Record-Setting Nationals Witnesses Three Champions, Five Total All-Americans

Jamestown, N.D.--A monumental campaign was capped by a monumental showing on the biggest stage as the William Penn women's wrestling team placed in the top four at the Second Annual NAIA National Championship last Friday and Saturday.

Courtesy of five total All-Americans, including a trio of national champions--all firsts for the program--, WPU finish fourth in the team standings with 111.5 points.  Menlo (Calif.) won the team crown with 172 points.

Mia Palumbo (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill., Exercise Science), Adaugo Nwachukwu (Jr., San Jose, Calif., Exercise Science), and Ashley Lekas (So., Plano, Texas, Business Management) all entered nationals as heavy favorites to make deep runs and they achieved their goals as each won the national title at their respective weight classes.

Devin Patton (So., Plano, Texas, Business Management) and Joanna Vanderwood (Jr., Graham, Wash., Nursing) also put themselves high on the podium, with third and fourth-place finishes, respectively.

At 109 pounds, Palumbo hit the mat first before her other aforementioned teammates and is able to stake claim to being both WPU's first-ever All-American and national champion.  The top-seeded junior, who went 4-0, opened with a 13-3 technical fall over Angie Dill of Vanguard (Calif.).

Palumbo then met up with Tristan Nitta of Grand View, whom she beat in the finals at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship two weeks ago.  The same result occurred with Palumbo dropping Nitta by a 10-0 technical fall.

Previously a two-time national runner-up, she almost had her dream cut short in the semifinal round, but a last-second four-point move led her to a 10-6 decision over #4 seed Paige Morales of Providence (Mont.).

In the finals, both Palumbo and #3 seed Jasmine Howard gave up one point due to passivity.  Tied at 1-1 midway through the second period, Palumbo finally recorded a takedown and was able to hold off Howard by a 3-1 decision for that elusive first national crown.

Nwachukwu, on the other hand, opened nationals having already won two national titles and was seeking to keep her streak intact.  As expected, no one stood in the way of the top-ranked grappler who claimed her third career crown.

The junior pinned her way through the entire 136-pound bracket, doing so against Angie Prado of Life (Ga.), Gianna Moreno of Friends (Kan.), Stephanie Chavez of Menlo, #4 Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp of Providence in the semifinals, and finally #3 Zaynah McBryde of Life in the championship.

Her accomplishments also netted her the Manuel Gorriaran Award for most pins in the national tournament in the least total time.

Lekas, the #2 seed in the tourney, was on a collision course with Grand View's Abby McIntyre for the crown.

The sophomore recorded identical 10-0 technical falls over Kaley Rice of Texas Wesleyan, Payton Curley of Lourdes (Ohio), and #7 Bo Geibe of Siena Heights (Mich.) before dispatching #3 seed Shenita Lawson of Southern Oregon by an 8-0 decision in the semifinals.

McIntyre also took care of her side of the bracket as the pair faced off for the third time this season (both had previously won once).  Lekas, looking to avenge a loss in the finals of the Heart Championship, notched a pair of first-period takedowns and continued to keep her foe off balance until the waning seconds.

She finally allowed a takedown with 14 seconds to go and then participated in the most intense finish of the finals, denying McIntyre a four-point move as time expired.  The officials went to the replay video and confirmed that the back exposure came just after the clock went to 0:00 and Lekas won 4-2 to finish her national tournament trip at 5-0.

Due to their titles, Palumbo, Nwachukwu, and Lekas have also all qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials from April 19-20 in State College, Pa.

Patton was the #7 seed at 130 pounds and posted two upsets and three total wins over seeded wrestlers en route to the bronze.

The sophomore started Friday with a 13-3 technical fall over Paige Respico of Providence (Mont.) before losing her only match, 10-0, to #2 seed and eventual runner-up Sarah Savidge of Life.

Patton was on a mission in the consolation bracket, defeating Riley Dalrymple of Life 13-0, #3 seed Louisa Schwab of Menlo 3-1, #4 seed Alysaa Randles of Providence 10-6, and finally #8 seed Lillian Avalos of Vanguard by a 10-0 technical fall in the third-place match.

After winning the Heart Championship, Vanderwood earned the #2 overall seed at 123 pounds at nationals and started her trek with a 12-0 technical fall over Larissa Kas of Hastings (Neb.).  She then slipped by #7 Alana Vivas of Menlo 11-10 in the quarterfinals with a last-second back exposure.

Unfortunately, the junior, who defeated Maya Davis (Grand View) in the finals of the league tournament, could not get past the #3 seed this time around and was demoted to the consolation bracket via a 9-0 loss.

On the other side, Vanderwood took care of Anna Krejsa of Life 9-4, but could not beat Vivas for the second time on the weekend, losing 8-2 in the third-place bout.

101-pounder Teya Garner (Fr., San Antonio, Texas, Biology), 116-pounder Catherine Steinkamp (Jr., Quincy, Ill., Exercise Science), and 143-pounders Isabelle Hawley (So., Winchester, Calif., Sociology) and Naida Abdijanovic (So., St. Louis, Mo., Biology) also represented William Penn, but unfortunately, despite their valiant efforts, they all ended up going 0-2.

"I am really proud of our team for coming together and displaying their best wrestling at the end of the year," Head Coach Jake Kadel said.  "Similar to last year (when he coached at Iowa Wesleyan), we had to be really patient throughout the season to make sure our ladies were ready for the postseason.  I think the results have shown that we do that better than any team/staff in the country."

"The cherry on top is that we are bringing home a team trophy for these ladies who have earned it with their hard work," Kadel said.  "The best part is we have this entire group coming back and that Mia Palumbo, Ashley Nwachukwu, and Ashley Lekas have now all qualified for U.S. Olympic Trials next month."