Wrestlers · Senior level
Adaugo Nwachukwu
3x NAIA champion at two schools; 2x Senior World Team member at 62 kg; 2026 U.S. Open, Pan American and Final X champion
San Jose, CA · Silver Creek HS · William Penn University
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 10, 2026
Adaugo Nwachukwu moved to northern California from Nigeria in 2018 and joined the girls wrestling team at Silver Creek High School in San Jose. Her Iowa Wesleyan coach, Jake Kadel, later said she signed up thinking it was professional wrestling. She went undefeated as a junior and won the California state title at 126 pounds in 2020, beating Samantha Barragan of Hemet 16-6 in the final.
She went to Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and won the NAIA title at 136 pounds as a freshman in 2022 and again in 2023. She went 52-1 in two years there and was the school's first national champion. Iowa Wesleyan closed that spring, and she followed her coaches to William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where she won a third NAIA title on March 9, 2024. USA Wrestling named her its 2024 Women's College Wrestler of the Year.
She joined the U.S. Army in October 2021. She took U20 World bronze at 62 kg, about 136 pounds, in Sofia in 2022, made five age-group World Teams, and won the Military World title in Yerevan in 2024.
In 2025 she won Final X and made her first Senior World Team. At the World Championships in Zagreb she beat Selvi Ilyasoglu of Turkey 7-3 and Johanna Lindborg of Sweden 13-6 before losing 5-2 to Orkhon Purevdorj of Mongolia in the quarterfinals to place seventh.
She won the 2026 U.S. Open in Las Vegas on April 24, reaching the final with three technical falls and outscoring the field 41-8. She came from 4-1 down in the final to beat Macey Kilty of the Iowa Women's Wrestling Club 10-8. She won the Pan American Championships in Coralville, Iowa, in May. At Final X in Newark on June 19 she pinned Kilty in round one, lost round two, and took round three 4-3 as the clock ran out to make a second straight Senior World Team.
She wrestles for Army WCAP out of Colorado Springs, ranks first in the United States at 62 kg, and is the U.S. entry at the weight for the World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | High school | CIF State Girls Wrestling Championships, Bakersfield | 126 lb | 1st | She beat Samantha Barragan of Hemet 16-6 in the final as a junior for Silver Creek High School in San Jose. She was undefeated that season and the pandemic cut her senior year short. |
| 2021-22 | College | NAIA Women's Invitational Championships | 136 lb | 1st | Her first NAIA title, won as a freshman for Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where she was coached by Jake Kadel. |
| 2022 | Age group | U20 World Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria | 62 kg | 3rd | She also placed third at the 2022 U.S. Open and won the U20 Women's Nationals that year. |
| 2022-23 | College | NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships, Jamestown, N.D. | 136 lb | 1st | 30-0. Her second straight title for Iowa Wesleyan, capping an unbeaten sophomore season in which she outscored her 30 opponents 273-17. She went 52-1 in two years at Iowa Wesleyan and was the school's first national champion. She was seeded first at 136 pounds. She also won the 2023 U.S. Open and was the Final X runner-up that year. |
| 2023-24 | College | NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships, Jamestown, N.D. | 136 lb | 1st | March 9, 2024 at Harold Newman Arena on the campus of the University of Jamestown, her first season at William Penn University after Iowa Wesleyan closed. She opened the tournament with three pins at 136 pounds on March 8. USA Wrestling named her its 2024 Women's College Wrestler of the Year. |
| 2024 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials, State College, Pa. | 62 kg | 3rd | April 19-20, 2024 at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. |
| 2024 | Senior | CISM World Military Wrestling Championships, Yerevan, Armenia | 62 kg | 1st | She joined the U.S. Army in October 2021 and wrestles for Army WCAP. The Army spells the host city Yerevan and USA Wrestling spells it Erevan. |
| 2025 | Senior | Final X | 62 kg | 1st | Her first Senior World Team; she took two of three from two-time Olympian Kayla Miracle, winning 14-8 and 8-4 around a 4-3 loss, after Miracle had beaten her two matches to none at 2023 Final X |
| 2025 | Senior | World Championships, Zagreb, Croatia | 62 kg | 7th | Sept. 17, 2025; she beat Selvi Ilyasoglu (Turkey) 7-3 in the round of 32 and Johanna Lindborg (Sweden) 13-6 in the round of 16, then lost 5-2 to Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia) in the quarterfinals |
| 2026 | Senior | U.S. Open, Las Vegas | 62 kg | 1st | April 24, 2026; she trailed two-time World medalist Macey Kilty (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) 4-1 at the break before a takedown and two turns carried her to a 10-8 win. |
| 2026 | Senior | Pan American Championships, Coralville, Iowa | 62 kg | 1st | May 8, 2026 at Xtream Arena; she beat two-time U20 World medalist Melanie Jimenez Villalba (Mexico) 8-1 in the round-robin preliminaries and 3-1 in the gold-medal match. She was fifth at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event in Tirana, Albania in February. |
| 2026 | Senior | Final X, Newark, N.J. | 62 kg | 1st | June 19, 2026 at Prudential Center, the last women's freestyle match of the night; she pinned Macey Kilty at 2:59 of round one, lost round two 4-0, and won round three 4-3 as time expired to make a second straight Senior World Team |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://www.themat.com/profiles/adaugo-nwachukwu · USA Wrestling profile: age 23, hometown San Jose, Calif., education William Penn University and Iowa Wesleyan University; 2026-27 Team USA ranking No. 1 at 62 kg/136 pounds; four years on Team USA; residence Colorado Springs; club and RTC Army WCAP; personal coach Bruce Robinson; high school Silver Creek High School, San Jose; 2025 Senior Worlds seventh at 62 kg; U23 Worlds ninth in 2025, 12th in 2024, 10th in 2023; U20 Worlds seventh in 2023 and bronze in 2022; three-time NAIA champion, two at Iowa Wesleyan in 2022 and 2023 and a third at William Penn in 2024; 2020 CIF California state champion; four-time U23 Women's Nationals champion 2023-26; two-time U20 Women's Nationals champion 2022-23; 2024 World Military Championships gold in Erevan, Armenia; 2026 Pan American champion, U.S. Open champion and Final X champion; SPC in the U.S. Army; relocated to the U.S. from Nigeria; 2024 career block reads 'World Military Championships gold medalist in Erevan, Armenia ... Third in U.S. Olympic Team Trials'
- https://www.armywcap.com/soldier-athletes/olympic-sports/wrestling/spc-adaugo-nwachukwu · Army WCAP profile: SPC Adaugo Nwachukwu, women's freestyle 62 kg, hometown San Jose, CA, high school Silver Creek High School, college William Penn University, joined the Army in October 2021 as a 92S laundry and shower specialist; she found wrestling at Silver Creek after relocating from Nigeria, was a California high school folkstyle and freestyle state champion, was undefeated her junior year and had her senior year halted by Covid; 2024 CISM World Military Wrestling champion in Yerevan, Armenia; three-time NAIA national champion; 2025 U.S. World Team member at 62 kg, first at the Final X qualifier and second at the U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas
- https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/2023/03/10/adaugo-nwachukwu-iowa-wesleyan-wrestling-one-best-young-womens-wrestlers-naia-championships/69977646007/ · March 10, 2023 Des Moines Register: Nwachukwu was recruited to the girls wrestling team at Silver Creek High School about five years earlier, shortly after moving to northern California from Nigeria; her Iowa Wesleyan coach Jake Kadel says she signed up thinking wrestling was WWE
- https://www.themat.com/news/2024/march/08/moreno-nwachukwu-on-track-for-third-title-menlo-leads-team-race-at-naia-women-s-wrestling-championships · March 8, 2024 USA Wrestling: two-time defending NAIA champion Adaugo Nwachukwu of William Penn won three matches with bonus points on day one of the NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships at Harold Newman Arena on the campus of the University of Jamestown, North Dakota, with three pins at 136 pounds, including a second-period pin of Stephanie Chavez of Menlo in the quarterfinals; she is described as a three-time age-group World Team member and 2022 U20 World bronze medalist
- https://www.jamestownsun.com/sports/college/jimmies-womens-wrestling-hosts-2024-naia-national-championships · March 9, 2024 Jamestown Sun photo caption: Adaugo Nwachukwu of William Penn won her third national title on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships at Harold Newman Arena; the University of Jamestown hosted 37 teams
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/september/17/2025-world-championships-day-five-match-notes · Sept. 17, 2025 USA Wrestling match notes from the World Championships: 62 kg round of 32, Nwachukwu dec. Selvi Ilyasoglu (Turkey) 7-3; round of 16, Nwachukwu dec. Johanna Lindborg (Sweden) 13-6; quarterfinals, Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia) dec. Nwachukwu 5-2
- https://nwhof.org/news/senior-women-s-freestyle-champions-crowned-at-u-s-open · 2026 U.S. Open Championships, Las Vegas, April 24: 62 kg final, Adaugo Nwachukwu (Army WCAP) dec. Macey Kilty (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) 10-8; she trailed 4-1 at the break before a takedown and two turns; Alara Boyd was third
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/june/03/women-s-freestyle-62-kg-series-features-adaugo-nwachukwu-macey-kilty-at-2026-final-x-presented-by-kerberos-capital-management · June 3, 2026 USA Wrestling Final X preview: Nwachukwu secured her Final X spot by winning the 2026 U.S. Open with three technical falls before edging Kilty 10-8, outscoring opponents 41-8 in Las Vegas; she was the reigning Senior World Team member at 62 kg after placing seventh at the 2025 World Championships; she opened 2026 fifth at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February, then won the USA Wrestling Women's Nationals and the U.S. Open in April and Pan American gold in May; she is 1-1 in Final X series with Kayla Miracle, losing two matches to none in 2023 (6-1, 10-3) and winning two of three in 2025 (14-8 win, 4-3 loss, 8-4 win)
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/june/19/nwachukwu-turner-go-the-distance-eight-earn-spots-on-women-s-freestyle-world-team-at-2026-final-x-presented-by-kerberos-capital-management · June 19, 2026 USA Wrestling: at Final X at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Nwachukwu beat Macey Kilty two matches to one at 62 kg, with a fall at 2:59 in round one, a 4-0 loss in round two and a 4-3 win in round three decided as time expired; the U.S. team heads to the World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/may/08/gomez-martinez-nwachukwu-impress-in-finals-u-s-scores-five-champs-in-women-s-freestyle-at-pan-american-championships · May 8, 2026 USA Wrestling: Nwachukwu won 62 kg gold at the Senior Pan American Championships at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, beating two-time U20 World medalist Melanie Jimenez Villalba of Mexico 8-1 in the round-robin preliminaries and 3-1 in the gold-medal match; Jimenez Villalba had beaten her 9-7 in the 2023 U20 World Championships quarterfinals
- https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/wrestling/2023/04/30/usa-wrestling-us-open-adaugo-nwachukwu-senior-womens-freestyle-national-champ-iowa-wesleyan-closed/70145416007/ · April 30, 2023 Des Moines Register: Iowa Wesleyan announced in March 2023 it was closing after 181 years, citing mostly financial challenges; Nwachukwu won her second NAIA national title in March, capping a 30-0 sophomore season in which she outscored her 30 opponents 273-17; in two years at Iowa Wesleyan she went 52-1 with 26 wins by technical fall and 20 pins, and she was the Tigers' first, and possibly last, national champion; coaches Jake Kadel and Cash Wilcke were hired at William Penn after the closure and she followed them; she won the 2023 U.S. Open at 62 kg over Jennifer Page of the Nittany Lion WC, rallying from 8-4 down to win 10-8
- https://www.cifstate.org/sports/wrestling/past_results_records/2020_wr_recap · CIF's own 2020 recap, headed '2020 State Girls Wrestling Championships Final Results' from the CIF State Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield: '(126) Adaugo Nwachukwu (Jr., Silver Creek) d. Samantha Barragan (Jr., Hemet) MD 16-6'; confirms the 126-pound weight class, the opponent and school, and that she was a junior in 2019-20
- https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12691362-adaugo-nwachukwu-will-forgo-final-college-season-to-train-with-wcap · June 29, 2024 FloWrestling: Nwachukwu won the 2022 NAIA Invitational Championships at 136 pounds as a freshman at Iowa Wesleyan; Iowa Wesleyan closed after her second title and she transferred to William Penn in Oskaloosa, Iowa, completing an undefeated final college season; she forwent her last college season to live in Colorado Springs and train with Army WCAP; she left Nigeria for California in 2018; 2024 USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year
- https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/10665980-brackets-and-seeds-released-for-naia-womens-wrestling-championships · FloWrestling's bracket and seed release for the 2023 NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships in Jamestown, North Dakota, March 10-11: '136-Pound Seeds: 1 Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan)'; also lists her as a returning 2022 NAIA Invitational champion
- https://www.themat.com/news/2024/april/15/women-s-freestyle-pre-seeds-released-for-u-s-olympic-team-trials-wrestling · April 15, 2024 USA Wrestling women's freestyle pre-seed release, headed '2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Wrestling | April 19-20, Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pa.'; the story places the event in State College, Pa., and lists Adaugo Nwachukwu (U.S. Army WCAP) as the No. 2 pre-seed at 62 kg
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