Rewa Chababo: Leaving a Mark

Rewa Chababo, a fourth-year senior on the Wartburg Women’s Wrestling team, has just made history as the first top three finisher at the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship Tournament in Wartburg Women’s Wrestling program history.  

The tournament, consisting of Division I, Division II and Division III colleges and universities, took place on March 6 and 7 at the Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Chababo, along with six other Knights, competed in the inaugural NCAA event.  

Chababo, who transferred to Wartburg in fall of 2024, secured her spot in the second day of the tournament after defeating Esther Peters of Chadron State and Katja Osteen of the University of Iowa. In day two, Chababo took her first loss of the tournament to Tristan Kelly of McKendree University, finishing the tournament in the wrestle back bracket.  

Continuing on with the tournament weekend, Chababo defeated Jayleen Sekona of Colorado Mesa, securing her opportunity for a third-place finish. In a second match against Osteen (Iowa), Chababo defeated the Division I wrestler, placing third in the national tournament.  

“The fact that she was a D1 wrestler from Iowa was nice,” Chababo says. “But what was more special to me was the fact that when I first beat her it was an ‘upset’. Like I shouldn’t have beaten her because they expected her to beat me.”  

After competing against Osteen multiple times this season, Chababo felt confident going into her final match to fight for her third-place finish.  

“Before my third-place match against her, I was feeling confident like I had her figured out. I knew that the match was going to be difficult, but I knew that I had the capabilities to come out on top.” 

While Chababo currently holds the record for the highest placement at the national tournament in Wartburg Women’s Wrestling history, she is confident that she will not have this honor for long.  

“It’s nice to think about, but I believe that we currently have girls on our roster and that are coming in that will easily break that by either making it to the finals or winning the whole tournament,” Chababo says. “Not only is out team young with a lot of potential, we have Kylie Rule who is a two-time All-American, who is a force to be reckoned with.”  

Reflecting on her final wrestling season, Chababo shares that this season was not what she was expecting it to be.  

“The funny thing is that I didn’t think I would be able to accomplish many of the things I accomplished this season at all, especially after the first tournament of the season,” Chababo says.  

Beginning her senior season with two losses at the Pointer Open, Chababo would only have three total losses in her senior season before the national tournament.  

“Afterwards, it was kind of like ‘here we go again’ type of feeling,” Chababo says. “After that though, the only way I can describe it was perfect. I felt great on the mat and the results mirrored that. I could not have asked for a better final season.”  

Head coach for the women’s wrestling team, Brady Kyner, shares that he has seen tremendous growth in Chababo in just the two years of her being with the program.  

“She was looking for a place to develop her into the best wrestler while also giving her a team that she can support. So, when she walks out of these doors, she knows they will be able to continue making history. That is what Rewa did,” Kyner says.  

As just one of two seniors this year, Kyner notes that Chababo has had an impact not just on the program, but her younger teammates as well.  

“Rewa is a leader in our program. If you know Rewa, you know she brings energy, passion, and competitiveness. She will be leaving an impact that will last years to come,” Kyner says. “When people think of Rewa, they will remember her legacy as someone that took advantage of every opportunity she got; she fully trusted her coaches and was willing to do what it took to be great.” 

Chababo herself hopes that her impact on the program is a motivation for her teammates to persevere throughout each season.  

“My journey was not easy by any means. There were many parts of my career where I contemplated quitting because you know as a believer of God, I believe that we get signs and stuff,” Chababo says. “But now, I have a success story that is uniquely my own that can convince the girls here that everything will work itself out even if you have your own doubts sometimes.” 

Looking back on Chababo’s career as a Knight, Kyner expresses his gratitude for LeRoy Gardner, a 2003 Wartburg Alum.  

“If it wasn’t for Coach LeRoy, Rewa wouldn’t have been connected to Wartburg,” Kyner says. “What I love about Wartburg is how awesome our wrestling tree is and ultimately gave us the opportunity to help Rewa reach her full potential.” 

Gardner, Chababo’s coach for just two weeks during her freshman year of college, played a role in Chababo’s transfer to Wartburg, as well as her love for the sport.  

“He always told me that he was always in my corner for anything that I needed, I still speak to him today,” Chababo says. “When I decided that I was entering the transfer portal, he told me to consider Wartburg as he graduated from here and he really enjoyed it.”  

While she says that the coaches in Texas played a large part in her wrestling career and recognizing her potential, Chababo highlights her appreciation for Gunnar Wolfensperger, an assistant coach for the women’s wrestling team.  

“It was coach Gunnar here that really allowed me to succeed at this level. I have the tendency to be very emotional when it comes to most things that I do, and he is the complete opposite,” Chababo says. “He has not only helped my wrestling by wrestling with me all the time and watching film for me, but he has helped me mellow out a lot.” 

With her time at Wartburg coming to an end, Chababo has high hopes for the program she is leaving behind.  

“I hope the team continues to do great things like they have been doing for the past three years. They’re going to be dangerous, especially when they separate scholarship schools and Division III schools,” Chababo says. “It’s hard to see just how good we are because we are constantly going head-to-head with teams that outweigh us in terms of resources. But we will be one of the best schools in the nation when we get to only compete against DIII.” 

As she looks forward to graduation in May, Chababo shares her plans for the future are not far from the life she has at Wartburg.  

“I’m looking into a lot of GA positions where I can coach women’s wrestling and get my masters in English on the side. That sounds the most ideal for me at the moment,” Chababo says.  

Though she shares that her future is still uncertain, Kyner believes that Chababo will go far, regardless of the path she decides to take. 

“I know Rewa will find her passion and do it really well. Over the past two years of knowing Rewa, I’ve never seen her not do the best job she can,” Kyner says.  

With women’s wrestling only recently becoming a sanctioned sport at Wartburg in 2023, Kyner shares that Chababo played a role in building the program that Wartburg has today. 

“Rewa has been one of the first groups that have built the foundation that is going to be remembered forever,” Kyner says. “She has learned from her experiences that she has become a better person, better wrestler, and teammate because she has gotten more out of herself because she chose a harder way than the easy way.” 

While Kyner believes that Chababo has left an impact on the program, Chababo believes that it is the program, coaches and athletes who have left a mark on her life.  

“Before Wartburg, I was an athlete who tried to do everything on my own. For me, this meant dealing with everything negative on my own, especially when it came to my shortcomings, losses and preparation,” Chababo says. “Here at Wartburg, I was finally able to put my trust into coaches who I knew wanted what’s best for me but also knew how to make me into the best version of myself.” 

Women’s wrestling is a newly sanctioned sport in the NCAA and is a continuously growing program across the country. To learn more about women’s wrestling at Wartburg, look at the Wartburg Women’s Wrestling page.