Sara Sterner throws opponent at NCAA Regional Championships
Sophia Helton - Tiffin University

Women's Wrestling

Cardinals Claim Fourth Straight Regional Title, 10 NCAA Qualifiers

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

TIFFIN, Ohio (Feb. 20-21, 2026) - The North Central College women's wrestling team captured its fourth straight Regional Championship title as five Cardinals stood atop the podium to lead a statement performance. A full Cardinal lineup of 10 wrestlers earned All-Region honors as well as qualifying spots to the inaugural NCAA National Championship held in March.

North Central was the only team in the region to advance all 10 wrestlers to day two and held the team lead in points after the opening session. The Cardinals maintained their momentum through the championship rounds, finishing with 182.5 points to earn its fourth straight regional crown and the first under the NCAA umbrella. Grand Valley State University placed second with 173 points, while Aurora University finished third with 97 points. Head Coach Joe Norton was named the NCAA Super Region IV Coach of the Year and the full Cardinal lineup earned qualifying bids to the national championships as all 10 Cardinals finished in the top-three of their weight classes.

Competing in her first regional championship, freshman Riley Rayome received an opening round bye that sent her to the 117 pound quarterfinal where she pinned Laylah Hick's of Trine in one minute, 23 seconds. Fourth-ranked Rayome went on to defeat Allison Pallcuk in a 10-0 technical fall in the semifinal round to earn a spot in the finals. Rayome claimed her first regional title with a 10-0 technical fall over Carleigh Czerneski of Adrian College. 

The top-ranked wrestler at 124 pounds, Sara Sterner earned her first regional title on a 3-0 day. She opened her weekend in the quarterfinal after a first round bye, where she delivered a 12-1 tech fall over Paola Villarruel (Manchester) before taking down Morgan Leonhardt (Otterbein) via a 2:40 pin to advance to the first place match. In the final, Sterner went up 6-0 in the opening period before notching the pin over fourth-ranked Aspen Blasko of Grand Valley State.

Four straight technical falls was the way to go for second-ranked Bella Mir at 145 pounds. Mir did not allow a single point scored on her over the weekend on her way to the 145 pound regional title. Her toughest competition came in the first-place match against No. 5 Alissa Caltagirone, Mir's only match that made it past the two minute mark, but still managed to notch the 10-0 tech fall for the win.

In similar fashion to Mir, seventh-ranked Taylor Graveman made her way to the 160-pound first place match via three straight technical falls. Graveman met No. 10 Noelle Gaffney of Grand Valley State in the final where she claimed a 10-6 decision victory to win her weight class. 

Fourth-ranked Shenita Lawson picked up her regional champion title at 180 pounds via four wins by technical fall. Lawson did not allow a point scored on her until the first place match where seventh-ranked Abbie Miles of Northern Michigan managed to put two on the board. It wasn't enough though, as Lawson rallied for the 12-2 tech fall for the title.

Fourth-ranked Madison Avila claimed a runner-up finish at 103 pounds, after cruising through the quarterfinals with a pair of 10-0 technical falls. In the semifinal, Avila defeated No. 9 Genesis Ramirez (Aurora) with a 4-1 decision before facing sixth-ranked Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley State in the final. Sahagun carried a 1-0 lead into the second period and eventually went up 3-0 before Avila notched a four-point throw to go up 4-3. Sahagun regained the lead with eight seconds left and ultimately snagged the 8-5 win by decision. 

At 110 pounds, Kaelani Shufeldt received a bye in the opening round putting her up against Abigail Alvarado (Manchester) in the quarters where Shufeldt delivered a swift 10-0 technical fall. She then claimed the semifinal round via injury default to meet Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) in the first place match. Shufeldt battled closely with Mortimer but it was Mortimer who claimed the 11-8 decision when time expired. 

Second ranked Claire DiCugno made her way to the 138 pound final with three straight technical falls, including a 10-0 tech fall over No. 9 Sophia Ball (Aurora) in the semifinal. A difficult battle in the first-place match saw fourth-ranked Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) claim a 5-1 decision win over DiCugno as DiCugno landed a runner up finish in her weight class. 

At 207 pounds, fifth-ranked Caroline Ward received a bye in the first round before notching an 11-0 tech fall in the quarterfinal. She battled Mickaela Keane (Northern Michigan) in the semifinal, narrowly coming away with the 3-1 decision win that sent her to the first-place match against third-ranked Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley). Ward ultimately finished runner-up as Nauss secured the pin to take the title. 

Fifth-ranked Yele Aycock snagged a national qualifying spot after finishing third in the 131 pound weight class. Aycock picked up back-to-back tech falls to start the weekend but suffered a loss via a 13-4 decision in the semifinal to send her to the consolation bracket. Aycock bounced back with an 11-0 tech fall over Sian Rogers (Manchester) to secure a spot in the third-place match where she eventually won in a 12-3 decision over Hannah Palise (Grand Valley State) to lock in her spot at nationals. 

North Central continues its championship season on March 6-7 at the inaugural NCAA National Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
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Players Mentioned

Madison Avila

Madison Avila

103
Senior
Yele Aycock

Yele Aycock

131
Graduate Student
Taylor Graveman

Taylor Graveman

138
Junior
Shenita Lawson

Shenita Lawson

180
Senior
Bella Mir

Bella Mir

145
Senior
Kaelani Shufeldt

Kaelani Shufeldt

110
Senior
Sara Sterner

Sara Sterner

124
Graduate Student
Caroline Ward

Caroline Ward

207
Junior
Claire DiCugno

Claire DiCugno

138
Graduate Student
Riley Rayome

Riley Rayome

117
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Madison Avila

Madison Avila

Senior
103
Yele Aycock

Yele Aycock

Graduate Student
131
Taylor Graveman

Taylor Graveman

Junior
138
Shenita Lawson

Shenita Lawson

Senior
180
Bella Mir

Bella Mir

Senior
145
Kaelani Shufeldt

Kaelani Shufeldt

Senior
110
Sara Sterner

Sara Sterner

Graduate Student
124
Caroline Ward

Caroline Ward

Junior
207
Claire DiCugno

Claire DiCugno

Graduate Student
138
Riley Rayome

Riley Rayome

Freshman
117