Aurora University wrestler Lexi Janiak wins national championship
Aurora University wrestler Lexi Janiak has become the first woman national champion in Spartan athletics history.
The Plainfield South graduate captured the 131 pound 2024-2025 NCWWC National Championship Tournament.
CBS News Chicago profiled Janiak in January. She was first introduced to wrestling at an early age through her brother, Matthew, and started wrestling herself in second grade.
It didn't take long for that competitiveness to shine.
"In about 7th grade, I placed at boys' state, and I remember that was huge for me, because it kind of showed all my hard work was paying off, and that was at a time where there wasn't very many girl wrestlers at all," she said in January.
But Janiak persevered, ending a historic career at Plainfield South before starring at Aurora University, where she has become a two-time All-American as a junior.
She's continued to raise her level each year as a top wrestler in the country, whether it's winning the Midlands championship with the Aurora University Spartans, or medals for Team USA.
Janiak's individual success is helping a young women's wrestling program in more ways than one.
"Women's wresting blew up in college wrestling, and it blew up really fast. We started off with smaller numbers, but over the next few years we've had a tremendous amount of success, starting with one individual," Aurora University women's wrestling coach Justin Pearch said in January. "Done a great job for our program, bringing in more numbers and more talent."
