Five Storylines From NAIA Nationals, Day 1
Olympian Esther Kolawole scores in first round at NAIA Nationals.
by Derek Levendusky
@AWWderek
WICHITA, KANSAS - Day 1 at the NAIA Championships at the Park City Arena in Wichita, Kansas, provided plenty of drama, setting up an exciting Day 2. Here’s five storylines from Day 1:
1. International athletes have reshaped NAIA
This season saw the addition of numerous international wrestlers to NAIA rosters. All of them became All-Americans today. Their presence has deepened NAIA competition, shifted rankings, and we’ll find out tomorrow if they’ll make the finals and if any will be crowned national champions. Here’s how international wrestlers fared on the first day:
#1 seed Christianah Ogunsanya at 117 (William Penn)
Country: Nigeria
Resume: 2024 African Champion & Olympian
Today: Reached semifinals.
#2 seed Mercy Adekuoroye at 131 (William Penn)
Country: Nigeria
Resume: 1st African Senior Championships (2024)
Today: Reached semifinals.
#3 seed Esther Kolawole at 145 (William Penn)
Country: Nigeria
Resume: Olympian, 2x U23 World bronze medalist & 2x African Champion
Today: Reached semifinals.
#4 seed Jasmina Immaeva at 124 (Missouri Valley)
Country: Uzbekistan
Resume: Uzbekistan National Champion, represented country at Senior Asian Championships
Today: Reached semifinals.
#5 seed Jumoke Adekoye at 131 (Dickinson State)
Country: Nigeria
Resume: 1st 2023 African Championships
Today: Reached semifinals.
#6 seed Reka Busa at 180 (Life): In top 8, AA
Country: Hungary
Resume: Wrestled for Hungary at 2022 European World Championships
Today: Top 8 round
2. XMP dominant (so far)
Another new name on the college scene is making waves at nationals. Xochitl Mota-Pettis has been no stranger on the senior scene, but she’s another hammer that came on the college landscape this year. Today she scored three tech falls to make the semis, where she’ll face African senior national champion Mercy Adekuoroye tomorrow.
3. 124 could be world class final
#1 seed Cristelle Rodriguez, a U20 world champion and #2 seed Katie Gomez, a U17 world champion and 2023 US Open Champion, both cruised to the finals. If the bracket goes chalk, they’ll hit in the finals tomorrow night, a world class matchup.
4. 131 is crazy deep
When Sarah Savidge, a previous national finalist, is seeded #4 and then loses to the #5 in the quarters today, Dickinson State’s Jumoke Adekoye, that tells you how deep this weight is. #1 seed Carolina Moreno is a 3x national champion, #2 Mercy Adekuoroye is a senior African champion, #3 seed Xochitl Mota-Pettis is a Pan American champion and has been a senior level fixture. Add a handful of other previous All-Americans and we have a wildly entertaining weight class. We saw it play out today when Savidge lost and the semis should be fire tomorrow.
5. Life University has never been better
The 2025 NAIA National Duals champions are already starting to run away with it, holding a 118.5 to 85.0 point lead over second place Grand View heading into Day 2. Rising program William Penn is third with 80.0, Cumberlands is fourth with 72.5 points, surprise Missouri Valley is in fifth with 70.0, and Southern Oregon is just behind them with 69. points. The semis could see a big shake up, depending on how many wrestlers each team has competing and how they perform with big team points on the line. But in the end, Life will be on top it seems, and there will be a close battle for 2nd through 4th place hardware.