Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Team Scores
Results
Brackets

ADRIAN, Mich. (Mar. 7th, 2020) - Finishing off their inaugural season, the North Central College women's wrestling team captured sixth-place overall at the first-ever Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women's Wrestling (NCWW) Championships while tallying five All-Americans.

The Cardinals placed five wrestlers in the top-eight, giving them All-American honors. Amanda Martinez (130) and Yelena Makoyed (170) turned in second-place finishes while Asia Nguyen-Smith (123) wrestled her way back to take fifth-place. Malea Palahniuk (155) and Angelina Kirkpatrick (191) each earned eighth-place to round out the place finishers for North Central.

Martinez began the tournament by earning two wins via tech fall to advance to the quarterfinals where she beat sixth-ranked Sierra Brown Ton (Colorado Mesa) by a close 5-4 decision. On day two, Martinez captured her second win by decision of the meet by defeating No. 2 Allison Petix (King University), 9-1. In the championship match, Martinez kept it close, but fell to No. 5 Alexia Ward (McKendree University) by a 4-2 decision. 

Makoyed pinned her first opponent in just one minute and thirty-three seconds to move on to the quarterfinals. There she faced No. 7 Rebekah Trudel of Simon Fraser and won via tech fall, 10-0. In the semifinals, Makoyed beat third-ranked Andrea Sennett (McKendree) by a 10-8 decision in the final seconds of the match to move to the championship. She would face a familiar opponent in No. 4 Jessica Rottier (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point), but lose by tech fall, 11-0 to take second-place.

At 123-pounds, Asia Nguyen-Smith started off the meet with a pin and a win by decision to move to the quarterfinals. She would face off against No. 3 Marissa Gallegos (Colorado Mesa) and lose by tech fall, 12-0. In the consolation bracket, Nguyen-Smith beat her Emmanuel College opponent by a 10-0 tech fall. In round five of the consolation bracket, Nguyen-Smith earned her second decision of the tournament to advance to the consolation semi-finals where she lost by a 8-4 decision to fifth-ranked Phoenix Dubose of King University. In the fifth-place match, she beat fourth-ranked Vayle Baker (Augsburg) by a 8-2 decision to finish in fifth-place.

Palahniuk started off the 155-pound division with a 10-0 tech fall victory over Brianna Simsic of East Stroudsburg University. After a round two bye, she fell to No. 1 Alyvia Fiske of Simon Fraser via tech fall. In the consolation bracket, Palahniuk bounced back to beat her Adrian College opponent by a 12-2 tech fall. Following a loss by decision, she moved to the seventh-place match. Palahniuk would lose by a 8-0 decision to earn eighth-place for the meet.

Kirkpatrick began her day in the quarterfinals as she fell to No. 1 ranked Sydnee Kimlber by pin. She rebounded in the consolation bracket by pinning Sebrina Albury (Lindenwood University) at the 4:49 mark. Following a loss to the fifth-ranked wrestler, Serena Woldring (Simon Fraser). Kirkpatrick would fall to Kaylee Seabolt (Emmanuel College) to take eighth-place in the tournament. 

At 155-pounds, Kim Nunez would post a 2-2 record at the meet as she earned a win by tech fall and decision. Angelina Graff (109) recorded one win in the meet, that coming in round two of the consolation bracket, as she pinned Alyssa Garza (Limestone College). Abby Eisenbeis also earned one victory as she pinned Ingri Ramirez of Augsburg in the consolation bracket.

McKendree University would win the tournament with 191 points, followed by Simon Fraser (178.5), King University (123), Colorado Mesa (92.5), and Emmanuel College (86) in fifth-place.