CORVALLIS, Ore. – For the second time this season, the Southern Oregon University women’s wrestling team was named the Under Armour Team of the Week for Jan. 2-8, the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Sunday.
The No. 1-ranked Raiders (1-0 CCC) hit their most significant program milestone on Saturday, taking down No. 5 Menlo (Calif.) in the semifinals and No. 2 Grand View (Iowa) in the final to capture the NAIA title at the U.S. Marine Corps/NWCA National Dual Meet Championships inside the Kentucky Expo Center.
They started the tournament Friday by dominating Ottawa (Kan.) 43-6 and No. 9 Texas Wesleyan 32-10. The Menlo dual was a rematch of a Dec. 9 meeting in Ashland, where the Raiders rolled the Oaks 36-8 for just their second win in the head-to-head series.
On Saturday, the top-ranked Raiders came from behind in both duals, ultimately topping Menlo 25-18 and Grand View 22-18. Key leaders included seniors Joye Levendusky (170) and Esthela Trevino (101). Levendusky, ranked No. 3, finished the tournament with a 4-0 record, winning by technical fall in every match. Trevino, ranked No. 3, was also perfect with a pin, two technical falls, and a forfeit victory.
This weekend brought their dual record to 6-0. With this title win, the Raiders established themselves as a favorite to win their first NAIA championship two months from now. In the meantime, SOU will close out its regular season at home on Saturday against No. 5 Providence (Mont.).