CORVALLIS, Ore. – For the fifth and final time this season Southern Oregon University women’s wrestling team, the reigning National Champions were named the Under Armour Team of the Week for March 5-12, the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Sunday.
The Raiders ended the 2022-23 season on a high note in Jamestown, North Dakota, as the NAIA Inaugural Women Wrestling National Champions. They earned a total of 160 points. The runners up scored 139.5. Southern Oregon traveled 12 wrestlers across 10 weight classes. At the culmination of the tournament, they walked away with seven All-Americans, three being National Champions.
No. 1-seeded Carolina Moreno became the Raiders' first-ever two-time champion by going back-to-back at 123. Moreno started the second day with a 10-0 semifinal victory over Menlo's No. 4 Haley Narahara. She topped off a 26-2 season with a 6-2 win over No. 3 Alana Vivas of Menlo College in a rematch of the CCC finals, going up 6-0 in the first period to win the title.
No. 2-seeded Emily Se finished her dominant campaign with a 25-3 record and had three pins and a technical fall on her way to the Champion matchup. She opened Saturday's action with a first-round win by fall against No. 3 seed Emma Walker of Campbellsville University. Se ended the Championship with a 3-2 upset of Grand View's top-seeded Alexis Gomez in the 143 final. Three quick points in the second period gave her the upper-hand on Gomez, who defeated Se in an early January dual match.
As the No. 10 seed, Kristoff pulled off the most remarkable run of any Raiders. After winning by fall against No. 2 Jesse Kirby of University of the Cumberlands to cap Friday's action in the quarterfinals, she pulled off a 2-1 semifinal upset of Menlo's No. 3 Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson, who'd pinned her at the CCC Championships. The senior knocked off four top-seven seeds during the tournament and was sitting on a comfortable lead when she pinned No. 5 Jaycee Foeller of Central Methodist University with a second to go in the 191 final. Kristoff ended the season with a 22-5 record.
Esthela Trevino (101) placed 3rd in her weight class while Natalie Reyna (109) and Bella Amaro (136) placed fourth. Joye Levendusky (170) finished up as a runner up to round out SOU’s All-Americans.
To conclude their amazing season, head coach Gabrielle Weyhrich was named NAIA Coach of the Year.