JAMESTOWN, N.D. – (
Brackets) The inaugural Women's Wrestling National Championship has been captured by
Southern Oregon University. The historic event handed out the first ever Red Banner on the campus of the University of Jamestown, by a 20.5 point margin over second place.
Southern Oregon's Gabrielle Weyhrich was named NAIA Coach of the Year.
University of Providence won the NAIA Team Sportsmanship award.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference had 4 National Champions and 24 All-Americans:
Eastern Oregon University’s
Kaylee Moore (130),
Erin Redford (136),
Liv Wieber (143),
Olivia Robinson (170)
Menlo College’s
Kayla Mckinley-Johnson (101),
Tianna Fernandez (101),
Alana Viva (123),
Haley Narahara (123),
Louisa Schwab (130),
Desiree Jones (143),
Shannon Workinger (155),
Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson (191)
University of Providence’s
National Champion Ira Navarro (101),
Erin Hikiji (101),
Ashley Gooman (116),
Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp (130),
Paige Respicio (136),
Alexis Tupuola (191)
Southern Oregon University’s
Esthela Trevino (101),
Natalie Reyna-Rodriguez (109),
National Champion Carolina Moreno (123),
Bella Amaro (136),
National Champion Emily Se (143),
Joye Levendusky (170),
National Champion Grace Kristoff (191)
[
Team Scores] The National Champions of Southern Oregon University led the conference with a team score of 160. Menlo followed in 4th with a team score of 123. Providence was next in 5th place with 102 points. Eastern Oregon sat at 12th after earning 44 points. Vanguard rounded out the CCC in 29th, grabbing 4 points.
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- Grand View (Iowa) slotted in third place with a axofe of 123.5, Menlo (Calif.) finished fourth – mirror the men’s team finish for the Oaks, and Providence rounded out the Top Five
- Six of the 10 battles for the individual championship we fought between the first and second seeds
- In total, eight top seeds entering the tournament reached championship night
- The lowest seed to reach the finals was 10th seeded Grace Kristoff of Southern Oregon
- Other finalists outside the Top Four were fifth seeded Jaycee Foeller of Central Methodist (Mo.) and seventh ranked Mea Mohler of Texas Wesleyan
- Central Methodist (Mo.) had their first two All-American’s in program history.
101 – No. 1 Ira Navarro of Providence (Mont.) def. No. 2 Erin Hikiji of Providence (Mont.), VPO1 2-1
Teammates begin the Session as the top two wrestlers from the weight class are both from both the University of Providence. Navarro was the sixth place finisher a year ago. But this year she walked away with a one point win over her teammate.
109 – No. 1 Peyton Prussin of Life (Ga.) def. No. 2 Mia Palumbo of Iowa Wesleyan, VFA 1:51 4-2
In a year where Prussin was recognized as a signee for WWE NIL, the Running Eagle was going for her third National Championship in as many years, winning at 116 in 2021 and 109 a year ago. Coming back from a 2-0 deficit, Prussin recorded consecutive take downs for the win.
116 – No. 2 Caitlyn Thorne of Central Methodist (Mo.) def. No. 4 Camille Fournier of Texas Wesleyan, VSU 10-0 3:40
After the top seed in the bracket was knocked off by Fournier, she had her eyes on a second straight upset for the title. Fournier is a returning All-American placing fifth in 2022. But the night was all about Thorne as she recorded she takedowns to walk off with a 10 point shutout victory.
123 – No. 1 Carolina Moreno of Southern Oregon def. No. 3 Alana Vivas of Menlo (Calif.), VPO1 6-2
Moreno made it back to the Championship Round with hopes of taking home the crown for another year. Vivas upset Grand View’s Catharine Campbell, improving her All-American placing from last year. Top seeded Moreno jumped out to a 6-0 lead before winning by four.
130 – No. 1 Lexie Basham of Texas Wesleyan def. No.2 Sarah Savidge of Life (Ga.), VPO1 6-3
Basham is the third competition in tonight’s championships with eyes on going back-to-back on the mat. Savidge has been dominant in her four previous matches in the tournament, outscoring her opponents 38-2. Two takedowns in the second period were the different for Basham to extend her championship reign.
136 – No. 1 Adaugo Nwachukwu of Iowa Wesleyan def. No. 7 Mea Mohler of Texas Wesleyan
Another wrestler with her goal of two-straight NAIA Championships just within reach, Nwachukwu had one more to go. She faced off against Mohler, who was the second highest seed in the finals. Mohler started off scoring early in the first period, but 15 straight points by Nwachukwu gave her the runaway victory.
143 – No. 2 Emily Se of Southern Oregon def. No. 1 Alexis Gomez of Grand View (Iowa), VPO1 3-2
The top two seeds made it out of the weight class unscathed and were impressive throughout. In a combined seven matches at the national tournament, the duo allowed only one point while recording 59 points. During the second period, Se scored three straight points which proved to be the difference in the match.
155 – No. 1 Latifah McBryde of Life (Ga.) def. No. 2 Kaylynn Albrecht of Baker (Kan.), VPO1 11-8
Albrecht was the runner-up in 2022 and has been on a mission this season to avenge her loss. To do so, she would have to knock off the top seed in the bracket McBryde. The high scoring, back and forth affair saw McBryde leading 8-2 until 1-19 remaining in the second period. A closing 7-0 run by Albrecht gave her the revenge she was looking for all year long.
170 – No. 1 Dymond Guilford of Cumberlands (Ky.) def.
No. 2 Joye Levendusky of Southern Oregon, VFA 3:59 5-1
Guilford is the second wrestler in the field with a third championship within reach. Instead of it being at different weight classes like Prussin, Guilford did it at two institutions. The contest was tied at 1-1 until 2:01 in the second period when Guilford scored the four point move to win the bout.
191 – No. 10 Grace Kristoff of Southern Oregon def.
No 5 Jaycee Foeller of Central Methodist (Mo.), DEC
The bracket with the most upsets, Kristoff was the sole double-digit seed to reach the Championship round and will face off against Foeller who pulled an upset of her own. Both had already secured their first All-American recognition in their career. Her Cinderella story continued as Kristoff came back from 1-0 down in the second period to grab the championship.
Click here for the full list of 2023 NAIA Women's Wrestling All-Americans