McKendree takes inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships behind three individual champions

Lange’s aforementioned title was just the first of several marquee matchups this evening – and required the now three-time national champion (2023, 2025-26) to defeat fellow champ Claire DiCugno (North Central) to secure her latest crown.

After a cagey first period between the two, Lange scored a pair of takedowns after the break to become the latest bit of women’s wrestling history – as its first-ever NCAA champion.

At 145, the pace wasn’t nearly so deliberate.

Not only did #2 Bella Mir (North Central) score early, she scored again and then again once more – the latter instance countering #1 Reese Larramendy (Iowa) to her back for the first-period fall.

Mir’s title comes a year after finishing runner up at the same weight class.

Meanwhile, each of 160/180/207 pounds was won by a repeat champion – and in dominant fashion no less.

Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades (Iowa) backed up her 2025 title with a fall over #3 Tiffani Baublitz (East Stroudsburg) – needing just 1:19 to do so.

Her Iowa teammate, Kylie Welker, would follow with a similarly sterling effort at 180, rolling to an 11-0 tech. fall of #2 Destiny Rodriguez (McKendree) to earn her third-consecutive national title.

With the Hawkeyes now in front in the team race, Tristan Kelly (McKendree) stole the momentum back with an 11-0 victory of her own – hers coming at 207 pounds against returning national (180-pound) finalist Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State).

But moments later, Iowa led once again, after Val Solorio used three four-point moves to secure a 13-1 tech. fall at 103 pounds over #4 Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State).

In another highlighted matchup at 110, Senior World team member Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh) proved too much for U23 World champ Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State).

Jimenez locked up a cradle to pin the returning national champion midway through the first period.

Moving to 117 pounds, a bout defined by shot clock points suddenly turned into a barnburner in the waning moments.

Trailing 2-1, #3 Riley Rayome (North Central) managed to expose #1 Yu Sakamoto (McKendree) amidst a lengthy scramble, only for Sakamoto to score two exposure points of her own that beat the final buzzer and secured both an individual and team national title.

It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that.

The penultimate match of Session IV showcased the skills of a 2023 US Open champion, as #3 Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Quincy) won via 10-0 tech. fall over returning national finalist Shelby Moore (McKendree) at 124 pounds.

That set the stage for the nightcap.

And in a battle of champions, four-timer Cameron Guerin (McKendree) added one for the thumb – winning her fifth collegiate national title over reigning 131-pound champ Alexis Janiak (Aurora).

After swapping four-point scores in the first period it was Guerin who led on criteria at intermission. She’d rely on her championship experience from there, keeping Janiak at bay to preserve the 5-5 victory.

138

#1 Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) dec. #2 Claire DiCugno (North Central), 4-1

145

#2 Bella Mir (North Central) FALL #1 Reese Larramendy (Iowa), 2:26

160

#1 Kennedy Blades (Iowa) FALL #3 Tiffani Baublitz (East Stroudsburg), 1:19

180

#1 Kylie Welker (Iowa) tech. fall #2 Destiny Rodriguez (McKendree), 11-0

207

#1 Tristan Kelly (McKendree) tech. fall #2 Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State), 11-0

103

#2 Valarie Solorio (Iowa) tech. fall #4 Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State), 13-1

110

#1 Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh) FALL #2 Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State), 1:50

117

#1 Yu Sakamoto (McKendree) dec. #3 Riley Rayome (North Central), 4-3

124

#3 Xochitl Mota-Pettis tech. fall #4 Shelby Moore (McKendree), 10-0

131

#1 Cameron Guerin (McKendree) dec. #3 Alexis Janiak (Aurora), 5-5

1 – McKendree (171)

2 – Iowa (166)

3 – North Central (123.5)

4 – Grand Valley State (110.5)

5 – Presbyterian (83.5)

6 – Lehigh (54.5)

7 – King (45.5)

8 – Colorado Mesa (41.5)

9 – Quincy (41)

10 – East Stroudsburg (40)

11 – Wartburg (39.5)

12 – Simon Fraser (37.5)

13 – Aurora (33.5)

14 – Emmanuel (29.5)

15 – Sacred Heart (21.5)

16 – Adrian (21)

17 – Eastern (20)

18 – Fort Hays State (19.5)

19 – West Liberty (18)

20 – Simpson (17.5)

21 – Mount Union (15)

22 – Lock Haven (14.5)

23 – Gannon (13.5)

24 – Augustana (10.5)

25 – Lindenwood (10)

26 – Western New England (9)

27 – Delaware State (8.5)

28 – Wisconsin-Stevens Point (7)

29 – York (5.5)

30 – Felician (5)

31 – William Jewell (4.5)

32 – Chadron State (4)

32 – Pitt-Johnstown (4)

34 – Dubuque (3.5)

35 – Bridgeport (3)

35 – Mount Olive (3)

35 – Norwich (3)

35 – Tiffin (3)

39 – Frostburg State (2.5)

39 – New England College (2.5)

39 – Northern Michigan (2.5)

39 – Ursinus (2.5)

43 – Illinois Wesleyan (1)

44 – D’Youville (0.5)

44 – Elmira (0.5)

46 – Alfred State (0)

46 – Allen (0)

46 – Alvernia (0)

46 – Carthage (0)

46 – Marymount (0)

46 – Muhlenberg (0)

46 – New Jersey City (0)

46 – Otterbein (0)

46 – Southern Virginia (0)

103

3^rd – #7 Genesis Ramirez (Aurora) dec. #5 Madison Avila (North Central), 6-5

5^th – #6 Trinity Pendergrass (Quincy) dec. #1 Heather Crull (McKendree), 11-10

7^th – #8 Alexis Winecke (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) dec. #3 Mia Zuniga (Colorado Mesa), 11-9

110

3^rd – #4 Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree) MFF #5 Nyla Valencia (Iowa)

5^th – #7 Teegan Sibble (East Stroudsburg) Inj. DEF #6 Chloe Dearwester (Presbyterian)

7^th – Avery Kibelbek (King) tech. fall Adriana Gomez (Colorado Mesa), 10-0

117

3^rd – #5 Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) dec. #2 Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel), 4-2

5^th – Carleigh Czerneski (Adrian) dec. Jenna Anderson (Presbyterian), 7-4

7^th – #6 Abigail Cooper (Lehigh) dec. Gable Hemann (Wartburg), 7-1

124

3^rd – #1 Sara Sterner (North Central) dec. #7 Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa), 10-5

5^th – #5 Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) tech. fall #2 Virginia Foard (King), 10-0

7^th – #6 Savannah Witt (Eastern) dec. #8 Alyssa Mahan (Presbyterian), 11-4

131

3^rd – #2 Aubre Krazer (Lehigh) FALL Cassia Zammit (West Liberty), 2:48

5^th – #5 Abigal Mozden (Mount Union) FALL #7 Janida Garcia (Emmanuel), 0:19

7^th – #4 Karlee Brooks (Iowa) tech. fall Makayla Paclib (Pitt-Johnstown), 10-0

138

3^rd – #3 Haylie Jaffe (McKendree) dec. #4 Lilly Luft (Iowa), 5-3

5^th – #7 Kylie Rule (Wartburg) dec. #5 Jacinda Espinosa (Lindenwood), 7-2

7^th – Aine Moffit (Augustana) dec. Ruby Julien-Newsom (King), 8-1

145

3^rd – #7 Liv Wieber (Simon Fraser) FALL #8 Madeline Kubicki (Presbyterian), 1:45

5^th – #6 Annelise Obermark (Simpson) dec. #5 Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree), 11-10

7^th – Margaret Buurma (Grand Valley State) dec. Zoey Haines (Eastern), 15-7

160

3^rd – #4 Stella Steigler (King) dec. #2 Savannah Gomez (McKendree), 5-0

5^th – #5 May Cuyler (Presbyterian) FALL Love Daley (Sacred Heart), 4:09

7^th – #8 Keeley Kehrli (Simpson) FALL Noelle Gaffney (Grand Valley State), 2:44

180

3^rd – #4 Shenita Lawson (North Central) dec. #3 Isabella Renfro (Fort Hays State), 7-2

5^th – #7 Isabella Phillips (Gannon) dec. Azariah Moore (Lock Haven), 7-2

7^th – Paige Maher (Simon Fraser) FALL Mia Gaetjens (Adrian), 1:24

207

3^rd – #4 Rewa Chababo (Wartburg) dec. #5 Katja Osteen (Iowa), 2-1

5^th – #6 Jayleen Sekona (Colorado Mesa) FALL #3 Caroline Ward (North Central), 2:52

7^th – #8 Maria Aiono (Presbyterian) dec. #7 Josephine Larson (Sacred Heart), 4-1