The Open Mat presents awards annually in three categories for each division of college wrestling at the conclusion of the season. Awards are presented for Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year and Wrestler of the Year.

When one door closes, another one opens.

A year ago, Iowa Wesleyan University closed its doors and the wrestling program's coaches and wrestlers were left without a home.

Jake Kadel, a coach of the Iowa Wesleyan men's and women's wrestling teams from 2021-2023, was hired as the head women's wrestling coach at William Penn and was joined by several of his wrestlers from Iowa Wesleyan.

Kadel found immediate success at William Penn, guiding the program to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships.

On Tuesday, Kadel was honored as the 2024 NAIA Women's Coach of the Year.

Kadel took over a program that was 8-14 in dual meets and finished 33rd out of 35 teams at the 2023 NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships.

This past season, William Penn compiled a dual meet record of 9-5. The Statesmen finished runner-up at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships and crowned four individual conference champions.

At the 2024 NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships, William Penn turned in a record-breaking performance. WPU finished fourth as a team, crowned three national champions and five All-Americans, all program records.