Nanea Estrella named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Nanea Estrella (Makawao, Hawaii/University of Iowa) has been named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on November 14, 2023.
Estrella won her three matches at 136 pounds by technical fall, helping lead the University of Iowa women’s team to three dominant dual meet victories at the Trailblazer Duals in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, November 12.
A record 8,207 fans were in attendance at Iowa’s first home competition, shattering the record for attendance at a college women’s wrestling event. Iowa is the first Power Five program with a women’s wrestling program. The event featured the four NCAA Div. I programs with women’s wrestling.
In Iowa’s 44-1 victory over Presbyterian, Estrella scored a 12-2 technical fall over Paige Wehrmeister, who was third at the 2023 NCWWC Nationals. In the 34-0 win over Lindenwood, Estrella scored a 10-0 technical fall over Marissa Sanabria. Against Sacred Heart, a 40-4 win by Iowa, Estrella added a 10-0 technical fall over Aliza Leander. She outscored her opponents 32-2 in the matches. Estrella was among five Hawkeyes to win three matches on the day.
Estrella was a transfer to Iowa from Menlo College, where she was a 2022 NAIA runner-up. She was a U.S. Senior Open champion in 2022, and won the 2022 U20 Pan American Championships. A 2020 UWW Junior Nationals champion, Estrella was also third at the 2021 U23 Nationals. She was a four-time Hawaii state high school champion for Lahainaluna High School in Maui in Hawaii.
To nominate a wrestler for this honor please email the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments, and career accolades to communications@usawrestling.org.