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

NWCA Press Release 

MANHEIM, Pa. (Apr. 21, 2023) - After claiming the program's first National Championship on the mat, the North Central College women's wrestling team showed their excellence in the classroom as they were named the 2023 Scholar All-American Team Champions. Fifteen women were honored as Scholar All-Americans, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced Friday. 

As a team, the Cardinals were the top performers of all 31 teams that were honored by the NWCA. They boasted an outstanding 3.798 grade point average (GPA) while having a program-record 15 Scholar All-Americans. Adrian College followed in second with a 3.672 GPA and Colorado Mesa University, last year's team champion, was third with a 3.635 GPA. 

Yele Aycock, a sophomore exercise science major, was named a Scholar All-American for the second time in her career. On the mat this season, Aycock posted a 30-6 record with twelve of her wins coming by technical fall. Aycock claimed the 136-pound regional title and became an All-American as she finished second at the National Championships in March. Kendall Bostelman, a freshman exercise science major, earned Scholar All-American status for the first time in her career. Bostelman posted a 27-10 record this season at 143-pounds while winning thirteen matches by fall and thirteen by technical fall. Bostelman finished third at the Region IV Championship before being named an All-American by finishing sixth at the National Championships. 

Dakota Drew, a sophomore sociology major, was named a Scholar All-American for the first time in her career. On the mat this season, Drew posted a 20-12 record while defeating thirteen opponents by technical fall. Drew finished second in the 123-pound weight class at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship in January. London Houston, a sophomore exercise science major, was honored by the NWCA for the first time in her career. Houston posted a 19-8 record this season while defeating fifteen of her opponents by technical fall. Houston finished second at the Region IV Championship before earning All-American honors for the first time as she finished third in the 143-pound weight class. 

Tiera Jimerson, a sophomore sociology major, earned Scholar All-American honors for the first time in her career. Jimerson posted a 23-7 record this season while pinning six opponents and defeating six others by technical fall. Jimerson finished second at the Region IV Championship before earning All-American honors for the second time in her career as she turned in a seventh place finish at 155-pounds. 

Amani Jones, a sophomore marketing major, picked up her second Scholar All-American honor of her career. Jones posted a 35-4 record, tying the single season wins record which was set by her in 2022. She defeated fifteen of her opponents by technical fall while pinning ten other opponents on her way to a first place finish at the Region IV Championship. Jones earned All-American honors for the second time in her career as she finished the season as the National Runner-up at 123-pounds. Yelena Makoyed, a senior psychology major, became the programs' first four-time Scholar All-American. Makoyed was dominant on the mat this season, posting a 28-0 record while claiming her third National Title and becoming the programs first four-time All-American. Makoyed was also named the USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year and The Open Mat Wrestler of the year. 

Shelby Ottum, a junior elementary education major, was named a Scholar All-American for the first time in her career. Ottum posted a 12-9 record this season, defeating six of her opponents by technical fall. Ottum finished second in the 155-pound weight class at the CCIW Championships in January. Malea Palahniuk, a senior health science major, earned Scholar All-American honors for the first time in her career. Palahniuk finished the season with a 28-8 record while defeating eight opponents by fall and seven by technical fall. Palahniuk finished third at the Region IV Championship and earned All-American honors for the third time in her career as she turned in a fourth place finish at the National Championships in March. 

Sydney Park, a freshman religious studies major, was named a Scholar All-American for the first time in her career. Park finished the season with a 15-9 record while defeating nine of her opponents by technical fall. Sydney Petzinger, a sophomore, was named a Scholar All-American for the second time in her career. Petzinger finished the season with a 25-5 record, defeating sixteen of her opponents by technical fall. She finished third at the Region IV Championship and earned All-American honors for the second-straight year as she finished fourth in the 109-pound weight class at the National Championships. 

Kendra Ryan, a sophomore exercise science major, became a two-time Scholar All-American this season. Ryan posted a 23-8 record on the mat this season while defeating fifteen opponents by technical fall. Ryan turned in a second place finish at the Region IV  Championship and became a two-time All-American as she finished fifth in the 109-pound weight class at the National Championships. Sara Sterner, a sophomore sociology major, was named a Scholar All-American for the first time in her career. On the mat this season, Sterner posted a 23-11 record while defeating fourteen of her opponents by fall. Sterner finished fourth at the Region IV Championship and became an All-American for the first time in her career as she finished fifth in the 130-pound weight class at the National Championships in March.

Halle White, a sophomore entrepreneurship major, earned Scholar All-American honors for the first time in her career. White posted an 14-11 record this season, defeating ten of her opponents by technical fall. White finished third in the 130-pound weight class at the CCIW Championships in January. Amaya Yoshizumi, a freshman journalism major, earned Scholar All-American honors for the first time in her young career. Yoshizumi finished her first season with the Cardinals with a 23-8 record while defeating twelve of her opponents by technical fall. Yoshizumi turned in a second place finish at the Bearcat Open in February. 

This season, the Cardinals claimed the program's first National Championship as they outscored runner-up, King University, by 35 points. North Central set a NCWWC and program-record for All-Americans as all fifteen women were named All-American for their performance on the mat. They also claimed titles at the Region IV Tournament and CCIW Tournament. 

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