From Starting Over to Standing on Top: Keyahna Phillips Makes History at Iowa Lakes

When Keyahna Phillips stepped onto campus at Iowa Lakes Community College, she wasn’t just starting college, she was starting over.

Coming from Chicago, Keyahna didn’t grow up surrounded by opportunity. College wasn’t always part of the plan, and wrestling at the national level felt even further out of reach. But everything in her life shifted quickly. After being referred to Iowa Lakes Community College by her high school coach, she connected with Corey Muniz, head women’s wrestling coach. What started as a virtual conversation turned into a life-changing decision, and within a week, she was in Iowa.

That move didn’t come at an easy time. Back home, her house had burned down, and without a stable place to stay, she was forced to find a new direction. In the middle of everything falling apart, she packed what she could and left. There was no safety net waiting for her, just a belief that this could be something more.

She arrived not fully formed, but focused.

“I didn’t have anyone. No mom or dad helping me. It was just me,” she said. “This was my ticket out.”

What she did have was a plan. She wrote it down, goals that at the time felt more like hopes than guarantees become an All-American, improve her GPA, make weight, and eventually become a national champion. Those words became her direction. And from that point forward, everything she did was about working toward them.

The transition wasn’t easy. New environment, new expectations, and the pressure of competing at a higher level could have been overwhelming. But instead of backing down, Keyahna leaned in. With guidance from her coach and support across campus, she began to grow in ways that went far beyond wrestling.

“I was wild,” she said. “Now I’m respectful and respected.”

Through programs like TRIO-SSS and support from educational counseling, she found structure and accountability. For the first time, she had people around her who were invested in her success. She got her first job and is learning how to drive. She started to see what her future could look like.

“Iowa Lakes changed my whole perspective,” she said.

That growth started to show in competition. Last season, she placed fifth in the nation and earned All-American honors, something she once wasn’t sure was even possible. But for Keyahna, that wasn’t the finish line. It was motivation.

She stayed through the summer, taking classes, training, and continuing to push herself. She journaled, refocused, and committed fully to the goals she had written down. “I need more. I want to be great,” she said. Every day became about closing the gap between where she was and where she wanted to be.

This year, everything came together.

Standing in the finals, she felt the pressure, but she also felt ready. When the match ended, the realization hit her in a moment she had already pictured so many times.

“I did that,” she said. “I’m the national champion.”

Not just a champion, but the first in Iowa Lakes history.

For Keyahna, the title means something deeper than the accomplishment itself. It represents everything she had to overcome to get there.

“I came from a place where opportunity doesn’t happen,” she said. “Now I’m living it.”

At Iowa Lakes, she found more than a team. She found support, stability, and people who believed in her. “I’ve become a grown young lady here,” she said, reflecting on how much her life has changed in such a short time.

And she’s not done yet.

Next, she’s heading to Oklahoma State University to continue both her academic and wrestling career. She plans to major in psychology with the goal of becoming a therapist, something that feels deeply personal to her journey.

“I’m a good person to talk to,” she said. “Helping people, that’s what I want to do.”

Keyahna Phillips didn’t just win a national title. She created a new path for herself, one built on hard work, resilience, and a decision to take an opportunity and run with it.

And in doing so, she showed exactly what’s possible when someone decides they want more and refuses to stop until they get there.