Associate head coach Derek St. John and Iowa State’s inaugural women’s head coach Alli St. John sit down on the Full Tilt Podcast to talk about building a D1 wrestling powerhouse on both the men’s and women’s sides.

They dive into Alli’s journey from three-sport Illinois athlete to world silver medalist and trailblazing college coach, Derek’s path from Iowa state champ to NCAA champion and top-tier D1 coach, and how the Iowa State Regional Training Center is developing future world and Olympic medalists.

From the explosion of girls’ wrestling at Fargo, to recruiting entire wrestling families, to the lasting impact of legends like Terry Steiner, Nate Carr, and the late Mark Ryland, this episode is a deep look at where wrestling is right now—and where it’s going.

Timed highlights:
00:00 – Opening ad read: Hatch and Custom Community, Full Tilt intro, and setting up the “power couple” episode
03:10 – Alli and Derek’s roles at Iowa State and Derek’s recent Glen Brand Hall of Fame induction
08:20 – How the Iowa State women’s wrestling program came to life after gymnastics was dropped
12:45 – Women’s wrestling boom at Fargo and how the depth and level have exploded
18:05 – Alli’s path: three-sport athlete in Carbondale, IL, wrestling mostly boys, and qualifying for boys’ state
24:30 – Choosing King University over Oklahoma City, building a powerhouse team with future world and Olympic medalists
30:40 – WCWA explained and how the women’s college landscape has evolved into NAIA and NCAA divisions
36:00 – What it felt like wrestling in boys’ brackets with future stars like Tony Ramos, Ellis Coleman, and Zain Richards
43:10 – Transitioning to freestyle and the importance of getting girls international experience early
48:20 – Inside Japanese women’s wrestling: militant training, technical perfection, and why they dominate
55:00 – Alli’s Team USA years, training under Terry Steiner, and learning to coach every type of athlete
01:02:15 – How Alli and Derek met during COVID, long-distance while she was at HWC/Sunkist, and moving to Ames
01:08:40 – Building Iowa State women’s wrestling: fundraising, donor relations, and being “director of event management”
01:15:00 – Adding women’s wrestling vs. women’s flag football, and what it means for the sport in Iowa
01:21:30 – Recruiting, culture, and stealing staff from William Penn; why they’re excited about athletes like Piper Fowler
01:28:10 – RTC vision: men and women training together, building a unified CRTC to chase world and Olympic medals
01:35:00 – Brother–sister recruiting, families getting “one stop shop,” and how that changes the sales pitch
01:40:30 – The Carr legacy: Nate’s mentality, David’s selflessness in the room, and their impact on Iowa State
01:47:25 – Derek’s high school days at Iowa City West, powerhouse teams, and rivalry with Waverly-Shell Rock and City High
01:53:40 – Remembering coach Mark Ryland and the Ryland family’s impact on Derek’s life and career
01:58:30 – Walking into the Iowa room as a freshman: getting thrown to the wolves and learning from guys like Metcalf and Borschel
02:05:00 – Toughest college opponents: breaking down what made Kyle Dake and David Taylor so hard to wrestle
02:11:20 – How Tom Brands nudged Derek into coaching, early success at North Dakota State, and then Virginia Tech
02:18:00 – The wild transition when Dresser left for Iowa State mid-season and why Derek chose to follow later
02:24:15 – Growing the crowd in Ames, dual meet atmosphere, and why Iowa State is built for big-time wrestling
02:29:30 – Final reflections on growth of women’s wrestling, saving men’s programs, and what’s next for Iowa State

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