SOU Leads CCC Group as NAIA Runner-Up

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Southern Oregon University led seven Cascade Collegiate Conference teams at the NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Invitational Championship with a second-place finish. 

The Raiders finished with 158.5 points, just edging out CCC Champion Menlo College (157 points). The University of Providence took seenth with 106 points, while Eastern Oregon University also finished in the top-10 at 10th with 75.5 points. Corban University finished with 18.5 points, Life Pacific grabbed 18 points and Simpson University scored 3.5 points.

Six CCC grapplers battled for individual championships, with two grabbing wins. Menlo's Alleida Martinez won the 116-pound championship while SOU's Cara Moreno grabbed the 123-pound championship. 

Individual Championship Bouts
101-pounds – No. 1 Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist) def. No. 2 Ivy Navarro (Providence)
Pham scored early and often in her 12-1 rout of Navarro. She held a 4-0 margin after the first period and gained the VSU victory at the 4:12 mark of the bout. This result mirror the outcome of their championship matchup in 2021.

109-pounds – No. 1 Peyton Prussin (Life) def. No. 3 Mia Palumbo (Iowa Wesleyan)
Palumbo upset second seed Asia Ray to advance to the finals and fought valiantly to the very end. Prussin got the ball rolling in the first period with a 4-0 margin, but Palumbo was able to tie the score by the end of the frame. The duo exchanged falls throughout the second period which resulted in a tie. However, the victory was awarded to Prussin due to the four-point move being the highest score of the bout.

116-pounds – No. 1 Alleida Martinez (Menlo) def. No. 2 Salyna Shotwell (Life)
The third straight weight class to follow seeds through the end of the championship bout, Martinez was victorious 12-0 by superiority. She was the third straight No. 1 seed to claim the individual national crown. This marks a stark difference to Martinez’s season in 2021 being canceled due to COVID-19 limitations on her campus.

123-pounds – No. 4 Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon) def. No. 2 Leilah Castro (Campbellsville)
Moreno upset top seed Moore 8-0 in the semifinals and stayed with a similar theme during her final contest of the season. She was the second consecutive bout to be determined via superiority (11-0) and the third of the first four matchups. However, Moreno was the only lower seed to win by VSU.

130-pounds – No. 2 Lexie Basham (Texas Wesleyan) def. No. 1 Nanea Estrella (Menlo)
Basham recorded the first upset of the evening as she scored the first two points of her matchup with Estrella at the 1:34 mark of the first period. Adding a point via escape, she led 3-0 and was able to weather a pin with 13 seconds left and still secure the championship.

136-pounds – No. 1 Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan) vs. No. 2 Gracie Figueroa (Menlo)
Nwachukwu had the most dominant performance of the evening, winning 13-3 over Figueroa. After the first period, she led 7-3 and then dropped six more points in 1:47 in the second period.

143-pounds – No. 1 Emma Walker (Campbellsville) vs. #No. 2 Destiny Lyng (Oklahoma City)
In the first period, Walker recorded the lone point. In the second period, she built up a 5-0 advantage before Lyng rattled off five points in a 35 second span, pulling the upset by scoring the last point taken. Lyng earned the title after placing fifth a year ago at 136.

155-pounds – No. 2 Kenya Sloan (Campbellsville) vs. No. 5 Kaylynn Albrecht (Baker)
The high scoring affair was back and forth during the lone period. A total of 16 points were recorded in only 2:18. Albrecht led 2-0 and 4-2. However, when the score was tied 6-6 with 1:47 remaining in the period, Sloan posted consecutive falls to win by VFA.

170-pounds – No. 5 Dymond Guilford (Cumberlands) vs. No. 6 Olivia Robinson (Eastern Oregon)
Guilford dispatched Robinson easily including a fall in the first period, a point issued for passivity, and two more falls in the second period for the 7-0 victory.

191-pounds – No. 2 Kelani Corbett (Lyon) vs. No. 5 Gabby Hamilton (Life)
After upsetting the top ranked overall seed on route to the finals, Hamilton could not keep the momentum going as Corbett bested her 8-0. The Lyon Scot recorded four points and followed up with another four – all in less than 30 seconds.  Corbett finished in third place a year ago.

Final Team Standings