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

NWCA Team Rankings
NWCA Individual Rankings
 
MANHEIM, Pa. (Feb. 13, 2026) – With the regular season coming to a close and regional championships on the horizon, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has released its latest installment of national rankings, with the North Central College women's wrestling team holding on to its third rank in team standings. Sara Sterner also maintained her place at the top of the 124-pound weight class.
 
The top four teams in the rankings remained the same, with the University of Iowa claiming the top spot with 115 points, but McKendree University is closing in on the Hawkeyes, sitting second with 112 points. North Central remains third with 97 points, while Grand Valley State University takes fourth with 50 points. King University and Presbyterian College share fifth place with 36 points apiece.
 
Sterner continues to lead the 124-weight class with a 21-1 record on the season, while compiling eight wins by pin and six technical falls.
 
At 103 pounds, Madison Avila has jumped three spots to rank fourth in her weight class. Avila's climb was the result of a pair of ranked wins since the latest installment, including a pin over then-fifth-ranked Chloe Sheffield in a dual with Wartburg, before defeating Sheffield in the first-place match of the Quad Cities D3 Invite in a 9-4 decision over the weekend. Avila is 22-9 on the year and is tied for second on the team with 12 wins by tech fall.
 
Kaelani Shufeldt was bumped to No. 2 in the 110 weight class. She is 20-4 this season, having recorded 11 tech falls and seven pins on the year. Most recently, Shufeldt delivered a 10-0 tech fall over then-tenth-ranked Afftynn Stusse of Wartburg in the Cardinals' 37-8 dual win.
 
Freshman standout Riley Rayome held steady at No. 4 in the 117-pound weight class after turning in a 4-1 record since the latest rankings release. Rayome recently finished second to teammate Mikayla Garcia at the Quad Cities D3 Invite and holds a 21-5 record on the year.
 
At 131 pounds, Yele Aycock remained fifth in the rankings with a 15-8 record on the season, while tying for the team lead of eight decisions.
 
Claire DiCugno continues to make an impact for the Cardinals and has made the jump to second in the 138 weight class. Since joining the team at the semester mark, DiCugno has recorded a 9-1 record, with six wins being by tech fall. Most recently, she scored a ranked win over No. 9 Kylie Rule of Wartburg via a pin in the Cardinals' dual win in January.
 
In the 145-pound weight class, Bella Mir sits second in the rankings while owning a 7-1 record on the season. Taylor Graveman is coming off a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) individual title and ranks seventh at 160 pounds. The junior is 16-8 on the year with six pins and five tech falls.
 
Shifting back to the 180-pound weight class, Shenita Lawson comes in at No. 4 in the national rankings. Competing at both 180 and 207 pounds this season, Lawson has compiled a 15-3 overall record with 10 tech falls.
Caroline Ward makes her reappearance in the rankings, coming in at No. 5 at 207 pounds. Ward is 17-5 this season with six pins and ties the team lead with eight wins by decision with Aycock and Tirza TwoTeeth.
 
North Central looks ahead to the Regional Championships next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-21, in Tiffin, Ohio, as Tiffin University serves as the tournament host.