The Sojourn Athlete of the Week, presented by Amplify Media, is junior Jade Nutley from the #4 nationally-ranked, IWU Women’s Basketball program.
While the success of Women’s Basketball is nothing new to IWU, Nutley has been a critical contributor to the team since her freshman year. Nutley is a Hoosier native from Madison, IN, and went to Madison High School.
Nutley’s first collegiate year was one to remember. She played in all 33 games while starting in three. She averaged 5.5 points per game to help her team reach 25-4 through the regular season.
She was an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention in the 2022-2023 season, averaging 13.6 points per game.
“I started playing at a very young age,” Nutley said. “[I] took a liking to it right away. Played through junior high, high school and got on some travel basketball teams. A team that I really liked was Indiana Faith, and this is where I started to find God through basketball, which drove me to love basketball even more.”
The 2023-2024 season has been a dominant start for Nutley and the rest of the team. In the team’s last game, Nutley finished with 13 points and 3 rebounds to help secure a 77-70 win over Huntington.
“Coming into junior year, I knew that things were going to be different. Things were going to be harder,” Nutley said. “We’re super successful, and we have a target on our back. Everyone is out and they want to beat Indiana Wesleyan.”
As Nutley and the rest of the IWU women’s basketball program head into the final stretch of the regular season, their focus is on achieving the ultimate reward: the NAIA National Championship Red Banner.
“We have something different this year, and we are so connected. We love each other so well, and I know when it comes down to the end, other teams will start to fight with each other,” Nutley said. “We are so good at coming together and owning up to our mistakes.”
The Women’s basketball team has six more regular-season conference games before beginning the Crossroads League Conference Tournament. The quarterfinals will be on Feb. 27, the semifinals will be on March 1, and the championship will be on March 4.
