What Is Army's Connection With McKendree Women's Wrestling?
The United States Army has an internal unit called the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). It allows elite Soldier-athletes to train for and compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games while serving on active duty, in the Army Reserve, or National Guard. Based at Fort Carson, Colorado, WCAP provides resources for athletes to train full-time and compete at the national/international level.
Fort Carson is in Colorado Springs, where the United States Olympic Training Center (OTC) and USA Wrestling (USAW) are located. WCAP athletes — especially wrestlers — periodically train at the OTC with USAW National Women’s Team coach Terry Steiner and other elite-level wrestlers who are not in the army. Bruce Robinson is the head women’s freestyle coach at WCAP, and Nate Engel is his assistant.
Both oversee training. Here is an article about the program Robinson is building at WCAP . McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, has seen an influx of WCAP women’s freestyle wrestlers attend college there, and many wonder why.
The Bearcats recently won the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships with one full-time WCAP wrestler (207-pound champion Tristan Kelly) and one member of the National Guard (180-pound finalist Destiny Rodriguez). The Athletes Here’s a breakdown of the WCAP wrestlers on the McKendree roster. Tristan Kelly (207) is a two-time national champion at McKendree (2025-26) and is a full-time member with WCAP.
She transferred from Colorado Mesa and has a season of eligibility, which she plans to take, according to her post-NCAA Championships interview . Jasmine Robinson (160) is a 2024 U20 World champion, 2025 U23 World silver medalist, and a 2023 U17 World bronze medalist. She competed for McKendree this season at the National Duals but tore her labrum and did not compete in the postseason.
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