Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (Mar. 10, 2024) - The North Central College women's wrestling program took second at the NCWWC National Championships last weekend. Amani Jones earned national champion status in the 123-pound weight class.
 
Going into the finals, North Central led the tournament with 181 points with the University of Iowa right behind with 175.5 points. Iowa quickly took the lead after having eight individual wrestlers in the finals.
 
Iowa finished-off the tournament in first place (204 points), followed closely by North Central in second (198 points). King University took third place (163 points), while McKendree University finished in fourth place (106 points). Colorado Mesa University (68.5) rounded out the top five teams.
 
In the 101-pound semifinals, Maddie Avila met Sterling Dias of Iowa on the mat.  After a stalemate in the first period, Dias was able to earn another point and hold her ground. Avila fell to Dias in a close 3-2 decision. On the backside of the bracket, Avila defeated Jennesis Martinez of Colorado Mesa University by shutting out Martines in a 5-0 decision. Avila took on McKendree University's Lizette Rodriguez in the third-place match. Avila opened the match by earning a two-point takedown and a passivity point. In the second period, Rodriguez was hot from the start earning four two-point takedowns. Avila fell to Rodriquez by an 8-3 decision. Avila ended in fourth place and earned All-American honors for the second time in her career.
 
Top-ranked Kendra Ryan fell to fourth-ranked Kaelani Shufeldt of Lock Haven University by a pin in the semifinals of the 109-pound class. In the consolation semifinals, Ryan defeated Danielle Garcia of King University in a nail-biting 4-4 decision. In the third-place match, Ryan took on eighth-ranked Samantha Miller of Mount Olive University. Miller acted fast and Ryan fell to a pin (1:11). Ryan ended the tournament in fourth place and earned All-American honors for the third time in her career.
 
Also in the 109 class, Jaslynn Gallegos faced second-ranked Ava Bayless of the University of Iowa. Gallegos fell to Bayless by a 5-2 decision after a hard-fought battle. In the consolation semifinals, Gallegos fell to Samantha Miller (Mount Olive) by a pin (2:38). Gallegos was scrappy in the fifth-place match against Danielle Garcia of King University. Gallegos was up 4-1 before gut wrenching Garcia to earn eight points. Gallegos finished in fifth place and earned All-American honors for the second time in her career as a Cardinal.
 
In the 116-pound weight class, Sydney Petzinger fell to Brianna Gonzalez of Iowa by a 10-1 decision. Petzinger went on to defeat Melanie Mendoza of King with a 12-0 technical fall. Petzinger met top-ranked Samara Chavez in the third-place match. Petzinger earned a passivity point, and the only point, in the first period. Chavez earned a four-point takedown in the second period to take the lead. Petzinger fought back to earn a two-point takedown and a step out. Chavez earned two points before Petzinger got caught in a bad spot and fell to a pin (5:19). Petzinger earned fourth place and All-American honors for the third time in her career.
 
Amani Jones opened her day by meeting Montana Delawder of King University on the mat in the 123 class. After a hard-fought battle, Jones got the edge on Delawader and was able to pin her (5:26). Jones faced off against Virginia Foard of King University in the championship round. Jones was up 3-1 with the clock ticking down and was able to hold Foard off from earning any more points. Jone is the 123-pound national champion and an All-American for the third time in her career.
 
In the 130-pound weight class, Sara Sterner fell to Maria Victoria Baez Dilone of King University by a 7-4 decision. Sterner kept her head high and entered the consolation bracket to take on Ngao Shoua Whitethorn of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Sterner pinned Whitethorn in two minutes and 31 seconds. In the third-place match, Sterner met Alexis Janiak of Aurora University on the mat. Janiak got the edge on Sterner in the first period (0-4). In the second period, Sterner fought back but time ran out and she fell to Janiak by a 9-6 decision. Sterner finished the tournament in fourth place and earned All-American honors for the second time in her career as a Cardinal.
 
Salome Walker also represented North Central in the 130 class. Walker started her day off in round five of the consolation bracket, where she faced Ngao Shoua Whitehorn of Stevens Point. Walker fell to Whitehorn in a 12-2 technical fall. Walker met Kyle Rule of Wartburg University on the mat in the seventh-place match. Walker defeated Rule with a 17-9 decision to end the tournament in seventh place. Walker also earned All-American honors for the first time in her career with the Cardinals.
 
Representing the Cardinals in the 136-pound weight class were Taylor Graveman and Yele Aycock. Graveman started the second day taking on Amor Tuttle of Stevens Point in the fourth round of the consolation bracket. Graveman defeated Tuttle by a 13-9 decision before falling to Grace Stem of Lock Haven University in the next round. In the seventh-place match, Graveman met Holly Beaudoin of Colorado Mesa on the mat. Graveman dominated the match to win with an 11-0 technical fall. Graveman ended the championships in seventh place and earned her All-American status for the first time in her career.
 
Aycock started day two in the semifinals against Jade Trolland of Simon Fraser University. Trolland opened up the scoring in the first period but Aycock quickly took the lead with a two-point takedown. In the second period, Aycock earned a point from exposure but a challenge by Simon Fraser took the point away. Aycock continued to fight to defeat Trolland with a 6-1 decision. In the finals, Aycock faced Claire DiCugno of King University. Aycock fought hard but DiCugno took the momentum of the match and Aycock fell by a 10-0 technical fall. Aycock ended the season as the national runner-up for the second consecutive year and earned All-American honors.
 
In the 143-pound weight class, Alara Boyd met Aine Drury of King in the semifinals. Boyd quickly took a 4-0 lead but by the end of the first period, Drury had tied up the score. In the second period, Drury kept her momentum, scoring on a pushout and a takedown to take the lead and the match (7-4 decision). In the consolation semifinals, Boyd needed only one minute and seven seconds to pin Zoey Lints of Elmira College. Boyd finished the tournament in third place by pinning Maddie Kubicki of Presbyterian in only 50 seconds. Boyd also earned All-American honors.
 
London Houston represented North Central in the 155 class on day two of the tournament. Houston fell to Marlynne Deede of Iowa by a 10-0 technical fall in the semifinals before pinning Madison Sandquist of Sacred Heart University in five minutes and one second. In the third-place match, Houston met Dalia Garibay of Colorado Mesa on the mat. Houston picked up her second pin of the tournament by pinning Garibay in two minutes and 15 seconds. Houston finished in third place for the second straight year and earned All-American honors for the second time in her career as a Cardinal.
 
In the 170-pound weight class, Yelena Makoyed defeated Tristan Kelly of McKendree with a 13-3 technical fall in the semifinals. In the most anticipated match of the year, Makoyed met Kylie Welker of Iowa on the mat in the finals. Makoyed worked hard but Welker was quick and gained momentum from the hometown crowd. Makoyed fell to Welker by an 11-0 technical fall to finish the tournament in second place with All-American honors. Makoyed will go down as one of the greatest wrestlers in North Central history.
 
North Central was represented by Brittyn Corbishley and Traeh Haynes in the 191 class. Corbishley began day two in round five of the consolation bracket against Jayleen Sekona of Colorado Mesa. Corbishley took control of the match and pinned Sekona in only 39 seconds. Corbishley met Haynes in the consolation semifinal match. Both teammates worked hard, but Haynes walked away with the win (TF 11-1). In the fifth-place match, Corbishley was barely on the mat against Sara Lake of Lindenwood. Corbishley needed just 21 seconds to pin Lake. Corbishley ended the tournament in fifth place and All-American honors for the second consecutive year. Corbishley was also honored with the award for most falls in the least amount of time at the conclusion of the tournament.
 
Haynes faced off against Jaycee Foeller of Iowa in the semifinals. Haynes fell to Foeller by a pin (0:42) before defeating Corbishley with an 11-1 technical fall. In the third-place match, Haynes met Alexa Garcia of King on the mat. Haynes pulled away with the win after pinning Garcia in three minutes and 53 seconds. Haynes took third place and earned All-American honors at the national tournament.
 
After taking second at the NCWWC National Championships, North Central wrestlers will prepare for the U.S. Women's Nationals (Apr. 12-14) in Spokane, Wash.
 
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