Iowa women's wrestling adds Utah state champ Esther Han to inaugural recruiting class
Cody GoodwinEsther Han, a standout women's wrestler from Utah, signed on to become the 13th member of the Iowa women's wrestling program on Friday.
Han is ranked No. 12 nationally at 132 pounds by USA Wrestling. She took third at the 2022 Junior women's folkstyle national championships in March, and also took third at the 2021 Junior women's freestyle national championships last July.
"Esther is hard-working and always asks questions to improve her development because she strives to always be better," Iowa women's head coach Clarissa Chun said in a release, announcing Han's signing.
"Esther and I share a common bond with our judo backgrounds, so I am excited to work with her. She has challenged herself against Senior age group athletes throughout high school and she is driven both academically and athletically."
Han is originally from Carbondale, Illinois, but spent much of her prep career at Holt High School in Missouri, where she won two state championships. She spent her senior season at Mountain View in Utah, and won another state title in February.
Han has twice qualified for the Senior world team trials — in 2021 after winning the Last Chance Qualifier, and in 2022 after taking seventh at the U.S. Open last April.
► MORE RECRUITING: Felicity Taylor will transfer to the Iowa women's wrestling team
2022 recruiting class for Iowa Hawkeye women's wrestling team
- Kylie Welker, a Junior world champ and the No. 1 overall pound-for-pound women’s wrestler in America;
- Ella Schmit, a three-time state champ for Bettendorf and Junior All-American;
- Reese Larramendy, a U20 world team member;
- Nyla Valencia, a U23 world team member;
- Brianna Gonzalez, a Junior national champ;
- Emilie Gonzalez, a Junior national champ;
- Nanea Estrella, a U.S. Open champ transferring in from NAIA's Menlo;
- Ava Bayless, a two-time national prep champ;
- Sam Calkins, a Junior national champ;
- Bella Mir, a Junior folkstyle national champ;
- Sterling Dias, a two-time Cadet world bronze medalist;
- and Felicity Taylor, an Iowa native and U.S. Open champ.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.