Women's Wrestling 2026 Seniors with Families
Mark Black

Women's Wrestling

Women’s Wrestling Claims Senior Day Win Over Wartburg

Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director fo Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302

Results

Jan. 29, 2026 - The No. 3 North Central College women's wrestling team took on No. 8 Wartburg College in a midweek dual on Thursday, Jan. 29, inside Gregory Arena as the Cardinals defeated the Knights in a 37-8 showing on Senior Day.

It marked a battle of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals Champions as North Central won the all-divisions title, while Wartburg claimed the Division III title earlier this month. With the win, the Cardinals climb to a 13-2 record while the Knights recorded just their second dual loss this season for a 10-2 record.

At 103 pounds, seventh-ranked Madison Avila had an early takedown against No. 5 Chloe Sheffield before converting a four-point throw into a pin at 2:11 to kick off the night for the Cardinals.

In the 110 weight class, top-ranked Kaelani Shufeldt carried a six-point lead over No. 10 Afftynn Stusse into the second period and tacked on two more points to take the 10-0 technical fall as North Central grew to a 9-0 lead.

Mikayla Garcia secured a four-point throw early in the 117 pound match before gaining position and claiming the pin in under a minute (0:50) against No. 9 Gable Hemann.

At 124 pounds, top-ranked Sara Sterner went down by two early against No. 10 Sophie Bowers but quickly made up the deficit with a takedown of her own before the first period ended. She came back with a four-point throw to take a 6-2 advantage and added another takedown and two turns to claim the 12-2 technical fall win.

In the 131 weight class, No. 5 Yele Aycock was awarded a point for passivity by Kenzie Childers before claiming a pair of takedowns in the second period to go up 5-0. She added two more points before Childers got on the board with a takedown, but it wasn't enough as Aycock claimed the 7-2 win by decision.

With the Cardinals holding a 21-2 advantage heading into the 138-pound bout, No. 3 Claire DiCugno didn't waste any time scoring a takedown over No. 9 Kylie Rule. DiCugno extended her lead to 6-0 before notching the pin at the two-minute mark.

Second-ranked Bella Mir scored an early takedown over No. 10 Aniyah Kelly in the 145 weight class and converted it into a 10-0 technical fall in just 43 seconds of action to give North Central the 30-2 lead. 

Sydney Perry faced a tough match with May Prado at 160 pounds, owning a 6-4 lead out of the first period. She opened the second with a two-point take down and worked for two turns to extend it to 12-4, in what would ultimately be the final score as the Cardinals climbed to 33-3. 

Shenita Lawson, the top-ranked wrestler at 207, wrestled down in the 180 weight class and faced Erika Peterson. Lawson scored an early takedown and transitioned into a couple par terre turns and eventually secured the 10-0 technical fall in 1:16. 

In the final match of the night, Dasia Yearby (207) scored an early takedown and followed it up with a couple turns to earn a 6-0 lead early on. Fourth-ranked Rewa Chababo answered with six points of her own before earning the pin for Wartburg's only match win of the night as the Cardinals took the dual win 37-8. 

North Central will be back in action on Feb. 5 in a dual meet against Aurora University. The match is set for a 6 p.m. start at Aurora's Thornton Gymnasium. 
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Players Mentioned

Madison Avila

Madison Avila

103
Senior
Yele Aycock

Yele Aycock

131
Graduate Student
Mikayla Garcia

Mikayla Garcia

117
Sophomore
Shenita Lawson

Shenita Lawson

180
Senior
Bella Mir

Bella Mir

145
Junior
Sydney Perry

Sydney Perry

145
Sophomore
Kaelani Shufeldt

Kaelani Shufeldt

110
Senior
Sara Sterner

Sara Sterner

124
Graduate Student
Dasia Yearby

Dasia Yearby

207
Senior
Claire DiCugno

Claire DiCugno

138
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Madison Avila

Madison Avila

Senior
103
Yele Aycock

Yele Aycock

Graduate Student
131
Mikayla Garcia

Mikayla Garcia

Sophomore
117
Shenita Lawson

Shenita Lawson

Senior
180
Bella Mir

Bella Mir

Junior
145
Sydney Perry

Sydney Perry

Sophomore
145
Kaelani Shufeldt

Kaelani Shufeldt

Senior
110
Sara Sterner

Sara Sterner

Graduate Student
124
Dasia Yearby

Dasia Yearby

Senior
207
Claire DiCugno

Claire DiCugno

Graduate Student
138