way – through hard work, accountability, and developing student-athletes who excel both on and off the mat. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and excited about where we’re headed.”

Not that it takes a genius to recognize what a prudent move it was to get this extension done – but in case folks were wondering, Chun has gotten off to a pretty darn impressive start given the unparalleled circumstances/expectations that come with helming the Iowa women’s program.

Tale of the tape

  • National team titles = two (runner up in 2026)
  • NWCA National Duals titles = two (third in 2026)
  • Individual national champions = 12
  • Individual national runners up = five
  • All-Americans = 36
  • Dual record = 49-1
  • NWCA Scholar All-Americans = 35 (including a program-best 16 in 2026)
  • Two-time USA Wrestling Women’s Coach of the Year (2024-25)

These are just some of the accolades accumulated by the Iowa women’s program through three competitive varsity seasons.

(The Hawkeyes competed unattached while taking a blanket redshirt year in 2022-23.)

It’s done all of this despite having no prior roadmap as a Power Five women’s program, a first-time head coach (at any level) and a singular target upon it by the rest of the sport from its very moment of inception.

The 2025-26 season may’ve been Iowa’s most trying yet, suffering its first-ever (razor-thin) defeats at both the NWCA National Duals and the inaugural NCAA Championships.

But through it all – the rare adversity and abundant success(es) – Clarissa Chun has remained a steadying force.

And there’s no reason to believe the next five years won’t be as fruitful as her first half-decade in Iowa City.

Gazing forward

As for that future, Chun either has, or will undoubtedly deal with several more firsts along the way.

Already this month, she has both lost and replaced an assistant coach on staff. And within the next year she’ll see the remainder of Iowa’s inaugural (and high-powered) recruiting class exhaust its eligibility.

(Of course, that might all seem a bit trivial as compared to starting the entire program from scratch not long ago.)

In the meantime, the head Hawkeye will continue help her athletes pursue World/Olympic medals – a staple of her tenure to date.

She’ll also continue to recruit the nation’s very best talent – some of which is mere months away from stepping on campus.

And come next season (plus those beyond), you can bet that Clarissa Chun and the Iowa women’s wrestling program will be chasing the same standard she established when first tabbed as its head coach back in 2021:

Championships and excellence at every turn.

The night before her contract extension was announced, Clarissa Chun spoke with Hawkeye Report at an I-Club event in Muscatine.

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