Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
NWCA Press Release
 
Mar. 13, 2025 - In back-to-back seasons, the North Central College women's wrestling team has made program history with the most Scholar All-Americans in a season. The Cardinals broke their previous record of 19 wrestlers from last season with an outstanding 24 wrestlers this season, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced Thursday.
 
To earn the honor, student-athletes must meet one of the three criteria: placed in the top eight at Nationals with a GPA of at least 3.0, competed in a minimum of 15 matches recorded in Trackwrestling and with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 or was a national qualifier and with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25. has at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA.
 
Earning Scholar All-American honors four times has only been done by one wrestler in program history, Yelena Makoyed '23; this year, three Cardinal wrestlers have written their names in this achievement. Sydney Petzinger, Amani Jones, and Kendra Ryan have earned this elite accomplishment this year. Petzinger, the 2025 117-pound national champion and criminology major, finished the year by defeating King University's Avery Kibelbek in the finals of the NCWWC Championships. Petzinger held a 25-3 record while claiming her first national champion title. 

Jones won her second national title in the 124-pound weight class by defeating McKendree University's Shelby Moore with a 5-0 decision. Jones, a marketing major, recorded a perfect 27-0 record on the season. Ryan (110) finished the National Tournament in third place by defeating the University of Iowa's Ava Bayless in an upset. An exercise science major, Ryan finished the season with a 22-7 record.
 
North Central classroom seniors Sara Sterner (131), Riley Aamold (145), Dakota Drew (124), and Fiona McConnell (180) all earned the Scholar All-American distinction for the third time in their careers. At the same time, Emma Grimm (138) was named a Scholar All-American for the first time. The 131-pound national runner-up, Sterner, is a sociology major. Sterner earned a record of 26-5 and tallied 13 pins. Aamold, an environmental science major, finished the year with a 25-7 record, including 14 pins. Both Drew and Grimm are also sociology majors. Drew tallied a record of 9-12, while Grimm earned a 26-12 record. McConnell, an exercise science major, recorded a record of 17-10. Tiera Jimerson (160), sociology major, earned the distinction for the second time in her career. Jimerson took eight place at Nationals and earned All-American honors for the third time. 
 
Juniors Sydney Park (138), Amaya Yoshizumi (117), and Dasia Yearby all earned Scholar All-American status. Park, a religion major, earned the award for the third time and finished the year with a 9-10 record. Yoshizumi, a journalism major, also earned the distinction for the third time while tallying a record of 7-12. Transfer and sociology major Yearby earned the honor for the first time after finishing her season at the NCWWC Championships and racking up a 30-6 record, including 17 pins in the 207-pound weight class.
 
Five wrestlers of the sophomore class have received the national distinction. Taylor Graveman has won this award twice in her career. The psychology major took fifth place at Nationals in the 138 class, earning All-American honors and earning a 27-11 record. Bella Bolek (124) and Taylor Miess (131) have also received the distinction twice. Nutrition major, Bolek, tallied a 21-11 record, including 11 pins. Miess, a philosophy major, recorded a 15-14 record this season with 11 pins. Caylynn Chandler (145) and Elizabeth Raleigh (160) earned the Scholar All-American honors for the first time in their careers. A psychology major, Chandler earned a 23-11 record with 12 technical falls. Raleigh, a political science major, collected a record of 26-8, including 15 pins.
 
North Central had six freshmen find their footing in the classroom and on the mat. Sydney Perry (Undecided) had a tremendous first year with the Cardinals, taking eighth in the 145 division at the NCWWC Championships and earning a 31-4 record. Exercise science majors Mikayla Garcia (117) and Clare Waite (145) each earned the national honor. Garcia tallied a record of 32-9, with 15 wins coming from pins, and Waite finished the season with a 25-8 record, including 14 technical falls. Gracie Guarino (124) is also an exercise science major and recorded an 18-9 record, while Zurri Zamora (103), a sport management major, tallied a record 15-11, each recording eight pins. Eliana Paramo (110) is a nutrition major. Paramo earned a 9-9 record, including four technical falls and three pins.
 
The Cardinals finished the season as national runners-up, just behind Iowa. North Central had 12 wrestlers named All-American honors. Additionally, they claimed titles at the Region IV Tournament and the CCIW Tournament.
 
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up to the minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.