Women's College Notebook: McKendree takes GLVC Duals, Indiana Tech and Sacred Heart impress, North Central-Wartburg coming soon

Up in Allendale, Michigan, NCAA #2 McKendree (IL) made history on Saturday afternoon.

Competing as part of the inaugural Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) women’s wrestling season, the Bearcats capped an undefeated 5-0 conference schedule with a pair of dominant performances.

Alexio Garcia’s squad won all 20 bouts across two duals, including an eye-popping 40-4 victory over hosts #4 Grand Valley State (MI).

A few weeks ago, at National Duals, these two teams wrestled a far closer 25-13 semifinal (also won by McKendree). But this time, the Bearcats were overwhelming.

Among several notable turnarounds, #2 Yu Sakamoto (117) went from 14-3 loser to 18-7 victor over #1 Sage Mortimer in a battle of former U23 World champions.

#6 Shelby Moore (124) flipped a close 4-1 defeat against #3 Aspen Blasko into an 11-0 blowout.

And at 138 pounds, #4 Haylie Jaffe turned the tables on two-time national champion Katie Lange, reversing a 2-1 loss into a win by the same score.

Second-ranked stars Gabriele Tedesco (110) and Cameron Guerin (131) widened the gap from decisions to bonus-point victories over the same opponent(s). And at 207, the opposite held true – with returning national champion Tristan Kelly winning 4-4 on criteria after having defeated (180-pound) runner-up Sabrina Nauss via 10-0 tech. fall (at 180) during National Duals.

Currently projected to battle #1 Iowa and #3 North Central for the first-ever NCAA women’s team title this March, McKendree sure as heck looked the part this past weekend.

But while the Bearcats were the team of the GLVC duals, there may not have been a better match than the one between 2023 US Open champ Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Quincy) and #3 Aspen Blasko (GVSU).

A whopping 22 points were scored during a dizzying first period. And although ‘only’ six were put on the board after the break, Mota-Pettis emerged as a 17-11 winner.

**Full GLVC Duals results are available at FloWrestling.org**

Elsewhere around the country, two teams (one NCAA, one NAIA) stood out as winners from the weekend.

Over in Fort Wayne, Indiana, no team at the 2026 Warrior Women’s Open put more wrestlers atop the podium than hosts Indiana Tech – ranked #8 in the NAIA.

The Warriors were led by second-ranked Rose Kaplan’s title at 124 pounds, plus a pair by #16 Kinnley Smith (138) and #10 Bo Geibe (160). Meanwhile, #3 Zoey Haney and #9 Makayla Young double-forfeited after both reach the 103-pound final.

Some 700 miles eastward in Albany, New York, Sacred Heart (CT) picked up a pair of ranked wins at an abbreviated Journeymen Duals.

Unfortunately, weather-related issues meant top-ranked Iowa and #5 King were unable to make the event. So, a tri-dual of sorts between Northeastern programs took place instead.

The Pioneers – led by head coach Paulina Biega – won 15-of-20 bouts on a day that featured victories over #16 Elmira (32-16) and #21 Gannon (39-9).

And while the results may’ve surprised some given Sacred Heart’s current unranked status, this is still a program that has finished ninth, sixth and seventh at the past three National College Women’s Wrestling Championships.

The ‘Pios’ have some firepower. And they’ll get a chance to put it on display again this Sunday when #9 Lehigh visits Fairfield, Connecticut – streaming live at this link.

As for where else to turn your attention this week, a pair of events jump to mind.

Up first, you’ll be shocked to learn that NCAA #3 North Central (IL) has yet another high-profile dual on tap.

On Thursday evening (6:00 p.m. CT), the Cardinals celebrate Senior Day – doing so by welcoming eighth-ranked Wartburg to Naperville.

**Action streams live at this link**

Not only are both teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest NCAA Coaches Poll, both won titles at the recent National Duals – North Central as part of the combined NCAA bracket and Wartburg via the NCAA Division III bracket.

Since then, the Cardinals have already defeated NAIA champ Life University. And they can complete the sweep by warding off the Knights, who boast a balanced lineup with seven ranked wrestlers.

And finally, this year’s Midland Open could offer a great midseason tournament depending on who shows up in Fremont, Nebraska.

Among teams currently entered are the following ranked NAIA programs:

• #2 Grand View (IA), #3 William Penn (IA), #5 Lindsey Wilson (KY), #10 Missouri Valley, #11 Doane (NE), #14 Oklahoma City, #16 Hastings (NE), #20 Baker (KS)

Tack on NCAA #11 Fort Hays State (KS) and it could be a heck of a field.