Iowa Wesleyan's Adaugo Nwachukwu set to take center stage at NWCA All-Star Classic

MOUNT PLEASANT -- In just over a year since arriving at Iowa Wesleyan University, Adaugo Nwachukwu already has made a huge impact on an international level.

Nwachukwu , nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare" by Iowa Wesleyan provost DeWayne Frazier, brought home an NAIA national championship last season and in August she earned a bronze medal in the U20 World Championships.

Nwachukwu has a chance to put the Iowa Wesleyan University name on the biggest stage yet when she competes in the NWCA All-Star Classic at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Austin, Texas.

Nwachukwu will move up to 143 pounds to wrestle Alara Boyd of McKendree, the 2021 NCWWC champion in 2021 and runner-up in 2020 and 2022 who has been successful on the world stage the last six years.

For Nwachukwu , it is a chance to prove herself on the big stage and put Iowa Wesleyan on the map as a destination point for the top women's wrestlers in the world.

"I think it's a really good opportunity. I'm moving up a weight class, so I think that's going to be really interesting and probably more of a challenge for me," Nwachukwu said. "It means a lot to me because it means they acknowledge me as a great wrestler. I think this is going to bring our name out more, so that's good for our program."

More:Iowa Wesleyan’s first national champion wrestler representing Team USA at U20 World Championships

"It's going to be super exciting just with the aspect of all the Division I schools and athletes there," Iowa Wesleyan head wrestling coach Jake Kadel said. "It's amazing that she has that opportunity, not only to represent herself and her wrestling, but to display her talents on the mat. But also with that comes our school getting on the map, as well, and our program. We are super fortunate for that and being selected to be a part of that."

Nwachukwu , the first woman from an Iowa college to win an NAIA invitational wrestling title, is coming off a spectacular performance at the U20 World Championships. Despite giving up seven pounds to Boyd, Nwachukwu has a strategy to compensate for that.

"She's way bigger, but I think my advantage is going to be my speed. We kind of have the same styles because she likes to work upper body and I also work upper body, so that is going to clash. Since I have my speed, I'm going to try to take more shots. That's an advantage to me," Nwachukwu said. "She works from two-on-ones and underhooks mostly, so all I have to do is never get into a two-on-one and change my level on my shots."

"For her, I think she is up to any challenge," Kadel said. "She is the first person I think I have ever heard say this, but last year she asked if she could wrestle multiple weight classes in one dual meet. For her, she's not concerned about the weight issue because she believes in her wrestling. She's a confident person and I think her wrestling is going to show that."

Nwachukwu dominated her competition at the NAIA national tournament last spring. She outscored her first two opponents by a combined 16-0 margin, then beat Ellyana Kuzma of Indian Tech, 6-1, in the quarterfinals. She breezed to a 7-0 win over Diana Dzaszeva of Waldorf in the semifinals to advance to the championship match against Gracie Figueroa of Menlo College.

More:Iowa Wesleyan women's wrestling sends six to NAIA Women's National Invitational Tournament

Nwachukwu had the most dominant performance of Saturday evening, winning 13-3 over Figueroa. After the first period, she led 7-3 and then scored six more points in 1:47 in the second period.

Nwachukwu spent much of the summer at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs under the watchful eye of Team USA coach Terry Steiner. It was there that Nwachukwu took her wrestling to another level.

"I learned a lot of new techniques from them, especially Terry Steiner. I wrestled with a lot of different people," Nwachukwu said. "I couldn't go home the whole summer, so that was kind of sad. I spent the summer wrestling with high-level athletes at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. I went to Worlds, which was really fun and a new experience because it was my first encounter with international competition."

Nwachukwu has grown accustomed to competing on the big stage in front of large crowds with high stakes. She is looking forward to her showdown with Boyd on Tuesday night.

"I'm a little nervous , but when you wrestle this is what you do. You go out there and leave it all on the mat. I'm excited for that," Nwachukwu said.

"The event is as big as it gets. It's a big stage," Kadel said. "Now she just has to do her part and display her wrestling and show the fans why she got picked for that specifically because of her dynamic wrestling and how fun she is to watch. She's explosive and got a lot of great things. I would imagine she's looking forward to putting on a show."

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Iowa Wesleyan's Adaugo Nwachukwu center stage at NWCA All-Star Classic