HBCU Signs #1 Ranked Wrestling Recruit

Deionna Borders is the No. 1 ranked 235-pound girls wrestler in the country. Delaware State University (DSU) women’s wrestling is where she’s headed. Borders didn’t pick Dover by accident. She picked it with purpose, and that decision sends a message well beyond the mat.

Borders didn’t start wrestling until high school. However, what followed was one of the most dominant prep careers in Ohio history. Last season, she went a perfect 47-0 and claimed the Ohio state championship at 235 pounds. She didn’t allow a single opponent to score. Her senior season has continued in the same direction - unbeaten, with every match ending in a pin. As a result, the Ohio House of Representatives formally honored her with a resolution for her 2025 championship run. She is also a Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award award winner, one of prep wrestling’s most prestigious recognitions.

None of that determines where you go next. Borders chose Delaware State.

Borders Headlines DSU’s Most Talented HBCU Wrestling Class

She’s not arriving alone. Head coach Kenya Sloan has assembled a recruiting class that stretches from Florida to California. In addition, it’s built to compete immediately.

Willow White of Law Enforcement Officers Memorial High School in Miami is one of the class’s marquee additions. A two-time Florida state champion and three-time state place-winner, White earned the Southeast Region Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. Therefore, she enters Dover as one of the top upper-weight prospects in the country.

Virginia, meanwhile, has been Sloan’s biggest pipeline. Chloe Williams of Brooke Point High School won the VHSL state title at 165 pounds in her first season of wrestling. Every match ended by fall. She became the first Brooke Point girl to win a state wrestling title. She then added the NHSCA national championship at 165 pounds. Sophia Slaughter of Orange County High School brings a rare three-peat of Virginia state championships. State placers Naima Rodriguez (Fauquier HS), Elena Carter (Courtland HS), and Sydney Branch (Prince George HS) round out a Virginia haul that any program would covet.

A National Recruiting Footprint for Delaware State Women’s Wrestling

Beyond Virginia, Samiyah Raming of Northeast High School in Philadelphia brings multiple Pennsylvania state placings and freestyle standout credentials. Moreover, Irelynn Laurin (West Creek HS, Tennessee), Kailani Griffith (River City HS, California), and NJCAA National Champion Ariah Mervilus of Virginia Beach add national range and proven college-level experience.

Consequently, Borders, White, and Williams alone would make this one of the most decorated recruiting classes in women’s wrestling this cycle. Together with the full group, this is a statement.

Delaware State reached the national tournament in its very first season of competition, a program built from scratch in months. That momentum is now converting into elite recruiting. Top prospects see what coach Sloan has built, they see the culture, and they’re choosing Dover over programs with far longer histories.

What This Class Means for HBCU Wrestling

Every time a ranked recruit signs with Delaware State, it rewrites what’s possible at an HBCU. That’s true not just in wrestling, but across women’s athletics.

When DSU launched this program, Toccara Montgomery - the first Black woman to wrestle for the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games - made clear what it meant. “This new program is more than just an opportunity,Montgomery told HBCU Gameday at the program’s launch. “It’s a historic step forward that will inspire young women of color to chase their passions and know they belong at the highest levels of sport.”

She was right. Deionna Borders belongs at the highest level. So does Chloe Williams. So does Willow White. Furthermore, they all chose to build that future at an HBCU.

Kenya Sloan helped light the spark. This class is what the fire looks like.

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The post HBCU Signs #1 Ranked Wrestling Recruit appeared first on HBCU Gameday.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 12:31 PM.