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McKendree puts seven into finals for large lead at National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships

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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Jaslynn Gallegos, Presbyterian College, lifts McKendree University’s Felicity Taylor in their semifinals match at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. Taylor won the match by fall in 4:20. Photo by Stacy Behrens (Adrian College)

Adrian, Mich. – After an exciting semifinals round at the inaugural National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship, McKendree University leads second place Simon Fraser University 159.5-131 after the semifinals.

Simon Fraser put three into the finals, and third-place King and fifth-place North Central have two. Note: The time for the championship finals have been moved forward to 3:00 p.m. ET.

Emmanuel College’s No. 5 seed Iesha Washington rolled through top seed Jaclyn McNichols 10-0 to reach the finals at 101. No. 2 seed Pauline Granados from McKendree University won 9-0 in the semifinals, so it will be Washington versus Granados in the finals.

At 109 pounds, highly-touted freshman Emily Shilson from Augsburg University advanced to the finals with a first period fall over Simon Fraser University’s Ciara McCrae. In the finals, Shilson will take on Tiffin University’s Sugey Ceja, who won by technical superiority, 12-2, in the semifinals.

In one of the most exciting semifinals matches, 116 pounder Felicity Taylor, the No. 2 seed from McKendree, pinned Jaslynn Gallegos in 4:20. Taylor will face the heavy favorite and No. 1 seed Karla Godinez Gonzalez from Simon Fraser University, who ran her string of 10-0 victories to three in the semifinals.

The top two seeded wrestlers at 123 pounds, Cheyenne Sisenstein and Alexandra Hedrick, will wrestle in the finals this afternoon. Sisenstein, the top seeded wrestler, beat her King University teammate Phoenix Dubose by technical superiority 10-0. On the bottom of the bracket, Hedrick, the 2018 U.S. Open champion, won 3-1 over Marissa Gallegos from Colorado Mesa University.

The 130-pound finals will feature the first championships bout with neither of the top two seeded wrestlers going for gold. No. 3 seed Amanda Martinez from North Central College knocked off No. 2 seed Allison Petix of King. Awaiting Martinez in the finals is McKendree’s Alexia Ward, the No. 5 seed, who defeated Gabby Skidmore 6-1.

Dalia Garibay continued her dominant run to the finals at 136 pounds by winning her fourth consecutive match by technical superiority. The Colorado Mesa standout has outscored her opponents 43-1 so far in the tournament. McKendree’s Emma Bruntil, the reigning U.S. Senior Open champion, won 8-3 in the other semifinal match at 136 pounds and will face Garibay for the championship.

Simon Fraser standout Ana Godinez Gonzalez will join her sister in the finals, as the No. 1 seed at 143 pounds knocked off her Clan teammate Sara Brinkac, 7-0, in the semifinals. In a battle of previous age-level World medalists, Godinez Gonzalez will face McKendree’s Alara Boyd, the No. 3 seed, who advanced to the finals by knocking off No. 2 Ashlynn Ortega of King, 7-1.

At 155 pounds, Lakeland University’s Jayden Laurent advanced to the finals by beating top seeded Alyvia Fiske. Laurent won 2-2 on criteria based on a first period takedown. In a much-anticipated finals match, Laurent will face US National Team member Alexandria Glaude, as who defeated her McKendree teammate Joye Levendusky 4-1 in the semifinals. Laurent and Glaude were 2019 WCWA national champions.

In arguably the biggest upset of the tournament, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Jessika Rottier dismantled McKendree’s top seeded Korinahe Bullock at 170 pounds. Rottier was leading 10-0 when she pinned Bullock. Rottier was a 2017 WCWA Nationals champion when she attended the University of the Cumberlands In a wild match on the bottom of the bracket, Yelena Makoyed of North Central College staved off a late headlock from Andrea Sennett of McKendree and held on to win 10-8.

Top seeded 191 pound wrestler Sydnee Kimber of McKendree made quick work of her semifinals opponent, Cristina Santoyo, winning by fall in 44 seconds. Kimber will face King University’s Tavi Heidelberg, the No. 2 seed, who knocked off Jessie Lee of Tiffin, 4-2.

The consolation semifinals and 3rd, 5th, 7th place bouts will continue.

The champion finals will begin at 3:00 PM Eastern Time (a time change) and will be streamed live on Trackwrestling. Be sure to tune in and catch the top NCAA female wrestlers.

Finalists by school:
• McKendree University – 7
• Simon Fraser University – 3
• King University – 2
• North Central College – 2
• Augsburg University – 1
• Colorado Mesa University – 1
• Emmanuel College – 1
• Lakeland University – 1
• Tiffin University – 1
• University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point – 1

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Adrian College, Adrian, Mich., March 7

Finals pairings

101 - No. 2 Pauline Granados (McKendree) vs. No. 5 Iesha Washington (Emmanuel)
109 - No. 1 Emily Shilson (Augsburg) vs. No. 3 Sugey Ceja (Tiffin)
116 - No. 1 Karla Godinez-Gonzalez (Simon Fraser) vs. No. 2 Felicity Taylor (McKendree)
123 - No. 1 Cheyenne Sisenstein (King) vs. No. 2 Alexandra Hedrick (Simon Fraser)
130 - No. 3 Amanda Martinez (North Central) vs. No. 5 Alexia Ward (McKendree)
136 - No. 1 Emma Bruntil (McKendree) vs. No. 3 Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa)
143 - No. 1 Ana Godinez-Gonzalez (Simon Fraser) vs. No. 3 Alara Boyd (McKendree)
155 - No. 2 Alexandria Glaude (McKendree) vs. No. 4 Jayden Laurent (Lakeland)
170 - No. 2 Yelena Makoyed (North Central College) vs. No. 4 Jessika Rottier (UW-Stevens Point)
191 - No. 1 Sydnee Kimber (McKendree) vs. No. 2 Tavi Heidelberg (King)

Semifinal results

101 pounds
No. 5 Iesha Washington (Emmanuel) tech. fall No. 1 Jaclyn McNichols (King), 10-0, 5:32
No. 2 Pauline Granados (McKendree) dec. No. 3 Jennesis Martinez (Colorado Mesa), 9-0

109 pounds
No. 1 Emily Shilson (Augsburg) pin No. 4 Ciara McCrae (Simon Fraser), 2:20
No. 3 Sugey Ceja (Tiffin) tech. fall No. 7 Aleeah Gould (King), 12-2, 3:32

116 pounds
No. 1 Karla Godinez-Gonzalez (Simon Fraser) tech. fall No. 4 Emily Se (Emmanuel), 10-0, 2:07
No. 2 Felicity Taylor (McKendree) pin No. 3 Jaslynn Gallegos (Presbyterian), 4:20

123 pounds
No. 1 Cheyenne Sisenstein (King) tech. fall No. 5 Phoenix Dubose (King), 10-0, 4:19
No. 2 Alexandra Hedrick (Simon Fraser) dec. No. 3 Marissa Gallegos (Colorado Mesa), 3-1

130 pounds
No. 5 Alexia Ward (McKendree) dec. No. 8 Gabby Skidmore (Augsburg), 6-1
No. 3 Amanda Martinez (North Central) dec. No. 2 Allison Petix (King), 9-2

136 pounds
No. 1 Emma Bruntil (McKendree) dec. No. 5 Ana Luciano (King), 8-3
No. 3 Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa) tech. fall No. 2 Lauren Mason (Simon Fraser), 11-1, 2:06

143 pounds
No. 1 Ana Godinez-Gonzalez (Simon Fraser) dec. No. 5 Sara Brinkac (Simon Fraser), 12-7
No. 3 Alara Boyd (McKendree) dec. No. 2 Ashlynn Ortega (King), 7-1

155 pounds
No. 4 Jayden Laurent (Lakeland) dec. No. 1 Alyvia Fiske (Simon Fraser), 2-2
No. 2 Alexandria Glaude (McKendree) dec. No. 3 Joye Levendusky (McKendree), 4-1

170 pounds
No. 4 Jessika Rottier (UW-Stevens Point) pin No. 1 Korinahe Bullock (McKendree), 5:25
No. 2 Yelena Makoyed (North Central College) dec. No. 3 Andrea Sennett (McKendree), 10-8

191 pounds
No. 1 Sydnee Kimber (McKendree) pin No. 4 Cristina Santoyo (Emmanuel), 0:44
No. 2 Tavi Heidelberg (King) dec. No. 3 Jessie Lee (Tiffin), 4-2

NCWWC Women’s Collegiate Nationals standings after semis
1 McKendree University, 159.5
2 Simon Fraser University, 131.0
3 King University, 101.0
4 Colorado Mesa University, 76.5
5 Emmanuel College, 72.0

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