The NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen will be held on November 22 in Austin, Texas, and will be streamed LIVE on FloWrestling. Below is a preview of the 143-pound match between Alara Boyd (McKendree) and Adaugo Nwachukwu.

Alara Boyd, McKendree, SR
2020: NCWWC runner-up (143)
2021: NCWWC champion (155)
2022: NCWWC runner-up (143)

World team history
2016: U17, bronze
2017: U17, silver
2019: U20, eighth
2021: U20, fifth

Adaugo Nwachukwu, Iowa Wesleyan, SO
2022: NAIA champion (136 pounds)

World team history
2022: U20, bronze

Match history

This is the first match between Boyd and Nwachukwu

What You Need To Know?

Boyd has been a consistent force at the age-level World Championships and has been among the best college wrestlers in the country for the past three seasons. She is a key contributor to McKendree winning the first three National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and will be a leader on a team seeking its fourth title in a row. She has had success at the domestic senior level, including a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Olympic Trials Challenge tournament. 

Nwachukwu is from Nigeria and moved to the United States in 2018. She started wrestling as a sophomore in high school so she is still relatively new to the sport, but has found success early and often. She became the first woman from an Iowa college to win an NAIA Invitational wrestling title and continued her breakout season by winning a bronze medal at the U20 World Championships.

What Can You Expect?

Nwachukwu is moving up from 136 pounds to 143 to take on Boyd. The Iowa Wesleyan sophomore likes to work from an underhook or a two-on-one and finds herself in bodylock situations often. She wins most of those exchanges, but working from space and firing off angled shots might be more effective against a bigger opponent — especially someone as good as Boyd. 

Boyd needs to mitigate the space and wrestle this match from close quarters. She also likes to work a bar arm to a half if she gets a takedown. Most of her opponents won’t be as fast as Nwachukwu so it’s important to set the tone early and impose her will by pushing the pace. 

This should be an entertaining match between two wrestlers who have ambitions to make World and Olympic teams. This might be the only time they face each other so enjoy the ride. This one will be fun. 

Women's Spotlight: Alara Boyd

Women's Spotlight: Adaugo Nwachukwu