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The Former Iowa wrestling coach, Michael Leslie, was arrested over a fitting room controversy. He was reportedly charged with several counts for allegedly recording female victims while changing in a fitting room at a Target store located at 320 S. Duff Ave. in Ames.
Leslie was arrested on Thursday with the charge of one count for sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts for invasion of privacy—nudity. The Ames Police Department began the investigation on February 24, when a woman filed a complaint about someone reportedly filming her while she was changing in the fitting room. The victim noticed a mobile phone below the door. She confronted the former coach, who was quick enough to leave the store before the police officers arrived.
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Following the investigation, the Ames police found out that the device belonged to the 45-year-old former Iowa coach. Later, the Police reportedly discovered multiple videos of other women and a minor changing in the store fitting rooms between February 15 and 24.
According to reports, Leslie was an assistant girls' wrestling coach in 2022 for the Nevada Community School team. Following the 2024-25 wrestling season, his employment concluded. Before Nevada Community School, he was a head coach at the Collins-Maxwell High School wrestling for seven years.
Iowa wrestling at NCAA
The Iowa Wrestling program has secured the NCAA titles 24 times, with the first one in 1975 under coach Gary Kurdelmeier and the last in 2021 under coach Tom Brands. They have won the most number of titles (15) under coach Dan Gable. Coach Brands led them to three consecutive titles from 2008, while coach Gable guided them to consecutive victories for three times, including 9 (1978 - 1986), 3 (1991 - 1993), and again three consecutive wins from 1995 to 1997.
At the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, the team settled in fourth place with 81.0 points. The Iowa State wrestling program followed Penn State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State, who collected 177.0, 117.0, and 102.5 points, respectively. Three wrestlers from the program competed in the final round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships. Drake Ayala locked horns with Illinois' Lucas Byrd in the 133lbs category and suffered a 3-2 loss.
No. 2 Michael Caliendo was defeated 8-2 by No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State in the 165 lbs category. However, No. 2 Stephen Buchanan outpowered No. 4 Josh Barr in 197 lbs with 5-2.
