The Iowa Women’s Wrestling Club has signed Gracie Figueroa as its second resident athlete.
Figueroa brings an impressive resume to the club, joining NCWWC national champion and two-time senior world medalist Macey Kilty, who signed with the club in April.

“I feel really grateful,” Figueroa said of joining the IWWC and the opportunities it will afford her. “It’s a wonderful opportunity and is everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

It wasn’t that long ago, however, that those dreams seemed out of reach. After tearing her ACL in the finals of the college women’s wrestling national championship in the spring of 2022, and then finding a
home in the corner of the mat instead of its center as she recovered –Figueroa thought she might be
done competing.

A four-time undefeated California state champion, five-time Fargo National Champion, five-time world
team member, bronze medalist at the Cadet World Championships, and collegiate national champion
and runner-up, Figueroa knew she couldn’t leave wrestling altogether, so she started coaching, eventually joining the women’s wrestling staff at King University in Tennessee in 2024.

She was with that team earlier this year at freestyle nationals in Spokane, Washington, when she found
herself chatting with her former sponsor, Titan Mercury.

After a three-year hiatus, Figueroa signed up for the U.S. Open this past April, suffering an unfortunate injury in just her second match. 

Her spark to compete was reignited.

In search of support for her Olympic and world team goals, the Selma, California, native found herself training in Iowa City during the summer of 2025 and on the radar of the Iowa Women’s Wrestling Club, the country’s first and only female club, established in 2023, to provide the coaching, training environment, and financial backing for wrestlers vying for Olympic and world championships post-college.

IWWC Board President Josh Schamberger and the Iowa Women’s wrestling coaches were already well aware of Figueroa.

“Gracie Figueroa is a proven winner with an incredible work ethic,” said Schamberger. “She is also a fantastic person and a natural leader in the wrestling room. We couldn’t be more excited to have her as part of the IWWC and to support her as she pursues world and Olympic gold.”

For more information or to be connected with Figueroa for an interview, contact Josh Schamberger, IWWC president, at josh@thinkiowacity.com, or Tricia Brown, IWWC vice president, at brown.tricia.k@gmail.com.