5 champs lead McKendree to victory at historic NCWWC
Adrian, MI – – This incredible weekend is forever a marker in the history of NCAA women’s wrestling. Social media posts from NCAA programs and streaming by Trackwrestling amplified the exposure and excitement across the wrestling world and for supporters of women in general. Wrestle Like a Girl’s Sally Roberts seized the mic during the finals matches—talking not just to wrestling fans, but in a way that allowed access to those that may not be familiar with the sport.
The McKendree Bearcats placed five individual champions and two runners-up. At 101 pounds Pauline Granados came in ranked #2. She had 3 wins on her way to the championship—a tech in the quarters, 9-0 decision in the semis and a 5-1 decision over #5 seed Iesha Washington (Emmanuel) in the finals.
Alexia Ward had a statement win in the finals at 130 pounds over North Central’s Amanda Martinez. The senior came in ranked #5. Coming from the middle of the bracket, she battled through five matches to put together the perfect performance—overcoming two wrestlers that outranked her.
Emma Bruntil shut down Dalia Garibay with a convincing 10-0 tech fall. She collected the first six points early in the first period with a snatch single and finish that exposed Garibay for 4 then right into a leg lace. This freshman versus freshman battle could be the start of an exciting rivalry between the two.
155-pound National Champion Alex Glaude won back-to-back national titles. She won by decision (3-1) in the finals versus Jayden Laurent (Lakeland) who was seeking a second title herself—Laurent’s 2019 WCWA title was at 143 pounds; she just placed runner-up at the 2020 WCWA’s as well. Both are on the senior national team.
Sydnee Kimber was the first Bearcat to win an individual title today after a 3-0 performance overall. The 191-pound finals finished as seeded. At 116 and 143 Felicity Taylor and Alara Boyd finished runner-up. Taylor was ranked #2, Boyd #3.
Simon Fraser placed second to McKendree by just 12.5 points with three champions. At 123 pounds, Alex Hedrick finally got her national title. The last two seasons she placed runner-up to teammate Dom Parrish. Coming in as the #2 seed, she’s got to feel great about this win.
Ana and Karla Godinez-Gonzalez both came in ranked #1 and took out McKendree wrestlers in the finals. Interestingly enough, they had three techs and a 7-0 decision apiece. In their final’s matches Karla outscored Felicity Taylor 7-0, and Ana won by tech fall over Alara Boyd.
Augsburg and UW-Stevens Point were the only two programs with title winners that advanced over McKendree and Simon Fraser on the way to the top of the podium. I.e., 109 and 170 were also the only two weights without a McKendree or Simon Fraser wrestler.
At 109, Augsburg freshman Emily Shilson had a 4-0 tournament with two techs and two falls. Her finals match lasted only 43 seconds, refusing Tiffin’s Sugey Ceja any room to work. Shilson is also a 2020 WCWA National Champion and Olympic Team Trials qualifier.
UW-Stevens Point’s Jessika Rottier really showed us that she’s back. Rottier came in ranked #4 at 170 pounds and upset #1 Kori Bullock in the semis to make her NCAA finals debut. Rottier revenged losses from Bullock and North Central’s Yelena Makoyed on the same day. She’s been away from the college scene since winning a WCWA national title in 2017. The graduate student and assistant coach is helping roots grow in her home state of Wisconsin. Brooke Thurber, another Wisconsin native and UWSP senior, placed 3rd overall in her first year on the mat representing the Pointers.
King University was third in the overall team race with two runners up: Cheyenne Sisenstein at 123 pounds and Tavi Hiedelberg at 191 pounds.
First year program North Central placed two national runners-up: freshman Yelena Makoyed at 170 and junior Amanda Martinez at 130.
The finals were dominated by McKendree and Simon Fraser, but the talent in women’s wrestling is being diversified across new and strengthening programs, like Colorado Mesa for example. The challengers on the backside of the brackets were just as much of a battle as the finals.
It’s unfortunate that the bid for this tournament to be an Olympic Team Trials qualifying event missed the submission timeline, because there was high quality wrestling in each of the brackets. Both the 2020 WCWA National Championships and the 2020 NAIA National Invitational are qualifying events.
NCWWC Finals Results
101: Pauline Granados (McKendree University) Fr. dec. Iesha Washington (Emmanuel College) Sr., 5-1
109: Emily Shilson (Augsburg University) Fr. pin Sugey Ceja (Tiffin University) Fr., 0:43
116: Karla Godinez Gonzalez (Simon Fraser University) Jr. dec. Felicity Taylor (McKendree University) So., 7-0
123: Alexandra Hedrick (Simon Fraser University) Jr. pin Cheyenne Sisenstein (King University) So., 4:53
130: Alexia Ward (McKendree University) Sr. dec. Amanda Martinez (North Central College) Jr., 4-2
136: Emma Bruntil (McKendree University) Fr. tech. fall Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa University) Fr., 10-0, 3:31
143: Ana Godinez Gonzalez (Simon Fraser University) Jr. tech. fall Alara Boyd (McKendree University) Fr., 10-0, 4:06
155: Alexandria Glaude (McKendree University) 8-1, RS Sr. over Jayden Laurent (Lakeland University), So., 3-1
170: Jessika Rottier (University Of Wisconsin At Stevens Point) 13-2, RS Jr. over Yelena Makoyed (North Central College) 26-3, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:40 (11-0))
191: Sydnee Kimber (McKendree University) 14-1, So. over Tavi Heidelberg (King University) 2-1, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:23 (10-0))
Outstanding Wrestler – Emily Shilson (Augsburg), 109 pounds
Most Falls – Emily Se (Emmanuel), 4 pins in 7:01
Coach of the Year – Sam Schmitz (McKendree)
Team 5 Teams
1 McKendree University, 191.0
2 Simon Fraser University, 178.5
3 King University, 123.0
4 Colorado Mesa University, 92.5
5 Emmanuel College, 86.0
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