With 2025 coming to a close, it’s fun to take a look back and reflect on the year that was for Iowa athletics.
There were numerous significant and memorable moments, games, and performances by the Hawkeyes in 2025, spanning various sports. From big wins on the mat to Iowa legends being forever enshrined in the history books, this year was a special one for Beth Goetz’s athletics department.
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But, which moments stand above the rest? Which wins, games, and performances will be remembered far beyond this year?
Here are the top five moments from Iowa athletics in 2025:
Feb. 2: Iowa women’s basketball defeats No. 4 USC, Caitlin Clark’s jersey is retired
Feb 2, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Former Iowa Hawkeyes player Caitlin Clark looks on after the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against the USC Trojans. The Hawkeyes retired Clark’s jersey after the game. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
February 2 will go down in history as one of the best days in the history of the women’s basketball program. To start, Iowa picked up its best win of the season with a 76-69 victory over fourth-ranked USC inside a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Lucy Olsen outdueled Trojan star JuJu Watkins, scoring 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting to help lead the Hawkeyes to one of the first signature victories in the Jan Jensen era. But, the special moments didn’t stop when the final buzzer went off.
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After the win, Iowa brought out the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, Caitlin Clark, to have her No. 22 jersey retired. It was an emotional scene, as a bunch of Clark’s family, teammates, and coaches were there to see her jersey rise to the rafters. Clark and Lisa Bluder both spoke to the sold-out crowd, where Clark received her moment in the spotlight. It was a fitting ceremony and moment for the best college basketball player of all time.
March 8: Iowa women’s wrestling wins another national championship
Iowa’s women’s wrestling team walks out of the tunnel to receive their first place team award Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the NCWWCs at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The women’s wrestling team has been around for only a short time, but it has already established itself as the premier women’s wrestling program in the country. The Hawkeyes won a second-straight team title at the 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Tournament. Iowa had 15 All-Americans and three individual national champions at the event en route to 201.5 total points, which was enough to repeat as national champions.
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Macey Kilty (28-0), Kennedy Blades (25-0), and Kylie Welker (27-0) all capped off undefeated seasons with individual national championships. Ten other Hawkeyes finished top five at their respective weight. This program, under head coach Clarissa Chun, is a national powerhouse right now.
March 22: Stephen Buchanan II wins national title at 197 pounds
Mar 22, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Stephen Buchanan of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts after after defeating Josh Barr of the Penn State Nittany Lions (not pictured) during the Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship held at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
While the season didn’t end in a team title for men’s wrestling, there was still an amazing feel-good story for the program in 2025. Stephen Buchanan II transferred in from Oklahoma with one goal in mind: to win a national championship. And he did exactly that, defeating fourth-seeded Josh Barr of Penn State to win the national title at 197 pounds.
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Buchanan II became the first national champion at 197 pounds in the history of the program. He became the 86th national champion in Iowa program history, and the 14th under Tom Brands. Buchanan II finished the season with a 26-1 record, was an All-American, and the 197-pound national champion. This was easily one of the best moments and stories of 2025 for Iowa.
March 24: Iowa men’s basketball hires Ben McCollum
Ben McCollum, Iowa’s new head men’s basketball coach, speaks during his introductory press conference Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Just a few days after Buchanan II’s national championship, men’s basketball made a splash move. Iowa hired former Drake head coach Ben McCollum to take over the role that Fran McCaffery held for a decade and a half. The Hawkeyes wanted to move in a different direction, a direction that could lead to more success in March, and they got their guy in McCollum.
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McCollum had led Drake to a 30-win season and an NCAA Tournament victory before departing for Iowa City. He brought a ton of exciting transfers along with him, and the move is already paying dividends. The Hawkeyes are currently 10-2 and ranked 23rd in the country. The new style of play under McCollum, prioritizing defense and a more methodical pace, is working wonders right now. This move could end up being one of Beth Goetz’s finest if this program continues its upward trajectory.
Sept. 13: Kirk Ferentz becomes the Big Ten all-time wins leader
Sep 13, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz (center in white) comes off the field after the game against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Kinnick Stadium. Ferentz finished the game with the most all-time wins in the Big Ten Conference surpassing Woody Hayes with 206 Big Ten wins. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Kirk Ferentz is the longest-tenured FBS head coach, and his name was etched into the record books once again in 2025. In the Hawkeyes’ dominant 47-7 victory over UMass, Ferentz passed Ohio State legend Woody Hayes for the most wins by a Big Ten head coach ever. The win was the 206th in Ferentz’s legendary Iowa career, a number he added to as the season went on.
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Ferentz now sits at 212 career victories, which is 17th all-time nationally. He sits three wins behind Kansas State legend Bill Snyder on the career wins list, and he could move into the top 15 with eight more victories. Ferentz has already stated that he’s returning next season to continue coaching, so it’s safe to assume he’ll continue to climb that list. Ferentz is an all-time great Hawkeye, who rightfully got a really special moment with that UMass win.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Top five Iowa athletics moments from 2025
