Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar. 28, 2023) - Earning the highest individual award for a women's college wrestler, North Central College women's wrestler Yelena Makoyed has been named the recipient of the 2023 Women's College Wrestler of the Year. USA Wrestling Director of Communications, Gary Abbott, announced Tuesday on The Bader Show. 

The Women's College Wrestler of the Year award is the first of its kind in women's wrestling and is the equivalent to the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is awarded to the top college wrestler in NCAA Division I men's wrestling. The six finalists of the first USA Wrestling Women's Wrestler of the Year award was composed of six undefeated college National Champions, four wrestlers from NAIA and two from the NCAA. 

"It is an honor to be the first to win any award, let alone Wrestler of the Year and to be voted among five other great wrestlers, it's pretty special. I hope that other women can look up to me and that they strive to put maximum effort into whatever they do, whether it's wrestling or baking bread, and win many awards as a by-product. After all, the award is not the ultimate goal but rather the journey, the enjoyment, and the process of failing over and over until you succeed" said Makoyed, 

Makoyed, a senior from Orangevale, Calif., was a part of the first ever recruiting class brought in by head coach Joe Norton and now sits atop the Cardinals' record books after a historic four-year career. Makoyed holds the career record for victories (94), winning percentage (.959), pins (40), technical falls (40) and has only lost four matches in her career. 

Makoyed has earned All-American status four-straight times becoming the first wrestler in program history to earn the prestigious honor four times in a career. She also has won three Regional Championships while adding a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Title in the conference's inaugural season. She also became the first wrestler in both men's and women's program history to win three National Titles in a career. 

This season, Makoyed put together another dominant performance on the mat, posting a perfect 28-0 record with a 100% bonus/match termination rate. Makoyed pinned 15 of her opponents this season as well as two-time All-American Cheyenne Bowman of King University in the National Finals. Other than her two forfeits, Makoyed defeated 11 opponents by technical fall, outscoring them 116-0 on the season. 27 of her 28 matches were concluded in the first period, the only match that went into the second period was the National Championship match where Makoyed pinned Bowman 49 seconds into the period. 

At the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, Makoyed earned the most falls in the least amount of time, pinning four opponents in just seven minutes and 48 seconds. That accomplishment not only made her the highest-scoring individual at the tournament with 28 points but she was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler. She led the Cardinals' to their first Regional Title since 2020 and their first National Championship in program history. 

"Coach Norton and the coaching staff have been there for me everyday since the day I came to North Central. In fact, even before I came to campus, Joe was watching my film and looking out for me at tournaments. When he invests into something he goes all in, 100%. It's been four years, and the Cardinal coaching staff has continued to invest their lives into the team. They work harder than any coaches that the team and I have ever seen and we  reciprocate that effort in our everyday lives" said Makoyed. 

Makoyed has made a name for herself at the college level but has also shined at the senior level, making the USA Wrestling Senior National Team. Makoyed has won four United World Wrestling (UWW) events, including the Zagreb Open in February where she took down world team member Dymond Guilford, two-time U.S. Open champion Precious Bell and 2021 World Bronze Medalist Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan. 

"I am elated for Yelena. She is so deserving of this award. She's won a lot of awards in her time with us, but this one is extra special. She works her butt off and has developed from a girl that barely got recruited out of High School into the best Collegiate Women's Wrestler in the country. She also just led her team to its first ever national championship. It wouldn't have happened without her" said Norton.

Makoyed will return to the mat in Las Vegas, Nev. on April 27-30 as she will compete at the U.S. Open. 

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