When Olivia Meyer arrived at Iowa State two years ago as a freshman, the thought of joining a boxing team never crossed her mind, let alone actually boxing competitively.

Growing up around Dyersville, Iowa, there was a lack of boxing clubs and organizations in the area. Having played soccer in high school, Meyer said her participation in boxing didn’t start until she arrived at Iowa State her freshman year.

“I just went to Clubfest that Iowa State has, saw [the ISU Boxing Club] and was like ‘OK, let’s try it,’” Meyer said.

When Meyer told her parents she had joined the club, their initial concern was her getting hit. The first time she told her mother, Meyer said her mother told her she wasn’t allowed to spar.

“[My mom] was like, ‘No physical contact. You can do drills, but you can’t spar,’” Meyer said. “Of course, I’m not going to listen to Mom because she’s like two and a half hours away. What is she going to do, come over here?

“[My parents] thought it was a phase, which is what a lot of people do because I had never done it before. No one in my family [boxes].”

Meyer spent a year in the club before she was able to find a competitor to fight against. Her first fight was Sept. 28 against Damarise Rodriguez, member of the Muscatine County Boxing Club. Against Rodriguez, Meyer claimed her first victory. 

Of all the official competitions Meyer has been involved in, she and her opponent, Sabrina Kehr of West Virginia University, were the only two women present except at nationals.

After she started going to and succeeding in competitions, her parents finally realized her activity in the club wasn’t a phase.

“They are totally for it now. Dad thinks it’s hilarious, a hoot,” Meyer said. “When I call my mom after a fight, she is always like, ‘What’s the other girl look like?’”

On April 5, Meyer was the first ISU female boxer to compete in the National Collegiate Boxing Association National Championships. After winning her fight in the 147-pound weight class against Kehr, she was also the first ISU female boxer to bring home the championship title. 

Meyer doesn’t take a lot of time to think about the fact that she is the first woman to take the championship title. 

“[Being the first woman] was actually at the back of my mind. This was the first year I think, according to Coach, that they actually let females go to nationals in general,” Meyer said. “That was like a double whammy right there. First female to go to nationals, first female from ISU.”

Meyer said she was focused solely on the fight at nationals since she had fought Kehr before. 

“There was the thought that she knows my style and I know hers, so we’re going to try to figure out how to defend ourselves or how to beat each other,” Meyer said. “That was the most pressure, knowing that she knew how I fought, so she was going to train for that. That’s all we train for.”

While Meyer is the first woman to win a title, she isn’t the only woman in the club. However, she is the only woman to have what is considered “team status.” Team status is a level within the club where a member goes to competitions.

Since competing at nationals and having gained airtime on CBS Sports for the event, ISU Boxing Club coach Jon Swanson looks to see a rise in interest for the club and a rise in popularity of collegiate boxing in general. 

At the beginning of each semester, a new “class” comes to the club. From there, participants learn fundamentals and practice drills. As he or she progresses, each member can choose to continue to box only in the club or try out for competitions. 

Swanson said each new class may have about 80 people who show up and out of that, one or two actually make it to team status. 

“The kids that show up and stick it out are just really good, solid kids,” Swanson said. “Everyone gets along really well. It’s a family atmosphere and they like to work hard.” 

Cody Campbell, ISU Boxing Club president, thinks Meyer’s recent title will spur a more female-based interest in the club. Meyer said she also hopes for the same goal since she has yet to spar with a woman at Iowa State.

While training in the club, Meyer spars with her male teammates. She said that it benefits her more than them.

“I can go as hard as I want because I’m 50 pounds lighter than them,” Meyer said. “They have to tone it down.”

Swanson looks forward to potentially seeing more women in the club.

“We might get some women who are serious athletes like Olivia,” Swanson said. “Voting to have women in the NCBA was a good vote.”

Meyer said she thinks the boxing club at Iowa State is still an underrated club.

“We’ve been trying to build ourselves up for fundraising and campaigning, but it’s really slow. It’s difficult for us to do that because of how often we train,” Meyer said. “We’re in school and a lot of us have jobs.”

As a team member, Meyer is also treasurer of the club and is one of the members who has a job. She goes to class until around 3 p.m., trains with the club and then goes to her cleaning job in the evenings. Her hard work and dedication to the club doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Olivia fits right in and basically leads by example, Campbell said. 

“Olivia is such a committed athlete and such a hard worker. She’s one of the team,” Swanson said. “There’s a couple of athletes we have that are as dedicated as she is, but that’s only a couple.

“She’s one of the ones that is there everyday. She still has a job and she still gets good grades. That’s a pretty outstanding thing.”

As for the future, Meyer plans to still be a part of the club. She has thought about trying other clubs and activities, but ends up realizing she doesn’t want to be anywhere else. 

“I’ve considered taking a break and trying to explore other areas, but I really feel like this is my niche,” Meyer said. “I just like it all — plus, I like the activity that is going on. I like the health benefits. There’s not really anything to lose here except maybe a couple teeth.”

After college, Meyer plans to attend a medical school to pursue a career in pediatrics or trauma.

“I would like to see the women of her generation to have her as a role model,” Swanson said. “She’s a great role model.”