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

LAS VEGAS (April 29, 2026) – Members of the North Central College women's and men's wrestling teams and coaching staffs competed at the US Open at the Expo at World Market Center in Las Vegas over the weekend for Cardinal Wrestling Club (CWC), where senior Bella Mir and assistant coach Amanda Martinez won titles in their respective weight classes.
 
The event served as Senior Nationals for the women, following the U20 and U23 Nationals that took place in Spokane, Washington, a few weeks ago. A total of 12 North Central women's wrestlers and coaches competed, as well as three men's wrestlers and coaches, and five women's wrestling alumni.
 
Nine women earned All-American honors in women's freestyle: champions Mir and Martinez, Shenita Lawson, Sara Sterner, Kaelani Shufeldt, Claire DiCugno, Taylor Graveman, assistant coach Alara Boyd, and graduate assistant coach Kendra Ryan. With their wins, Mir and Martinez qualify for Final X in Newark, N.J., on June 19th where the USA World Team will be determined. The rest of the All-American group, who each placed in the top seven of their weight classes, will move on to the Senior World Team Trials in Louisville, Ky, on May 14-15 where they will need to win their brackets in order to qualify for Final X.
 
Bella Mir captured the 68kg title despite entering the tournament as the four-seed. Mir opened with a pin in 2:05 over Greta Brus (Big Game WC), then rolled to an 11-0 technical fall against Alyssa Caltagirone (NMU-NTS), a two-time All-American. She continued her momentum in the quarterfinals, securing a pin at 4:04 over Zoey Lints (Curby 3 Style), a two-time All-American from Elmira and the tournament's five-seed, before knocking off top-seeded Latifah McBryde—a national champion from Life University—by a 12-7 decision in the semifinals. In the championship bout, Mir capped her performance with a commanding 10-0 technical fall over three-seed Jasmine Robinson (Army WCAP), a World Champion and World silver medalist. With the title, Mir advances to Final X, where she will face Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades for a spot on the USA World Team.
 
Amanda Martinez earned first place as the tournament's top seed at 57kg and secured her third Senior Nationals title. After a first-round bye, Martinez opened with a pin in 1:58 over Rose Kaplan (Warrior Regional), an NAIA national finalist this past season, then needed just 55 seconds to pin Anna DiCugno (Tarleton WC) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she controlled the match for a 9-1 victory over Amani Jones (TMWC), a two-time national champion and two-time USA World medalist, before edging past Alex Hedrick (TMWC)—a two-time collegiate national champion from Simon Fraser—by a 6-4 decision in the finals. With the win, Martinez advances to Final X in New Jersey on June 19, where she will face Olympic champion Helen Maroulis for a spot on the USA World Team.
 
Sara Sterner battled back to claim fourth place at 57kg with a gritty performance through the consolation bracket after entering as the tournament's six-seed. Following a first-round bye, Sterner opened with a pin in 1:43 over Gigi Bragg (Cowgirls WC) before falling in the quarterfinals by 10-0 technical fall to former North Central teammate, Amani Jones (TMWC). Undeterred, Sterner responded with a strong run on the backside, starting with a 2-2 criteria win over Virginia Foard (King/NYAC), a two-time All-American from King University, then adding a 47-second pin over Aspen Blasko (Laker WC), also a two-time All-American. She continued with a pin in 1:50 against Carolina Moreno (Matador WC), a three-time national champion from Southern Oregon and the tournament's four-seed, to reach the third-place match. There, Sterner dropped a 6-0 decision in a rematch with Jones to finish fourth.
 
Kaelani Shufeldt placed fifth at 50kg with a bounce-back effort through the consolation bracket after an early quarterfinal loss. After a first-round bye, she opened with a 12-2 technical fall over Kayla McKinley-Johnson (Menlo WC) before falling to Felicity Taylor (TMWC), a two-time collegiate national champion, reigning USA World Team member, and the tournament's two-seed. Shufeldt responded with three straight wins—9-5 over Arelys Valles (Grand View), a 4-4 criteria decision against Mariah Anderson (AFRT), and a 2-0 victory over Alejandra Corral (Menlo WC)—then added a pin over Iowa All-American Rianne Murphy (IWWC) to reach the consolation semifinals. She fell in a tight 5-5 criteria rematch to Taylor but secured fifth place via medical forfeit over Morgan Turner (TMWC), qualifying her for the World Team Trials.
 
Claire DiCugno also turned in a fifth-place finish at 62kg, overcoming a quarterfinal setback with a run in the consolation bracket. Entering as the six-seed, DiCugno opened with back-to-back technical falls, defeating Elisa Jimenez (Bearcat WC)) 10-0 and collegiate national champion, Zoe Nowicki (Bulldog WC), by a 14-4 margin. She then dropped a 7-3 decision in the quarterfinals to third-seeded Alara Boyd but responded with a 13-3 technical fall over seventh-seeded Marilyn Garcia (TMWC) and a 10-0 technical fall against Bella Williams (IWWC). In the consolation semifinals, DiCugno fell in a narrow 9-8 bout to Katerina Lange (NYAC), a three-time national champion and the tournament's four-seed, before closing out her tournament with an 11-1 technical fall over Hanna Errthum of the Olympic Training Center to secure fifth place.
 
Taylor Graveman battled to a sixth-place finish at 72kg, putting together a solid run against a deep field after entering as the tournament's eighth seed. Following a first-round bye, Graveman opened with a quick pin in 58 seconds over Mira Sonnen of the New York City RTC before falling in the quarterfinals by an 11-0 technical fall to top-seeded Alex Glaude (TMWC), the reigning USA World Team member. Graveman responded in the consolation bracket with a pin in 1:50 over Julia Chambers (Hawks WC) and a 4-2 decision against fifth-seeded Joye Levendusky (TMWC), a four-time collegiate All-American at McKendree. She then dropped an 11-0 technical fall to third-seeded Alex Alli of the Olympic Training Center, the U23 Nationals champion, before falling in the fifth-place match by 10-0 technical fall to fourth-seeded Skylar Grote (TMWC) to finish sixth.
 
Shenita Lawson secured a third-place finish at 76kg with a strong performance as the tournament's three-seed. After a first-round bye, Lawson opened with back-to-back 10-0 and 11-0 technical falls over Rosalynn Diaz (CYCC) and Keeley Kehrli (Storm RTC), an All-American and the six-seed, respectively. She was slowed in the semifinals by a 13-2 technical fall loss to second-seeded Tristan Kelly of Army WCAP, a two-time national champion for McKendree, but answered in the consolation semifinals with a 5-4 decision over fifth-seeded Maddie Sandquist (Rise RTC), a three-time All-American from Sacred Heart. In the third-place match, Lawson edged Bella Phillips (Gannon)—an All-American and the seven-seed—by 4-4 criteria to claim a spot on the podium.
 
Kendra Ryan placed fourth at 50kg with a run through a deep field as the tournament's five-seed. After a first-round bye, she opened with a 10-0 technical fall over Arelys Valles (Grand View) and followed with a 14-4 tech fall against Teegan Sibble (New York), an NCAA All-American. In the quarterfinals, Ryan earned a pin in 5:57 over fourth-seeded Sage Mortimer (TMWC), a four-time All-American and national champion, while leading 18-14 at the time of the fall. She dropped a tight 7-6 semifinal to top-seeded Erin Golston (NYAC), the reigning World Team Trials champion, then rebounded with a 10-0 tech fall over Morgan Turner (TMWC), the recent U23 national champion and World champion. In the third-place match, Ryan fell 7-6, this time to second-seeded Felicity Taylor (TMWC), a two-time collegiate national champion and current USA World Team member, finishing fourth and qualifying for World Team Trials in Louisville on May 14–15.
 
Alara Boyd claimed third place at 62kg after coming in as the tournament's three-seed. She opened with back-to-back technical falls, defeating Renice Gonzalez (California) 10-0 and Kyra Tomlinson (GCRTC) 11-0, before earning a 7-3 decision over sixth-seeded C. DiCugno in the quarterfinals. Boyd was halted in the semifinals by a 10-0 technical fall loss to second-seeded Adaugo Nwachukwu (Army WCAP), a three-time collegiate national champion and reigning USA World Team member, but she answered in the consolation semifinals with a 14-2 technical fall over Hanna Errthum of the Olympic Training Center. In the third-place match, Boyd finished strong with a pin in 1:49 over Katerina Lange (NYAC), a three-time national champion and the tournament's four-seed, to secure a spot on the podium.
 
North Central women's wrestlers and coaches who also competed at the US Open were London Woods, Grace Stem, and Anayka Besco. And from the men's team NCAA national champion Chip Guzman, assistant coach Jared Head, and graduate assistant coach Robby Bates.