Mt. Pleasant, IA- The ballots are open for the first USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year Award and Adaugo Nwachukwu is one of the six finalists. It will be tough competition for the Tiger as each wrestler went undefeated for the season and is at least a one-time champion. Here is a quick rundown of the competition.
Lexie Basham of Texas Wesleyan went 18-0 on the season and is now a two-time NAIA champion.
Marissa Gallegos is a redshirt junior for Colorado Mesa who went 28-0 and finished as the 2023 NCWWC champion at 123-pounds. She is the only non-multiyear champion.
Dymond Guilford is a graduate student from University of Cumberlands and she totaled a 21-0 record on the year at 170-pounds and is now a three-time NAIA champion.
Yelena Makoyed of North Central is now a three-time NCWWC champion after finishing with a 28-0 record.
Peyton Prussin of Life University is a three-time NAIA champion as she finished the year with 3 pins and 9 technical falls.
Lastly, Adaugo Nwachukwu is just a sophomore for Iowa Wesleyan but she has dominated the mat ever since arriving in Mount Pleasant. Nwachukwu was the first National Champion and All-American in the program’s history as a freshman losing only one match on the year. Over the summer, she competed for Team USA and took home the bronze medal in the Women’s Freestyle in the 62KG division. She used that momentum to finish her sophomore season with a 31-0 record where 29 of her matches ended by pin or tech fall. She won the Heart of America Conference title, named NAIA Outstanding Wrestler of the Year, and is now a two-time NAIA Champion after winning the crown this year in the 136-pound weight class. Nwachukwu is the first in program history to win multiple National Championships.
The award will be decided by three groups: wrestling journalists, women’s college head coaches, and fans.
Follow this link to cast your vote before it ends on March 27th at 8 am: https://usawrestlingevents.com/wcwoty