Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant,
mreaker@noctrl.edu
Results
Brackets
Team Scores
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Feb. 19, 2023) - Hosting the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) Region IV Tournament inside their home gym for the first time, the North Central College women's wrestling team's 15 national qualifiers and four regional champions sent them past 11 competitors to claim their second regional title in program history.
The tournament field consisted of five ranked teams including No. 3 McKendree University, No. 5 Augsburg University, No. 12 Aurora University and No. 15 Lindenwood University. While the team rankings were impressive, the individual weight classes included 30 ranked wrestlers and six of the ten No. 1-ranked wrestlers in the country.
The No. 1-ranked Cardinals reigned victorious as they scored 187.5 team points, outsourcing runner-up McKendree (150) by 37.5 points. Augsburg (149.5) claimed third place, being edged by the Bearcats by a half a point. 15th-ranked Lindenwood (64.5) finished in fourth place while 12th-ranked Aurora rounded out the top-five with 46.5 points.
The 101-pound weight class featured two wrestlers, North Central's Maddie Avila and McKendree's Lizzette Rodriguez and both wrestlers would face each other for the 101-pound title. Avila, the fourth-ranked wrestler, battled with second-ranked Rodriguez but would fall by a narrow 5-4 decision to take home second place and qualify for the National Tournament.
Fifth-ranked Kendra Ryan kicked off the tournament with a 46 second pin in the quarterfinals, defeating Natalia Carrillo Mancera of Augustana College before defeating teammate Sydney Petzinger by a 10-8 decision. Ryan would face defending National Champion, Emily Shilson of McKendree, in the Championship bout but would fall by a 10-0 technical fall to take home second place and qualify for Nationals. Second-ranked Petzinger only needed 29 seconds to pick up her first win, pinning Camila Neuman of Aurora in the quarterfinals. Petzinger would square off with Ryan in the semifinals but would fall by a 10-8 decision to put her in the backside of the bracket. Petzinger bounced back with an 11-0 technical fall win over Gada Bryant of Eureka to put her in the third place bout against eighth-ranked Pauline Granados of McKendree. Petzinger would punch her ticket to Nationals with a 14-4 technical fall win over Granados.
Second-ranked Jaslynn Gallegos received a bye in the first round of the 116-pound weight class before pinning Samantha Kruize of McKendree in 20 seconds. In the semifinals, Gallegos would defeat Tateum Park of Augsburg by a 10-0 technical fall. Gallegos would punch her ticket to the National Tournament, turning in a second place finish. Amani Jones kicked off her tournament with a 10-0 technical fall win over Anastasia Georges of Fontbonne University in the 123-pound weight class. In the quarterfinals, Jones would only need 40 seconds to move into the semifinals as she defeated Sydney Tajkowski of Augustana. Jones would defeat Jasmine Ward of Lindenwood by an 11-0 technical fall before claiming the 123-pound crown with a 9-2 decision win over Jennifer Soto of McKendree. Jones will make her second-straight trip to the National Tournament.
Third-ranked Sara Sterner received a bye in the first round of the 130-pound weight class before pinning Megan Stutsman of McKendree in eight seconds, the fastest fall of the tournament. In the semifinals bout, Sterner would fall to fourth-ranked Alexis Janiak of Aurora by a 10-0 technical fall to put her on the backside of the bracket. Sterner would bounce back and pin Frankie Graham of Simpson in 22 seconds to put her in the third place match against Autumn Flanigan of Augsburg. Sterner would fall to Flanigan by a narrow 4-2 decision, taking home second place and punching her ticket to the National Tournament for the first time in her career.
Fifth-ranked Yele Aycock kicked off the day with an 11-0 technical fall win over Tatyana Turner of William Jewell in the first round of the 136-pound weight class. In the quarterfinals, Aycock would take down Kya Rybachek of Augsburg by a 12-3 decision before knocking off Abigail Varady of McKendree by a 3-1 decision. Aycock would square off with Top-ranked Nina Makem of Augsburg for the fifth time this season. Makem holds a 3-1 record against Aycock this season but Aycock would knock off the nation's best wrestler by a 3-2 decision to claim the 136-pound crown and punch her ticket to Nationals for second time in her career. Seventh-ranked Salome Walker only needed 48 seconds to move into the quarterfinals as she pinned Bethany Regione of Aurora in the first round of the 136-pound weight class. Walker would move into the semifinals bout with a 12-2 technical fall win over Athena Willden of William Jewell College but would fall to No. 1-ranked Makem to put her in the backside of the bracket. Walker would bounce back by pinning Natasha Markoutsis of Aurora and would punch her ticket to Nationals with a 5-4 decision win over Varady to take home third place.
Eighth-ranked London Houston kicked off the tournament with a 10-0 technical fall win over Rhian Kempf of William Jewell in the first round of the 143-pound weight class. Houston would keep her momentum going as she picked up another 10-0 technical fall win over Ellisa Jimenez of Augsburg before defeating teammate Kendall Bostelman by a 11-0 technical fall to put her in the championship bout. Houston would face third-ranked Katie Lange of Augsburg and would fall to Lange by a 10-0 technical fall to secure a second place finish and qualify for Nationals. Fifth-ranked Bostelman received a bye in the first round of the 143-pound weight class before defeating Justice Seely of Lindenwood by an 11-0 technical fall but would fall in the semifinals to Houston, putting her in the backside of the bracket. Bostelman would bounce back by pinning Kempf and would claim third place and punch her ticket to Nationals by pinning Ellisa Jimenez of Augsburg.
Top-ranked Tiera Jimerson received a bye in the 155-pound weight class before pinning Kahlea Jolly of Augsburg in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Jimerson would move into the championship match by defeating Jazmine Garcia of Quincy by a 10-0 technical fall but would fall in the championship bout to second-ranked Marlynne Deede of Augsburg to take home second place and qualify for Nationals for the second-straight season. Fourth-ranked Malea Palahniuk received a bye in the first round of the 155-pound weight class before moving into the semifinals with a win by injury default. Palahniuk would fall to top-ranked Deede in the semifinals but would bounce back with a 47 second pin, defeating Kahlea Jolly of Augsburg. Palahniuk would only need 52 seconds to secure a third place finish as she pinned Kaitlyn Mossinnghoff of Westminster University to punch her ticket to Nationals for the third time in her career.
Top-ranked Yelena Makoyed received a bye in the first round of the 170-pound weight class before pinning eighth-ranked Alexandra Castillo of McKendree in 51 seconds to put her in the championship match. Makoyed would defeat Brooklyn Hays of Augsburg by a 10-0 technical fall to claim the 170-pound title and punch her fourth trip to the National Tournament.
Second-ranked Traeh Haynes received a bye in the first round of the 191-pound weight class before defeating Melissa Jacobs of Augsburg by a 10-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals. Haynes would face teammate Brittyn Corbishley in the semifinals bout and would defeat Corbishley by a 13-4 decision to square off against three-time National Champion and No. 1-ranked, Sydnee Kimber of McKendree. Kimber had not lost a match since Nov. 17, 2019 and held a 68-0 record going into the match but after three cautions were given to Kimber, Haynes would secure the 191-pound title and will make her first trip to the National Tournament. Third-ranked Corbishley received a bye in the first round before defeating Alexis Cole of William Jewellby a 10-0 technical fall but would fall in the semifinals to Haynes by a 13-4 decision. Corbishley would bounce back and pin Angie Guy of Augustana in 37 seconds to move into the third place bout. Corbishley would defeat fifth-ranked Sara Lake of Lindenwood to claim third place and punch her ticket to the National Tournament for the first time in her career.
This is the second-straight season where the Cardinals will be sending all 15 women to the National Tournament. They will look to claim their first National Title in program history on Mar. 3-4 as they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the NCWWC National Championships.
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