McCrae Hagarty, two-time state champ from Waverly-Shell Rock, commits to Iowa State wrestling

Iowa’s top-available senior high school wrestler made his college decision on Friday — and McCrae Hagarty will be staying in-state.

Hagarty, a two-time state champ for Waverly-Shell Rock, announced his commitment to Iowa State. He chose the Cyclones over the likes of Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Iowa, among others. He projects at 197 pounds.

“The campus, atmosphere, team, and the coaches,” Hagarty said when asked what made his decision. “I really liked it.”

Hagarty is the 10th in-state senior in the 2023 class to commit to a Division I wrestling program. He is the third to chose the Cyclones, joining Linn-Mar’s Tate Naaktgeboren and Prairie’s Blake Gioimo. He also joins his Waverly-Shell Rock teammate Ryder Block in becoming a Division I recruit (Block is committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes).

In Hagarty, the Cyclones are getting their future 197-pounder — and one of the top wrestling prospects in the country.

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He is rated the No. 34 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to MatScouts. He is Iowa State’s second top-50 commit for 2023 (Naaktgeboren is No. 49), a strong follow-up after the Cyclones’ 2022 recruiting class was ranked No. 2 in the country.

In 2021, Hagarty earned All-American honors at the 16U national championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Last May, he finished third at the Cadet men’s freestyle world team trials. He is currently ranked 7th nationally at 195 pounds.

Hagarty enters his senior season with a 117-8 career record. He is a three-time state medalist, taking fourth as a freshman before winning back-to-back state titles, at 182 pounds as a sophomore and 195 as a junior. Over the last two seasons, he is 82-1 overall, and is ranked No. 1 at 195 in Class 3A in IAWrestle’s preseason poll.

Not only did Hagarty pick the Cyclones over plenty of other suitors, but he also picked wrestling over the sport of football.

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As Hagarty blossomed as a wrestler, he also emerged as a fierce football prospect. He plays both ways, a productive running back, who has led the Go-Hawks in rushing each of the last two seasons, and hard-hitting defensive line-linebacker hybrid, who recorded a team-best 23 tackles for loss last year, the third-most in all of Class 4A.

Over the last three seasons, Waverly-Shell Rock is 21-6 overall. They went 10-2 last year and reached the Class 4A state semifinals. They are currently 7-0 this year and ranked No. 2 in the latest 4A RPI poll. Hagarty again leads the Go-Hawks in rushing, with 809 yards on 106 attempts (7.6 yards per carry) and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Hagarty explored a future in college football, with gameday visits to both Iowa State and Iowa — he was being recruited as a fullback — but ultimately decided to wrestle. He is considered a still-budding mat prospect, with a multi-time All-American ceiling.

Hagarty is joining an Iowa State program that has taken steady steps forward under head coach Kevin Dresser. Over the last four seasons, the Cyclones are 44-13 overall in dual-meets; recorded four-straight top-three finishes at the Big 12 Championships; and have had six individuals become All-Americans at the NCAA Championships.

The plan right now is for Hagarty to redshirt his initial year in the program. Yonger Bastida, the Cyclones’ current starter at 197 and a 2022 All-American, has three years of eligibility left. Iowa State’s only other two listed 197-pounders, Rowan Udell from Iowa City Regina and Cayden Miller from Midland, are currently true freshmen.

Iowa high school wrestling, 2023 college commitments

• Iowa City High’s Ben Kueter, Iowa (football and wrestling)
• Southeast Polk's Nate Jesuroga, Iowa
• Waverly-Shell Rock's Ryder Block, Iowa
• Linn-Mar’s Tate Naaktgeboren, Iowa State
• Iowa City High's Gabe Arnold, Iowa
• Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Blake Gioimo, Iowa State
• Nashua-Plainfield's Garret Rinken, Northern Iowa
• Underwood’s Gable Porter, Virginia
• West Burlington-Notre Dame's CJ Walrath, Northern Iowa
• Waverly-Shell Rock's McCrae Hagarty, Iowa State

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at@codygoodwin.