The COVID-19 pandemic provided college athletes a chance to hit the reset button.

For Lyon wrestler Kelani Corbett, she used it to get healthy, and in the process bring the fun back to wrestling.

Two years removed from surgery to repair a torn labrum and a broken collarbone, Corbett broke through to win the NAIA National Women’s Invitational championship at 191 pounds on Saturday in Jamestown, N.D.

The four-time high school state champion from Leilehua added the big prize in college to her collection, closing out an 8-0 win in the final after placing third a year ago.

“It was good. A lot of ups and down this season as a team and as individuals, but to finally get the end result you wanted, it felt good,” Corbett said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Corbett spoke of many ups and downs, beginning as a freshman, when she wrestled the entire season with a shoulder injury.

The pandemic hit right before the NAIA national tournament, canceling the event, and allowing Corbett to take the time to get surgery.

“Once you break a joint, you’re kind of stuck with it for life, so it’s constant (physical therapy) making sure it’s healthy,” Corbett said. “That was probably the most major injury I’ve ever had and had to go through.”

When she returned to the mat for her sophomore season, she said, it felt like she had to learn how to wrestle all over again.

The toughest part was trusting her shoulder and not trying to “baby it” while on the mat.

She managed to finish third in her first appearance at the NAIA national tournament, but said the toughest obstacle is the person she sees in the mirror.

“One of my biggest enemies is myself, and sometimes I get my head down and over-think a lot,” Corbett said. “I kind of went through a little stretch of time wondering if I still wanted to wrestle, but I fell back in love with it and have just kind of tried to enjoy it. Going to practice was fun again.”

That helped ease the pressure of getting back to nationals this year as the No. 2 seed. Her opponent in the final, Life University’s Gabby Hamilton, was seeded fifth and knocked out the No. 1 seed on the way to the final.

This time around, Corbett said, she didn’t make too much out of the moment.

“My ultimate goal was to win, but kind of the funny thing about it is I thought of it as another tournament,” Corbett said. “I kind of just said to myself, ‘screw it,’ and didn’t put pressure on myself about winning or losing or anything. The only thing I thought about is if I stick her on her back then I am going to finish it.”

It’s already been three years since Corbett finished her high school career pinning her way to the 168-pound final before winning 4-1 to complete the state slam.

Lyon, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, is the oldest independent college in Arkansas, founded in 1872.

Corbett called the weather “bi-polar” compared to Hawaii, but stays busy to keep herself occupied.

“The other week it was 70 degrees and then the next day we were in an ice storm. That’s probably the only downside to Arkansas,” Corbett said. “I’m involved in student government, and help out with he diversity community and started a luau for Pacific Islander Heritage Month and I’m also part of a (student athletic advisory organization).”

All that, and she’s still able to become a national champion as a wrestler.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but (the wrestling team) is kind of this big family and we’re known as the closest team on campus,” Corbett said. “We work hard together, but we also have a lot of fun together.”

Corbett was one of eight wrestlers from Hawaii to finish in the top four of their respective weight classes in the national tournament this year.

University of Providence senior Ivy Navarro (Lahainaluna ’18) finished runner-up at 101 pounds for the second year in a row.

Navarro was the top-ranked wrestler in her weight class for most of the season and finished with a 19-3 record.

Teammates Ashley Gooman (Kamehameha ’20) finished fourth at 116 pounds, Paige Respicio (Kamehameha ’20) was fourth at 136 pounds and Sadie Antoque (Castle ’20) also earned a fourth-place finish at 155 pounds.

Menlo (Calif.) sophomore Nanea Estrella (Lahainaluna ’20) made it to the 130-pound final before dropping a 3-2 decision to Texas Wesleyan’s Lexie Basham. It was the first NAIA appearance for the Oaks since 2019 due to COVID-19 protocols.

Teammate Alana Vivas (Kamehameha ’19) finished third at 123 pounds, beating Eastern Oregon’s Macy Higa (Roosevelt ’18) 9-0.