Aurora University women's wrestling junior Antonia Phillips is being honored with the prestigious Medal of Courage award by the Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The NWHOF Medal of Courage is a prestigious award given to a wrestler or former wrestler who has faced extraordinary challenges in life and has shown exceptional courage, perseverance, and determination in overcoming them.

"This honor means a lot to me, it shows that my deafness isn't a limit. It's a strength," said Phillips. "Courage has always meant pushing through barriers on and off the mat. This gives me strength to push through, no matter the obstacle."

Beginning her third season as a collegiate wrestler at Aurora, Phillips competes in the 160 pound weight class. As a high school wrestler for Alton Senior High School, Phillips was a two-time IHSA State place winner finishing as a State Champion in 2022 and third place in 2023. Her head coach in high school was Eric Roberson.

"Antonia has been an outstanding ambassador for girls wrestling in the state of Illinois and has represented Alton with great honor and high character," Roberson said. "I could not be more proud of her."