JAMESTOWN, N.D. – [Final Results PDF] Campbellsville University (Ky.) won their second straight NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Invitational Championship, building upon their 25.5 point lead from Day One to win with a score of 189. Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist) repeats as the champion at 101, while Peyton Prussin (Life) wins her second straight individual championship by earning the 109 belt this year.

• Second place Southern Oregon trailed by 30.5 from the leader and held just a 1.5 advantage over third place and Cascade Conference member Menlo College (Calif.)
• Five of the 10 championship bouts feature the No. 1 seed squaring off against the No. 2 seed
• In total, there were three upsets including in back-to-back weight classes at 123 and 130
• All 10 individual weight classes were won by representative from different institutions
• Kenya Sloan is the lone wrestler to celebrate both an individual and team championship tonight
• There were 24 student-athletes who repeated as NAIA All-Americans by finishing in places 1-6, and four were NAIA All-American Honorable Mention by grabbing spots seven and eight

101-pounds – No. 1 Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist) vs. No. 2 Ivy Navarro (Providence)

Pham scored early and often in her 12-1 rout of Navarro. She held a 4-0 margin after the first period and gained the VSU victory at the 4:12 mark of the bout. This result mirror the outcome of their championship matchup in 2021.

109-pounds – No. 1 Peyton Prussin (Life) vs. No. 3 Mia Palumbo (Iowa Wesleyan)

Palumbo upset second seed Asia Ray to advance to the finals and fought valiantly to the very end. Prussin got the ball rolling in the first period with a 4-0 margin, but Palumbo was able to tie the score by the end of the frame. The duo exchanged falls throughout the second period which resulted in a tie. However, the victory was awarded to Prussin due to the four-point move being the highest score of the bout.

116-pounds – No. 1 Allieda Martinez (Menlo) vs. No. 2 Salyna Shotwell (Life)

The third straight weight class to follow seeds through the end of the championship bout, Martinez was victorious 12-0 by superiority. She was the third straight No. 1 seed to claim the individual national crown. This marks a stark difference to Martinez’s season in 2021 being canceled due to COVID-19 limitations on her campus.

123-pounds – No. 2 Leilah Castro (Campbellsville) vs. No. 4 Cara Moreno (Southern Oregon)

Moreno upset top seed Moore 8-0 in the semifinals and stayed with a similar theme during her final contest of the season. She was the second consecutive bout to be determined via superiority (11-0) and the third of the first four matchups. However, Moreno was the only lower seed to win by VSU.

130-pounds – No. 1 Nanea Estrella (Menlo) vs. No. 2 Lexie Basham (Texas Wesleyan)

Basham recorded the first upset of the evening as she scored the first two points of her matchup with Estrella at the 1:34 mark of the first period. Adding a point via escape, she led 3-0 and was able to weather a pin with 13 seconds left and still secure the championship.

136-pounds – No. 1 Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan) vs. No. 2 Gracie Figueroa (Menlo)

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

143-pounds – No. 1 Emma Walker (Campbellsville) vs. #No. 2 Destiny Lyng (Oklahoma City)

In the first period, Walker recorded the lone point. In the second period, she built up a 5-0 advantage before Lyng rattled off five points in a 35 second span, pulling the upset by scoring the last point taken. Lyng earned the title after placing fifth a year ago at 136.

155-pounds – No. 2 Kenya Sloan (Campbellsville) vs. No. 5 Kaylynn Albrecht (Baker)

The high scoring affair was back and forth during the lone period. A total of 16 points were recorded in only 2:18. Albrecht led 2-0 and 4-2. However, when the score was tied 6-6 with 1:47 remaining in the period, Sloan posted consecutive falls to win by VFA.

170-pounds – No. 5 Dymond Guilford (Cumberlands) vs. No. 6 Olivia Robinson (Eastern Oregon)

Guilford dispatched Robinson easily including a fall in the first period, a point issued for passivity, and two more falls in the second period for the 7-0 victory.

191-pounds – No. 2 Kelani Corbett (Lyon) vs. No. 5 Gabby Hamilton (Life)

After upsetting the top ranked overall seed on route to the finals, Hamilton could not keep the momentum going as Corbett bested her 8-0. The Lyon Scot recorded four points and followed up with another four – all in less than 30 seconds.  Corbett finished in third place a year ago.

Final Team Standings

Full 2022 NAIA All-American and Honorable Mention Team