Lexa Nelson '26 Recruiting Profile

I am the 11th out of 13 children in my large blended family. My older brothers wrestled and I grew to love the sport. This is my 4th year wrestling. My first year was in 8th grade. There wasn’t a girls team, so I wrestled with the boys. My freshman year was the first year that Iowa sanctioned girls wrestling, so I wrestled for the first ever Pekin Girls Wrestling team under coach Al Chapman. That year I struggled with hip issues, until I was finally diagnosed with a hip impingement and labral tear in both hips caused by a bone abnormality. I had my first hip surgery in July 2023. I completed physical therapy and was released to compete after just 13 weeks. I was cleared on a Friday and competed in a tournament on Saturday where I placed 4th with 2 pins. I continued to wrestle throughout the season knowing that I would have to have surgery on the other hip. I competed at Super Regionals and AAU State. I placed 6th at Super Regionals and was 2-2 at AAU State. I finished the season with a Sunday tournament in March followed by surgery on the other hip on Monday morning. So far this season I have two second place finishes and have won three tournaments all while maintaining high grades. I understand how to overcome obstacles and work through the pain in order to meet my personal goals.