NAIA All-American Perez signs with Iowa State
Iowa State women's wrestling has added a proven NAIA commodity to its growing roster, signing 110-pound transfer Avy Perez out of William Penn. She joins what head coach Alli St. John has quietly assembled into one of the most credential-laden inaugural rosters in women's college wrestling history.
Perez arrives in Ames with credentials that span prep and collegiate competition. The No. 3-ranked 110-pound recruit in the class of 2025, she earned All-America honors at both the Super 32 Challenge and Junior Nationals in Fargo before taking her talents to the NAIA level. At William Penn, she placed seventh at the 110-pound bracket at the 2026 NAIA Championships, becoming an All-American in her first collegiate season.
Iowa State officially unveiled its women's wrestling program this spring with Alli St. John at the helm, and St. John has moved aggressively to stock the lineup. Perez is among 12 total signees, nine of them coming via the transfer portal. Assistant coach Jake Kadel, who previously served as head coach at William Penn, joined St. John's staff in Ames -- a connection that has clearly aided recruiting from his former program.
The class covers the mat from 103 to 180 pounds and is headlined by three two-time NAIA national champions. 138-pounder Esther Kolawole (William Penn) went 43-0 across two NAIA seasons and is a 2024 Paris Olympian for Nigeria. Christianah Ogunsanya (William Penn) is a two-time NAIA champion at 117 who also represented Nigeria in Paris and owns a U23 world bronze medal. Jumoke Adekoye (Dickinson State) rounds out the trio of two-time NAIA titleholders at 131 pounds, posting a 50-5 collegiate record before transferring.
Piper Fowler, the program's first-ever signee, won the 180-pound NAIA title at William Penn as a true freshman and is a 2023 U17 world champion who will represent Team USA at the 2026 U20 World Championships. Molly Allen (124, Oklahoma State transfer) was a four-time undefeated Iowa prep state champion and a 2026 USA Wrestling Women's Collegiate Club national champion. Daniella Nugent (145, Oklahoma State transfer) was the No. 1 prep 140-pounder in the class of 2025 by FloWrestling and a 2025 U20 world fifth-place finisher at 65 kilograms. Gabriella Gomez (124, McKendree transfer) is a three-time Illinois state champion, a two-time Fargo All-American, and a U17 world silver medalist.
Persaeus Gomez (131, McKendree transfer) was the first four-time undefeated Colorado girls state champion. Brooklyn Perez (131, freshman) placed third at the 2026 Girls High School Showcase and sixth at the U20 World Team Trials. Greta Brus (145, freshman) was an undefeated Iowa state champion in 2026 and a two-time Fargo placer. Alezandra Robles (145, freshman) is a two-time Arizona state finalist who helped Sunnyside High School to two state team titles. Makennah Craft (103, Campbellsville transfer) went undefeated in four years of high school and earned NAIA All-America honors as a freshman.
Last week, Iowa State secured a commitment from one of the nation's top high school wrestlers, landing New Jersey standout Ella Poalillo, a U17 world medalist.
The Cyclones are slated to compete in a limited capacity before their first full NCAA varsity season in the 2027-28 academic year. St. John is building something significant in Ames -- and she is doing it fast.