Wings, not whispers - Nyla Valencia ready to soar after Iowa debut
1361 days is a long time – just ask Iowa women’s wrestler, Nyla Valencia.
That’s how long it was between the day she officially signed as a Hawkeye (February 10, 2022) and the day she finally took the mat in an Iowa singlet – on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
In between those milestone moments the Morgan Hill, California native has faced no shortage of adversity.
Twice, a serious knee injury has thwarted her official Hawkeye debut – leaving Valencia sidelined while her teammates won back-to-back national titles (team and dual).
And yet, through it all she’s maintained both her indomitable spirit and unrelenting ambitions.
Combined, they help make the 21-year-old one of the most impressive people you’ll ever meet – someone whose impact on the world around her is bound to exceed even the lofty heights of her wrestling prowess.
That’s saying something, too. Because those who know Nyla Valencia haven’t just lamented her absence from the mat for sentimental reasons.
They’ve also spent the better part of 2.5 years unable to watch one of the most talented lightweight wrestlers in America.
“A healthy Nyla is a dangerous Nyla,” says Iowa head coach Clarissa Chun at team media day.
And guess what? The Hawkeye is healthy, strong and raring to remind folks (her competition included) of just how dangerous she is. And now – at long last – she gets to do it with a Tigerhawk across her chest.
Just don’t get the impression that in the interim she hasn’t still been busy wowing those around her in plenty of other aspects of her life.
Because again, if you know Nyla Valencia, you know she’s almost incapable of doing otherwise.
A star among stars
The inaugural Iowa women’s wrestling recruiting class will go down as one of the best in the history of the sport.
That much is already certain barely three years since it arrived in Iowa City – only two of which have been spent officially competing as Hawkeyes.
One of 11 high school signees in the Class of 2022, Nyla Valencia had the credentials to match just about any of her new teammates.
Still just 17 years old when she stepped on campus, Valencia finished her prep career ranked #1 in the country at 112 pounds.
That was in no small part due to making the U23 World Team earlier that spring – defeating three-time age-level World champion Emily Shilson in the process.
Not only did she fit right in with the elite talent Coach Chun was drawing to Iowa, but she was already beginning to stand out – no easy feat amongst a group which included three other young women ranked tops nationally at their weight class.
Since the announcement of Valencia’s signing on February 10, 2022, those same classmates – eight of whom remain at Iowa – have continued to excel.
Here are just a few of their notable accomplishments to date:
- Five individual NCWWC titles won by four different athletes (seven total finals appearances)
- 14 All-American honors earned
- Two Senior World teams (+ seven age-level teams) made – incl. two gold/bronze medals
- 555 total matches wrestled in an Iowa singlet
And yet, through no fault of her own, Valencia had rarely been able to join them – and never in official collegiate competition.
“One thing after another”
Valencia spent her first year at Iowa just like the rest of her teammates – taking a blanket redshirt season as the nascent women’s wrestling program continued to build itself from scratch.
Most of that first unofficial ‘season’ was spent in the practice room, testing and improving herself in anticipation of competitive payoffs coming down the line.
The lone exception was in November of 2022, when Valencia joined six other Hawkeyes competing unattached at the prestigious Missouri Valley Open – arguably the toughest, deepest regular season tournament in women’s college wrestling.
Amidst a dominant performance by the entire group, Valencia won her bracket at 109 pounds – further cementing her status among the nation’s elite.
Five months later – at U20 World Team Trials – she’d do so again, finishing runner up to young American superstar Audrey Jimenez.
The upward trajectory seemed destined to continue, as Valencia reached the US Open quarterfinals two weeks later in Las Vegas.
But that’s when disaster struck.
Leading 8-3 late in the first period, Valencia’s right knee planted awkwardly during a sequence – leaving her crumpled on the mat in agony as Iowa coaches/trainers and her father, Joel, rushed to her side.
Despite the obvious pain, Valencia valiantly attempted to continue for another 20 seconds of mat time that could have easily felt like 20 minutes given her condition. Eventually, the inevitability of her situation set in and she was forced to injury default.
She wouldn’t compete again for 11-plus months – a torn right ACL and second-degree MCL tear her unfortunate burden to overcome.
That meant no 2023-24 college season – no part to play in Iowa’s historic, official debut.
As her teammates won National Duals and NCWWC team titles in the most dramatic of fashions, the best Valencia could do was support their efforts from the sidelines – all the while continuing to prepare for her own return to the mat.
That time finally came in early April of 2024, at the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier in Virginia.
At a tournament with just as consequential of stakes as its title would suggest, Valencia looked like she hadn’t missed a beat.
A heavy knee brace was the only evidence of her prior injury, as Valencia (and teammate Brianna Gonzalez) both rolled through their bracket(s) to punch their ticket to the Olympic Trials.
As if to make up for lost time, less than a week later Valencia trekked cross-country to the opposite coast (Spokane, WA) – where she’d earn runner up honors at U20 World Team Trials for the second-consecutive year.
Five days later it was off to State College, Pennsylvania for the Olympic Trials – completing a whirlwind return for the still 19-year-old.
It all set the table for her first official season (2024-25) wrestling as a Hawkeye…until it didn’t.
Instead, Valencia found herself back in a familiar, devastating place.
While training that summer at a Team USA camp in Colorado Springs, the redshirt-sophomore-to-be suffered a torn left ACL (and second-degree MCL tear) – a mirror injury to the one she’d experienced the year before.
Just like that, another college season was gone before it could even begin.
Almost cruelly so, Valencia found herself back at square one yet again – forced to make the long climb back to both good health and a Hawkeye debut that that would hopefully, finally come.
“I kind of felt like I had to rebuild from scratch twice,” says Valencia while reflecting upon her college career to date. “I’ve been looking forward to this since my senior year of high school, and it’s just one thing after another has kind of postponed that.”
Keeping busy
The thing about Nyla Valencia is she just doesn’t stop.
A relentless achiever at seemingly everything she pursues, wrestling occupies but a partial (albeit important) portion of her being.
“If she’s not good at something, she’ll get good at it,” says Kylie Welker of her fellow Class of 2022 recruit.
Their head coach concurs wholeheartedly:
“Nyla just excels and pours herself into everything she does – whether it’s her academics, her internships, working in the lab, doing research. She’s just an amazing person,” says Clarissa Chun.
There may be no better example of an elite ‘student-athlete’ than the fourth-year Hawkeye, a biology major/psychology minor who’s on the pre-med track.
“I love to do research,” says Valencia – a bizarre statement coming from most college students throughout world history.
“I’m doing two different forms of research right now. I do my own Honors Thesis project and then I’m doing surgical research kind of focused on the orthopedic field.”
“I just love learning. That’s another really big thing that I think I’m good at.”
Speaking of learning, the bilingual brainiac (English/Spanish) hopes to pick up another language or two before her eventual medical career begins “so that I can communicate with my patients and be able to travel and speak with the natives.”
“That’s probably the next thing on my list right now.”
As for her ‘down time’ – when she’s not learning, or training, or studying, or rehabbing – you’ll oftentimes find Valencia in the kitchen. And wouldn’t you know it, she’s pretty adept there, too.
“Cooking is a big part of Mexican culture. A lot of recipes were passed down from both my grandparents,” says Valencia when asked when/how she developed yet another (proficient) passion.
“My brother and I just love cooking. We’ve always been in the kitchen. I’ve always been the baker; he’s always been the cook.”
“And ever since I moved out here (to Iowa), being away from family has kind of forced me to be able to take care of myself.”
Of course, lots of people tout skillsets – like cooking – that aren’t ever really put to the test.
In this case, as with pretty much everything else she does, Valencia can back it up.
Iowa associate head coach Gary Mayabb recalls a dish she brought to a team potluck over Labor Day weekend. In comparison to some of the (well-intentioned) efforts by her teammates, Valencia’s may as well have been prepared by a gourmet French chef.
Heck, her culinary skills may even hold up against authentic French cuisine – given how good so many of her dishes look on her food-centric Instagram account, @nbvrustic_roots.
Here are just two of the meals she’s concocted while living in Iowa City:
“Cooking is definitely a form of love in our family, for sure,” says Valencia. “And that’s another way I bond with my mom (Sandra).”
Asked point blank if the taste lives up to the mouth-watering aesthetic, she confidently refers to a recent dinner she hosted for two of her teammates.
Chili and cornbread were on the menu, “and it was a hit.”
(Because of course it was.)
Made for the stage
Be it working in a lab, writing a research paper or cooking at home, each of those skillsets is a largely private endeavor.
Wrestling against another talented, determined competitor in front of live spectators – with only your own wits, strength and skill to help you – is entirely different.
So, where does Valencia’s confidence on that stage come from?
Maybe it’s the fact that she’s as familiar with ‘stages’ themselves as she is with the takedowns/turns she executes on them as a wrestler.
Both a capable musician (13 years of playing the piano) and talented singer (yes, really) – Valencia is no stranger to performing for an audience.
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But you’d probably be surprised by just how large of an audience she’s proven herself capable of handling with seeming ease.
That’s her at Kinnick Stadium last fall, speaking during Iowa’s freshman orientation in front of the entire Class of 2028.
(My palms are starting to sweat just thinking about it.)
Several months prior, she was chosen to speak at the grand opening of the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center – Iowa’s $31 million, 38-thousand square foot training facility.
“That was the first really big one for me,” says Valencia – who’s public speaking ‘career’ dates back to her high school days in northern California.
“I think it went really well,” she recalls of the Goschke opening. “I think people still remember it to this day, which is the aim for that.”
In the video/narration below, you’ll quickly discover why those in attendance would’ve found Valencia’s speech so memorable:
(She’s kind of good at this.)
Among other speaking engagements on her growing resume:
- a stint doing color commentary on B1G+ for an Iowa women’s double dual last November
- an appearance at the annual FRYfest celebration
- two turns as an orientation speaker for the annual Iowa Women’s Wrestling Academy
“I have this ability to really convey my persona and speak eloquently and try to motivate others,” says Valencia.
What’s more, she’s not opposed to using her talents for intergalactic ambassadorship, either.
I’ve long described Valencia as the type of person I’d choose to represent the entire human race if aliens came to earth.
“Oh, 100 percent I would,” she replies in a shockingly cogent manner to my ridiculous prompt.
“If aliens came and invaded the planet, I would definitely step up and speak on our behalf.”
Of even further comfort, were intergalactic relations to unexpectedly fail, humanity’s diplomat could probably ragdoll whatever extraterrestrial lifeform toed the line against her, too.
A familiar flaw…to dads everywhere
In storytelling, an infallible hero isn’t typically the easiest character to relate to.
And with each proceeding paragraph of this piece, you could be forgiven for thinking that Nyla Valencia is almost too good to be true.
Thankfully, we’ve dug deep and discovered at least one flaw – minor though it may be.
(Credit for the discovery goes to one Kylie Welker.)
“Nyla, she’s kind of a dad,” says the Iowa superstar when asked to identify something her teammate isn’t good at.
“She’ll lose things. Like, if her head wasn’t attached (to her body), she’d be like, ‘Where did it go?’”
“She loses everything. But you know, that’s just Nyla. She’s got so much else going on in her big brain that some of the little things she’ll forget…or big things.”
This revelation unearthed, I ask Valencia for her response.
“Yes (it’s true),” she says.
“I’m a little bit forgetful when it comes to personal items.”
Suddenly, the flood gates open.
“Oh my gosh, this is embarrassing to say on record, but I did leave my passport (while traveling for the U23 World Championships). And I had to go to Barcelona to get a new one.”
“I’ve also left a pair of AirPods, an iPad…”
“Most of the time when I would lose something it was either when I was managing weight or just kind of not in my right headspace – and it was always associated with travel or with planes.”
“So, that’s kind of like the excuse I always gave myself. But if it makes everyone feel better, I have not lost anything in like a year. So, yeah, it’s looking up.”
Oh, great – that flaw we just got done patting ourselves on the back for finally discovering?
Looks like we may need to find a new one…
No more whispers
Following her latest major injury (summer of 2024), it wasn’t until this past February that Valencia was able to resume training in some capacity.
Little by little, she continued to rebuild.
“When she’s off the mat rehabbing, she’s working her butt off to be ready to go,” says Coach Chun.
That work ethic carried into the summer months, as Valencia remained in Iowa City.
“I stayed here and really just tried to focus on kind of relearning the sport and finding myself as a wrestler – exploring areas that I’m really good at and indexing hard on those,” she says.
“It gave me an opportunity to kind of reset and think about things I want to keep focusing on. The summer was a great space to do that.”
But rather than merely strive for a return to the Nyla of old, this Hawkeye has found a new-and-improved version of herself – even in the aftermath of so much adversity.
On October 30th at team media day, I ask how she’s feeling now in comparison to her first ACL comeback.
“Physically? Just so much stronger, more physically sound,” she says.
“I don’t feel that whisper in my knees (anymore).”
“The only thing I’m thinking about is just the joy of competing and this gratitude of being able to step back on the mat again after so many years and finally getting a chance to put on that Hawkeye singlet. I mean, it’s been a long time coming.”
Says an empathetic Kylie Welker of her teammate’s resiliency:
“I give her so many props because I know when I’ve been injured and I’m sitting on the side I’m just itching to get back. So, for her to go back-to-back with those injuries – I just have so much respect for how hard she’s worked to get back. I’m super excited to see her go again and be able to finally represent our program.”
Three days later, that long-awaited moment will arrive – for both Valencia and everyone who’s wanted so badly to see her return to a stage and a sport that she loves.
Ready to fly
1361 days is a long time.
34 seconds is not.
And yet, in the moment the difference can sometimes be indistinguishable.
34 seconds was all the time Nyla Valencia spent on the mat during her official Hawkeye debut (a 10-0 victory). But in her own words, the experience – however brief – was more than worth the wait.
“It was exhilarating, to say the least. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that much excitement and joy about competing and wrestling in a match.”
“I’ve been picturing myself wrestling in that arena (ever since I committed). Year after year, I’ve been waiting patiently for my time – and it’s finally here.”
Both Valencia and her head coach made sure to praise the group effort that made the moment possible.
“I saw my surgeon was also kind of watching me on the floor, and I went over and gave him a huge hug,” says Valencia. “And my athletic trainer, Lauren (Werner) – huge thanks to them and to my coaches, to my teammates for supporting through my rehab process.”
“That’s a special moment…to get better and recover and be ready for moments like this,” says Chun. “Because she doesn’t do it alone – she has a team behind her.”
“It’s hard to be injured for that long of a period, and she did it with such great optimism throughout.”
“I remember recruiting her and just thinking how excited I am for her to wear that Hawkeye singlet. It just took a little bit longer of a road for her than anyone anticipated.”
Asked to describe her first competitive Carver-Hawkeye Arena experience, elation can’t help but beam from Valencia’s entire being:
“Everything from the walkout song to the flames and the cheers from the crowd – knowing I have family and supporters watching me, and my coaches in my corner and my teammates behind me. It’s just such a great feeling,” she says – an enormous smile never leaving her face.
“I feel like I have wings and I’m flying – and I have this surge of power and adrenaline that’s just kind of feeding that excitement. I feel like I’m on top of the world.”
Wrestling has a funny way of humbling those who fly the highest – even those whose character and resolve have already been tested by a career’s worth of adversity.
But remember, this is Nyla Valencia we’re talking about. And you can be certain she’s already focused on what’s next – as well as every meticulous step it’ll take to get there.
“I know we have some tougher opponents coming up,” she says following her richly deserved Iowa debut.
“This was just a great start to an awesome season.”
