Sean Seefeld - Dickinson State Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Park City, Kan. - The Blue Hawk women's wrestling team wrapped up a historic weekend at the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship, highlighted by Jumoke Adekoye's dominant run to the program's first-ever national title.

Adekoye, competing at 131 pounds, put together a flawless tournament, winning all five of her matches en route to the championship. She opened with back-to-back tech falls before pinning fourth-seeded Sarah Savidge (Life) in the quarterfinals. Adekoye then knocked off No. 1-seeded Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon) with a 3-1 decision in the semifinals before securing the national title with a 5-3 victory over third-seeded Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Missouri Valley). Her performance earned her the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler award.

"It was an incredible weekend to be a Blue Hawk!" said DSU head coach Tyson Springer. "We had our first-ever All-American, who then went on to become our first-ever National Champion – it was unbelievable! And to top it all off, Jumoke earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler award of the tournament. All four of our National Qualifiers won matches, gave it their all, and gained valuable experience. We're beyond proud of this young team and can't wait to see what year #3 has in store for us."

Jenna Gerhardt (110), Larhae Whaley (117), and Kiley Hubby (160) also competed for DSU, each picking up wins during the tournament. Gerhardt battled through the consolation bracket, earning a tech fall and a decision victory before falling in the fourth round. Whaley secured a tech fall win in the second consolation round but was eliminated in the next match. Hubby claimed a 9-0 decision in her second bout before bowing out in the third round of consolations.

With a national champion and valuable postseason experience under their belts, the Blue Hawks continue to build momentum as they close out their second season of competition.