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Kennedy Blades to forgo final year of eligibility at Iowa

by: Tanner Lafever06/05/26TannerLafever

Kennedy Blades has wrestled her last match as an Iowa Hawkeye.

On Friday morning, the 22-year-old announced on Instagram that she will be forgoing her final year of collegiate eligibility.

Instead, she’ll be joining the newly formed Real American Freestyle professional wrestling league, while also pursuing her Olympic aspirations.

After two stellar seasons as a Hawkeye, Kennedy Blades is pointing toward a professional pursuit with RAF – in addition to her World/Olympic aspirations. (Photo by: University of Iowa Athletics)

Blades will continue to train in Iowa, per her announcement – and expressed her gratitude for her time as a Hawkeye:

“These past two years have been a blessing to represent the Tiger Hawk on my chest, surrounded by the best coaches, teammates and community. I am grateful to (Clarissa Chun) for her guidance and the opportunity to represent the University.”

“To Hawkeye Nation, thank you. The fan base here is truly unlike any other.”

As for the ramifications of this summer move for both Blades and the Iowa program, let’s break it down.

What it means for Blades

One of wrestling’s bright young stars ever since earning an Olympic silver medal in 2024, Kennedy Blades’ profile has only increased since that summer – during which she also signed with Iowa.

Twice Blades won an individual national title as a Hawkeye – including the program’s first NCAA-designated title this past March:

She was also a huge part of team titles at both the 2025 NWCA National Duals and 2025 NCWWC Championships.

During her two seasons at Iowa, Blades’ performance was nearly unparalleled at the collegiate level.

Her Hawkeye career concludes with a 44-0 overall record – 43 of which came via either technical fall or pin. And in just about every one of those victories, she somehow managed to be both equal parts dominant and must-see entertainment.

That entertainment value, in addition to her World/Olympic successes, was undoubtedly a big reason why Real American Freestyle has made her such a focal point – especially on the women’s side – of its early foray as a professional league.

Blades competed at three of RAF’s first seven events in/around her final season at Iowa – crushing each of her opponents. As such, she currently holds the distinction as the league’s women’s ‘Middleweight’ champion.

Now, she’ll be free to pursue that avenue on a full-time basis.

“As a little girl, I dreamed of competing at the highest levels of this sport for as long as possible, and for the first time, there is a real pathway for athletes like me to continue building a career in professional wrestling.”

“That’s why, ahead of the season, I’ll be joining Real American Freestyle and pursuing Olympic gold full-time. For so long, opportunities for wrestlers after college were limited and now, I get to live out my dream doing the sport that means so much to me.”

What it means for Iowa

As for Blades’ now alma mater, Iowa and head coach Clarissa Chun find themselves in the unenviable position of replacing a program legend.

And at present, a definitive solution to the massive void at 160 pounds does not yet exist.

Iowa’s lone 160-pounder on the roster is 2025 recruit Adriana Palumbo – who redshirted this past season after reinjuring the same shoulder that cut short her senior year of high school.

Palumbo recently returned to the mat for non-contact training, but her timeline to be ready for live competition is unknown.

Another (unproven) possibility is incoming freshman Nora Akpan.

A Minnesota native, the late-blooming prospect continued her ascent by placing fourth at the recent US Open – her Senior-level debut.

That placement came at 68 kilograms (~150 pounds) – the same weight at which Blades competed internationally this past season while wrestling for the Hawkeyes at 160 pounds.

Nora Akpan first burst onto the national scene with a surprising run to a Fargo title last summer.

(Sophomore Cadence Diduch also ‘pinch hit’ at 160 several times last season but appears to be a much more natural 145-pounder.)

I’ve been told the Iowa staff is quite high on both Akpan/Palumbo. However, that isn’t to say the staff wouldn’t pursue an additional competitor for the weight class.

In fact, it really would not surprise me to see them do so.

Whomever the Hawkeyes go with at 160 next season, it’s unlikely that person will match the stardom/production of its previous caretaker.

But that was always going to be the case when replacing someone like Kennedy Blades.

Now, Iowa will just do it a year sooner than most people would’ve anticipated.

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