William Penn scored one point at the 2023 NAIA Championships and had no All-Americans. This season, the Statesmen are in title contention.

How? 

For starters, they have Adaugo Nwachukwu — the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the land. Getting her to Oskaloosa, Iowa, took some fortuitous and unfortunate timing. Nwachukwu was a two-time NAIA champion for Iowa Wesleyan but the entire school closed in March. 

Head coach Jake Kadel and assistant Cash Wilcke were offered the same positions at William Penn days after the news broke. Most of the key starters — including Nwachukwu — transferred with their coaches. 

Nwachukwu is a verifiable superstar. Her fast pace and spectacular throws make her a fan favorite. The California native won the U.S. Open, reached Final X, and made her second U20 World team this year. 

That’s a pretty good way to build a winning program.

It takes more than one wrestler to win a team title, though. Iowa Wesleyan finished tied for seventh with 92.5 pounds last year. Southern Oregon won the title with 160 points. That’s a 67.5-point gap. 

Up to 12 wrestlers can qualify for the NAIA Championships, so it takes a balanced effort with lots of point scorers to win a title. William Penn has a solid foundation entering the season.

Mia Palumbo — ranked 20th in the pound-for-pound rankings — is the favorite at 109 pounds after reaching the NAIA finals each of the past two seasons. She fell to Life University’s Peyton Prusin in the finals each of the past two seasons but Prussin graduated.

Ashley Lekas — ranked #9 in the 76 kg domestic freestyle rankings — transferred from Augsburg to William Penn and will be a threat to win the title at 170 after winning a U23 national title. Four-time national champion Dymond Guilford of Cumberlands graduated, as did three-time national finalist Joye Levendusky of Southern Oregon. 

Mya Turnmire (101) is a junior college national champion, while Devin Patton (130) and Izzy Hawley (143) are returning All-Americans. The rest of the team will have to fill in the gaps for a serious title run.

Can William Penn go from one point to number one in the nation in one year? 

Probable William Penn Line-up

101 pounds
Mya Turnmire — junior college national champion

109 pounds
Mia Palumbo — Two-time NAIA championship finalist

116 pounds
Alexis Montes — Fargo finalist
Brittany Cotter — returning national qualifier

123 pounds
JoJo Vanderwood — Two-time U20 All-American

130 pounds
Devin Patton — Seventh at 2022 NAIA Invitational Championships

136 pounds
Adaugo Nwachukwu — Two-time NAIA champion

143 pounds
Izzy Hawley — Sixth at the 2022 NAIA Championships
Naida Abdijanovic — National qualifier

155 pounds
Kylee Eastwood — National qualifier

170 pounds
Ashley Lekas — U23 national champion

191 pounds
Grace Gray — Round of 12 at 2023 NAIA Championships