Women's College Notebook: Postseason Action Begins with NCAA Regionals
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by Tanner Lafever
Aubre Krazer competing for Lehigh
It’s finally here, folks.
The women’s college wrestling postseason has officially arrived.
This weekend, across the country, six different regional tournaments will determine the 180 qualifiers for the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships.
Their location(s)?
- Elmira, New York
- West Liberty, West Virginia
- Franklin Springs, Georgia
- Tiffin, Ohio
- Indianola, Iowa
- Saint Charles, Missouri
For each of the 10 weight classes contested at each of those regions, the top three placers will punch their ticket to NCAAs. As such, this weekend is just as important as March 6-7 in Coralville, Iowa.
Because you can’t wrestle for the ultimate prize if you don’t get there first.
We’ll highlight a nugget or two to follow in each of said regions. But before we do, here’s a quick look back on some other noteworthy recent events in the sport.
Olivia Shore calls it a career
Two weeks ago, we highlighted the season debut of two-time national champion Olvia Shore.
As it turns out, her Senior Night performance for Otterbein University was also her swansong as a collegiate athlete.
Shore recently announced on Instagram that her collegiate career has come to an end, saying:
“At 23 years old, with my super senior season on the line, I made the difficult but necessary decision to step away from competition this year. After two shoulder repairs and still trying to recover from a traumatic brain injury that happened in 2023, I need to prioritize my physical health, mental health and personal well-being.”
“…Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. I truly would not be where I am today without you. This is not the end of my journey – just the closing of an unforgettable chapter.”
While wrestling fans will surely miss the sight of a great champion on the mat this postseason, our thoughts are first and foremost with her good health and happiness as a human being going forward.
Thank you, Olivia Shore, for all that you’ve done for women’s wrestling. And best of luck with wherever life takes you next.
Jimmy May Open
One of the last notable open tournaments of the regular season was held last weekend in Baldwin City, Kansas.
There, the Jimmy May Open was comprised of a diverse field – the likes of which included:
- Multiple ranked NAIA schools
- Oklahoma State’s burgeoning club program
- Several senior-level athletes from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center
At tournament’s end, no college put more wrestlers atop the podium than Oklahoma State – whose pair of champions tied it with NAIA #4 William Penn.
The Cowgirls found themselves in head-to-head finals at both 124 and 145 pounds, which were won by Molly Allen and Kaiulani Garcia, respectively.
Oklahoma City (103), Southeast Community College (207) and the Air Force Regional Training Center (117) all produced singular champions.
Meanwhile, USOPTC athletes Hanna Errthum (138), Nina Makem (160) and Dymond Guilford (180) cruised to titles, outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 122-0.
To the regionals!
As of this typing, 104 total teams are listed as having entered this weekend’s NCAA women’s wrestling regionals, with anywhere from 17-19 teams per region.
For anxious viewers at home, every single match will be streamed on FloWrestling, spanning this Friday through Sunday.
And while that’s A LOT to try and keep track of, fret not, because I’ve narrowed down the information/storylines to know about each region to get you prepared for all that’s to come.
**Official entries have yet to be released for each region – so we’re assuming every ranked wrestler will be competing for their respective team(s)**
- Host – Elmira (NY)
- Ranked teams – #20 Elmira (N.Y.), #25 Felician
- Ranked wrestlers – three
At a Northeast-heavy region hosted in Elmira, New York, 131 pounds is the weight to watch – with #8 Christina Borgmann (Felician) and #9 Jazemene Molina (Western New England) on a possible finals collision course.
But the top athlete in this region is unquestionably Elmira’s Zoey Lints – ranked third at 145.
Lints – a two-time All-American – was a U20 Pan-American Championships silver medalist last summer.
- Host – West Liberty (W. Va.)
- Ranked teams – #7 Lehigh, #17 East Stroudsburg (Pa.), #25 Gannon (Pa.)
- Ranked wrestlers – eight
14 of the 16 teams in Region II hail from Pennsylvania, so familiarity is going to be a theme here.
No team arrives with more firepower than seventh-ranked Lehigh, however.
Making their postseason debut, the Mountain Hawks are led by national title contenders #1 Audrey Jimenez (110) and #2 Aubre Krazer (131).
That Audrey/Aubre combo is bolstered by #7 Abbi Cooper (117), who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the 2025 U20 World Championships.
- Host – Emmanuel (Ga.)
- Ranked teams – #5 King (Tenn.), #5 Presbyterian (S.C.), #10 Emmanuel (Ga.)
- Ranked wrestlers – 15
Region III comprises a growing contingent of Southeastern/Atlantic Coast programs. That includes a pair of top five teams in King and Presbyterian.
But don’t sleep on the hosts, Emmanuel – which will be heard from plenty thanks to the likes of #3 Karissa Turnwall (117) and #6 Janida Garcia (131).
6 of the 10 weights in this region could feature multiple ranked wrestlers. And if things go as expected, 160 pounds could offer an NCAA semifinal-quality matchup between #3 Stella Steigler (King) and #4 May Cuyler (Presbyterian).
- Host – Tiffin (Ohio)
- Ranked teams – #3 North Central (Ill.), #4 Grand Valley State (Mich.), #12 Aurora (Ill.), #12 Northern Michigan, #22 Adrian (Mich.), #24 Tiffin (Ohio)
- Ranked wrestlers – 27
Between #3 North Central and #4 Grand Valley State – 17 (potentially) ranked wrestlers exceeds the total of each entire region covered prior to this one.
Add several other ranked teams, and this may be the toughest region of the entire weekend.
Every single weight in Tiffin will be worth watching. But if I had to pick just one it’s 138 pounds – where former national champions #2 Claire DiCugno (North Central) vs #4 Katie Lange (GVSU) could be a preview of the NCAA title bout two weeks later.
At least 10 different athletes in this region have previously won and/or wrestled for a national title at the college level.
- Host – Simpson (Iowa)
- Ranked teams – #1 Iowa, #9 Quincy (Ill.), #11 Wartburg (Iowa), #15 Simpson (Iowa), #18 Augustana (Ill.), #23 Wisconsin-Stevens Point, #25 Dubuque (Iowa)
- Ranked wrestlers – 24
As Midwestern as Midwestern gets, all 17 teams in Region V hail from either Iowa (10), Illinois (two), Minnesota (one) or Wisconsin (four).
#1 Iowa headlines a field featuring seven ranked programs and 24 ranked wrestlers.
Four of those athletes could make for an awesome 103-pound bracket:
- #2 Valarie Solorio (Iowa)
- #5 Trinity Pendergrass (Quincy)
- #7 Chloe Sheffield (Wartburg)
- #8 Alexis Winecke (Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
The Hawkeyes will be heavy favorites at most weights, but not at 124 – where 2023 US Open champion Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Quincy) could be at the beginning of an NCAA title journey.
- Host – Lindenwood (Mo.)
- Ranked teams – #2 McKendree (Ill.), #8 Colorado Mesa, #12 Fort Hays State (Kan.), #15 Simon Fraser (Canada), #18 William Jewell (Mo.), #21 Lindenwood (Mo.)
- Ranked wrestlers – 23
And finally, Region VI contains the most eclectic collection of programs based upon geography.
#2 McKendree has a loaded squad with national title aspirations. But they’ll be tested by national tournament stalwart, Colorado Mesa, a rising Fort Hays State program and an under-the-radar Simon Fraser team, which descends from its Canadian locale with plenty of talent to challenge its American competition.
I’ll have my eye on 117 and 124 pounds, especially.
At the former, #1 Yu Sakamoto (McKendree) could have three other ranked wrestlers in her bracket – including a tough, fifth-ranked Alex Waitsman (William Jewell).
And for the latter, #5 Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa) and #7 Shelby Moore (McKendree) are a national title caliber matchup regardless of their current rankings.
Piestewa (a U20 World Team Trials champion last spring) defeated Moore (a 2025 NCWWC runner-up) via 10-4 decision at National Duals back in January.
