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

Results
Final Brackets
Team Scores

CORALVILLE, Iowa (March 7, 2026) - North Central College women's wrestler Bella Mir made history Saturday night, delivering the first pin ever recorded in an NCAA women's wrestling championship final to claim the 145-pound national title at the 2026 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships. Mir helped lead North Central to a third-place team finish while Riley Rayome and Claire DiCugno added runner-up performances as the Cardinals produced seven All-Americans.

After sitting third in the team standings following day one, the Cardinals totaled 123.5 points to place third in the inaugural NCAA Championship event. McKendree University and the University of Iowa traded the top spot multiple times throughout the finals, but it was McKendree that ultimately secured the team title with 171 points while Iowa finished runner-up with 166.
Mir becomes the sixth individual national champion in North Central history, bringing the program's total to nine individual titles.

Mir recorded her third technical fall of the weekend against Simpson's Annelise Obermark in the 145-pound semifinal. After being awarded a pair of fleeing points, Mir took control and rolled through three turns to secure the 10-0 technical fall and advance to the final.

Mir controlled the entire championship match, building a 5-0 lead against former teammate Reese Larramendy (Iowa) with 40 seconds remaining in the first period. Mir then executed a swift transition to put Larramendy on her back and secured the first pin of the championship matches at the 2:26 mark, becoming the first NCAA 145-pound national champion in history.

At 117 pounds, Rayome faced Karissa Turnwall of Emmanuel in the semifinal to kick off the day for the Cardinals. Rayome landed a takedown and added two turns to take a 6-2 lead into the second period. In the final seconds, Rayome added the points needed to secure a 12-2 technical fall and become the first Cardinal to advance to a championship match.

Rayome's title bout against U23 World Champion Yu Sakamoto of McKendree was decided after a challenge following a dramatic final sequence. Rayome appeared to secure two points to take a 3-2 lead, but upon review, Sakamoto was awarded two points on the continuation to claim a 4-3 victory. Rayome capped an exceptional national debut with a runner-up finish and All-American honors at 117 pounds.

DiCugno (138) built an 8-0 lead over McKendree's Haylie Jaffe in the semifinal before adding the final two points with 30 seconds remaining to claim a 10-0 technical fall and advance to the championship match.

In the finals against Grand Valley's Katarina Lange, DiCugno scored the first point to take a 1-0 lead into the second period. Lange managed to fend off DiCugno's attacks and later scored a pair of takedowns to secure a 4-1 decision. DiCugno finished as national runner-up and earned All-American honors.

Madison Avila (103) opened day two against UW–Stevens Point's Alexis Winecke. Avila built a 10-2 lead in the opening three minutes before adding two more points to earn a 12-2 technical fall. In the consolation semifinal, Avila narrowly defeated Trinity Pendergrass (Quincy) 5-3, setting up a rematch with Aurora's Genesis Ramirez. Avila took an early lead, but late points from Ramirez resulted in a 6-5 loss as Avila finished fourth and earned her fourth consecutive All-American honor.

In her semifinal bout at 124 pounds, Sara Sterner trailed Shelby Moore of McKendree 7-4 with one minute remaining but was unable to complete the comeback. Sterner rebounded in the consolation semifinal with an 11-0 technical fall over Virginia Foard of King.

In the third-place match, Sterner faced Lorianna Piestewa of Colorado Mesa. After capitalizing on a miscue by Piestewa, Sterner turned the opening for four points to extend her lead to 8-0. Piestewa scored five late points, but Sterner held on for a 10-5 victory to secure third place and her fourth All-American award.

At 180 pounds, Shenita Lawson fell to Iowa's Kylie Welker via 10-0 technical fall in the semifinal, dropping into the consolation bracket. In the consolation semifinal, Lawson battled Isabella Phillips of Gannon in a tight match that was tied 1-1 entering the second period after fleeing calls against both wrestlers. Lawson gained control late in the match to secure a 4-1 decision.

In the third-place match, Lawson trailed 2-1 after the first period before scoring six consecutive points to defeat Isabella Renfro (Fort Hays State), earning a third-place finish and the second NCAA All-American honor of her career.

At 207 pounds, Caroline Ward fell in the semifinal to Grand Valley's Sabrina Nauss, sending her to the consolation semifinal against Iowa's Katja Osteen. Despite an early lead, Ward dropped the match 8-4, placing her in the fifth-place bout against Jayleen Sekona of Colorado Mesa. Ward ultimately finished sixth in her national tournament debut, earning her first All-American honor.

The Cardinals concluded a historic season that included the program's first NWCA National Duals Championship, its fourth straight regional title, and its fifth College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament championship.