Wrestlers · College
Lilly Luft
3x Iowa girls' state champion at Charles City; 125-6 and a state record for career wins by a girl; 2026 NCAA All-American
Charles City, IA · Charles City Community High School HS · University of Iowa
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 3, 2026
Lilly Luft grew up in Charles City, Iowa, with brothers who wrestled, and started wrestling full time as a freshman. She went 32-3 that first season and placed fourth at the girls' state tournament. She won the next three, going 24-1 as a sophomore, 29-2 as a junior and 40-0 as a senior. Her career record of 125-6 set the Iowa record for career wins by a girl.
Her senior title came at 130 pounds at Xtream Arena in Coralville in 2023, the first year the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sanctioned the sport. She won five matches there, outscored the field 31-1 and beat Chloe Sanders of Vinton-Shellsburg 9-0 in the final. She was the 2023 Iowa High School Female Wrestler of the Year, the Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year and the IGHSAU Athlete of the Year. She was a Super 32 runner-up in 2022, a Fargo national runner-up in 2023 and fourth at the 2021 Cadet beach world championships in Romania.
She also helped her family write and lobby for Logan's Law, named for her brother Logan, which lets Iowans register as organ, eye and tissue donors when they buy a hunting or fishing license. She volunteered at the Transplant Games of America and the Iowa Donor Network.
She went to Iowa as part of Clarissa Chun's early classes and went 30-11 as a freshman with 16 technical falls, placing fifth at the national college championships. As a junior she won the CK Mike Duroe Invite and the NCAA Region V title. She then took fourth at 138 pounds at the first NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, held back at Xtream Arena in March 2026.
She is a senior at Iowa, wrestling for the Hawkeyes after finishing fourth at 138 pounds at the first NCAA women's championships.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | High school | IWCOA Iowa Girls State Championships | 4th | 32-3. Freshman season, the first of four straight state placements | |
| 2020-21 | High school | IWCOA Iowa Girls State Championships | 1st | 24-1. First state title; she was also the 2020 AAU Iowa state runner-up and third at the Flo Tulsa Nationals | |
| 2021 | Age group | Cadet Beach Wrestling World Championships, Romania | 4th | She was also fifth at Fargo and fifth at the Super 32 that year | |
| 2021-22 | High school | IWCOA Iowa Girls State Championships | 1st | 29-2. Second state title; she was a Super 32 runner-up and a Women's Nationals All-American that year | |
| 2022-23 | High school | IGHSAU Iowa Girls State Championships, Xtream Arena, Coralville | 130 lb | 1st | 40-0; 125-6 career. Feb. 3, 2023; five wins with two early pins and three major decisions, a combined 31-1 scoring margin, and a 9-0 win over Chloe Sanders of Vinton-Shellsburg in the final. Third state title, won at the first tournament the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sanctioned. Her 125 career wins set the Iowa record for a girl, and she became one of four Iowa girls to win three state titles, with Millie Peach, Ella Schmit and Naomi Simon. |
| 2023 | Age group | Junior Women's Freestyle National Championships, Fargo, ND | 2nd | ||
| 2023-24 | College | NCWWC National Championships | 5th | 30-11. Freshman season; 16 technical falls and three pins, 4-2 in duals, runner-up at the Soldier Salute and at NCWWC Region Five, ranked in the national top ten late in the year | |
| 2025-26 | College | NCAA Region V Championships, Indianola, IA | 138 lb | 1st | She also won the 2026 CK Mike Duroe Invite; she had to win a lineup battle to be the Hawkeyes' postseason entry at 138 |
| 2025-26 | College | NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, Xtream Arena, Coralville | 138 lb | 4th | 21-8. March 6-7, 2026, the first NCAA women's wrestling championships; she was the No. 4 seed and the only Iowa native in the Hawkeye lineup, and Iowa finished second as a team behind McKendree |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://hawkeyesports.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/player/lilly-luft · Iowa roster: hometown Charles City, Iowa; Charles City Community High School; born March 8, 2005; senior class in 2026-27; 2025-26 record 21-8 with eight technical falls and five pins, 2026 CK Mike Duroe Invite champion, 2026 NCAA Region V champion, 2026 NCAA All-American, fourth place; 2024-25 record 1-4; 2023-24 record 30-11 with 16 technical falls, fifth at the NCWWC national championships, NCWWC Region Five runner-up, Soldier Salute runner-up; high school 32-3 as a freshman with a fourth-place state finish, 24-1 as a sophomore, 29-2 as a junior, 40-0 as a senior, three-time Iowa state champion, 2022 Super 32 runner-up, 2023 Fargo Nationals runner-up, ranked No. 1 nationally as a senior; career record table shows 52-23 through 2025-26
- https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/15553 · Three-time Iowa state champion and four-time place-winner for Charles City Community High School; 40-0 as a senior and 125-6 career, a state record for most career wins by a female wrestler; 2023 Iowa High School Female Wrestler of the Year and Dan Gable Ms. Wrestler of the Year; 2022 Super 32 finalist; 16U freestyle All-American; fourth at the 2021 Cadet beach wrestling world championships in Romania; helped her family write, lobby for and pass Logan's Law, named for her brother Logan, which lets hunting and fishing license buyers declare as organ, eye and tissue donors; volunteered at the Transplant Games of America, the LifeServe Blood Center and the Iowa Donor Network; 2023 IGHSAU Athlete of the Year; Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award
- https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/wrestling/2026/03/03/iowa-womens-wrestling-ncaa-championships-lilly-luft/88917433007/ · March 3, 2026: Luft was the No. 4 seed at 138 pounds and the only Iowa native in the Hawkeye lineup at the first NCAA women's wrestling championships, March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville; she started wrestling full time as a freshman after growing up with brothers who wrestled; she won three state titles for Charles City, including her senior title at Xtream Arena at the first IGHSAU-sanctioned tournament; she was an All-American as a freshman at Iowa and won a lineup battle as a junior to be the postseason entry at 138
- https://www.thegazette.com/sports/college/iowa-hawkeyes/lilly-luft-demonstrates-wrestling-prowess-on-familiar-turf/article_73e838f7-12f8-45be-968c-0e0db6bc06a9.html · Luft won an Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state title at Xtream Arena in 2023, the first year the sport was sanctioned in Iowa
- https://hawkeyesports.com/news/2026/04/8/iowa-womens-wrestling-2026-final-notes · Iowa finished second at the 2026 NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships with three champions and nine All-Americans, behind McKendree, 171 points to 166, with North Central third
- https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/02/04/charles-city-lilly-luft-state-wrestling-championship-brother-logan-heart-recipient-ember-henderson/69864137007/ · Feb. 3, 2023, at the first Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state tournament: Luft won at 130 pounds with five wins, two early pins and three major decisions, a combined 31-1 scoring margin and a 9-0 win over Chloe Sanders of Vinton-Shellsburg in the final; 40-0 senior season and 125-6 career, the most individual wins in state history for an Iowa girl; one of four Iowa girls to win three state titles, with Millie Peach, Ella Schmit and Naomi Simon; 16U All-American, U17 world team trials place-winner, Super 32 finalist, fourth at the 2021 Cadet beach wrestling world championships; signed with Iowa as the third Iowa native on the roster, with Schmit and Felicity Taylor
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