Adaugo Nwachukwu named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week

Adaugo Nwachukwu photo by Robbert Wijtman.

Adaugo Nwachukwu (San Jose, Calif./Team California) has been selected as USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on April 18.


Nwachukwu won two national titles over the weekend at the USMC Women’s National Championships in Spokane, Wash., claiming the U23 Nationals title at 62 kg on April 15 as well as the U20 Nationals title at 62 kg on April 16.


In the U23 Nationals, Nwachukwu opened with a pin over Alina Antillon of Colorado in 1:52. In the semifinals, she pinned past NAIA champion Waipulani Estrella-Beachamp of Hawaii in 2:53. In the championship finals, she defeated 2020 U20 Nationals champion Marisol Nugent of Massachusetts by technical fall, 10-0.


In the U20 Nationals, she opened with a pair of technical falls over Delaney Graves of Washington, 11-0 and Ruby Clark of Washington, 11-0. In the quarterfinals, Nwachukwu pinned Haley Vann of Oregon in 1:51, then pinned Wickson of Illinois in 1:06. In the championship series against Savannah Cosme of Arizona, Nwachukwu scored a pin in 3:32 in bout one, then a pin in 3:00 in bout two. This qualified Nwachukwu for her second straight U20 World Team.


Nwachukwu won a bronze medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships. She won two NAIA National titles for Iowa Wesleyan and was a finalist for the USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year. She has said she will attend William Penn University next year. Nwachukwu attended Silver Creek High School in California, where she was a 2020 state champion.


To nominate a wrestler for this honor please send the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments and career accolades to USA Wrestling Director of Communications Gary Abbott at gabbott@usawrestling.org