Quartet Win Titles as Statesmen Place Second at Heart Championship
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s wrestling team has come a long way in one year and nothing epitomized that more than its strong showing at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Saturday.
Guided by four individual champions and seven total finalists, the Statesmen placed second out of eight teams with 171 points. Grand View was able to edge the navy and gold for the title, scoring 185 points.
Seven WPU grapplers secured automatic berths for nationals (others are still vying for at-large bids), including the four aforementioned champions, which included 109-pounder Mia Palumbo (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill., Exercise Science), 123-pounder Joanna Vanderwood (Jr., Graham, Wash., Nursing), 130-pounder Devin Patton (So., Plano, Texas, Business Management), and 136-pounder Adaugo Nwachukwu (Jr., San Jose, Calif., Exercise Science).
Palumbo, the #1 seed, cruised through her bracket, winning twice by fall and once by technical fall, defeating Tristan Nitta of Grand View 10-0 in the finals.
Wrestling as the #3 seed, Vanderwood had arguably the most exciting run of the day, defeating the top two seeds, both of whom are ranked in the top seven in the NAIA. The junior was 4-0 on the day, taking her first two bouts by technical fall, before winning by criteria in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Vanderwood used a late score to get past top-seeded (#2 in the NAIA) Maya Davis of Grand View 10-8.
Like Palumbo, Patton was also the #1 seed and dispatched her three opponents, winning twice by technical fall and once by fall for the gold. The sophomore took care of Nonnie Justice (Central Methodist) 12-1 in the finals.
Nwachukwu, also top ranked, cleared all three of her foes by technical falls, headlined by dropping #2 seed (#2 in the NAIA) Andrea Schlabach of Grand View in the title contest by a 10-0 score.
101-pounder Teya Garner (Fr., San Antonio, Texas, Biology) was one of three Statesmen to be denied the top of the podium. She placed second with a 1-1 record, losing by fall to top-seeded Sage Beltran (Missouri Valley) in the championship.
Catherine Steinkamp (Jr., Quincy, Ill., Exercise Science) also walked off with runner-up status, going 2-1 with a pair of falls. The junior was unfortunately pinned in the finals by Katherine Heath of Baker (#3 in the NAIA).
William Penn’s third second-place finisher was Ashley Lekas (So., Plano, Texas, Business Management) at 170 pounds. She triumphed over her first two opponents (one by fall, one by technical fall) before facing #2 seed (#2 in the NAIA) Abby McIntyre of Grand View in a #1-vs.-#2 matchup for the title. The sophomore took the early lead, but got caught in a move and was pinned, forcing her to take on Jaclyn Daley of Baker in a true-second matchup. Fortunately, Lekas made sure she cleared that hurdle–earning the automatic bid–by winning 10-0 to take the silver.
143-pounder Isabelle Hawley (So., Winchester, Calif., Sociology) claimed the bronze with a 4-1 record. After winning her first two matches by fall, she came up just short in the semifinal, but battled back and took third with back-to-back pins.
Fellow 143-pounder Naida Abdijanovic (So., St. Louis, Mo., Biology) split her six matches, going 3-3 with a trio of falls to place sixth overall.
Grecia Martinez (So., Horizon City, Texas, Engineering) also won twice at 123 pounds (one fall, one technical fall), while 109-pounder Mya Turnmire (Sr., Machesney Park, Ill., Sports Management) picked up a win at the Championship as well.
“We had a pretty decent day overall,” Head Coach Jake Kadel said. “Kudos to the staff at William Penn who put on an amazing event. We received a ton of great feedback. Our team ended up winning quite a few conference awards as well, which is a testament to all of their hard work. We have an amazing team and we are excited for the national tournament coming up.”
Next Up: A minimum of seven individuals will travel to Jamestown, N.D. on March 8-9 to compete in the second annual NAIA National Championship.
