Eight Honored as NWCA Scholar All-Americans
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s wrestling team garnered numerous academic awards as the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced its 2024 NAIA Women’s Scholar All-Americans recently.
A total of 183 individuals from within the NAIA earned the recognition with WPU collecting eight honorees.
Ashley Lekas (So., Plano, Texas, Business Management) leads the squad with a 3.93 Grade Point Average, while Naida Abdijanovic (So., St. Louis, Mo., Biology) is next at 3.76. Catherine Steinkamp (Jr., Quincy, Ill., Exercise Science) is close behind at 3.68.
Grecia Martinez (So., Horizon City, Texas, Engineering) and Adaugo Nwachukwu (Jr., San Jose, Calif., Exercise Science) both own identical 3.61 GPAs, while Jojo Vanderwood (Jr., Graham, Wash., Nursing) sits at 3.54. Devin Patton (So., Plano, Texas, Business Management) (3.40) and Teya Garner (Fr., San Antonio, Texas, Biology) (3.27) also eclipse the standard.
To qualify for the honor, student-athletes must attend the nominating institution for one semester and meet one of the following criteria:
-Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and earn All-America honors
–Have a 3.2 cumulative GPA and have been a national qualifier
–Have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and have won 60% of their total matches in at least 60% of the team’s schedule
–Have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and have been a participant in the conference qualifying tournament
