Campbellsville pushes seven into semifinals to grab big lead at NAIA Women’s National Invitational

No. 1 seed Peyton Prussin of Life nails a high-amplitude throw at 116 pounds at the NAIA Women’s Nationals. Photo by Jim Thrall, MatFocus.com

JAMESTOWN, N.D. - No. 1 ranked Campbellsville punched seven athletes into the semifinals to lead after day one at the NAIA Women’s National Invitational on Friday night at the University of Jamestown.

Competing in Saturday’s semifinals for the Tigers (with their seed) are No. 1 McKayla Campbell (109), No. 7 Charlotte Fowler (116), No. 3 Katlyn Pizzo (123), No. 3 Angela Vitiritti (130) , No. 2 Randi Robison (136) , No. 5 Kendra Thompson (155) and No. 1 Alexandra Castillo (170).

The competition went through the blood round in the consolations, determining the All-Americans in each weight class. Campbellsville has three other wrestlers in the consolations, bringing home 10 All-Americans this year.

The 2020 NAIA Women’s National Invitational was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Campbellsville did win a national title, getting top team honors at the WCWA Nationals, held before the pandemic struck.

Campbellsville has 126.5 points, a healthy 26 points ahead of No. 2 ranked Life in second with 100.5 points. Rounding out the top five are Oklahoma City in third place with 78.5, Wayland Baptist in fourth with 73 and Southern Oregon in fifth with 71.5.

Life put both of its top seeds into the semifinals, Peyton Prussin (116) and Julia Vidallon (123) plus No. 2 seed Jordan Nelson (170). The Eagles have also earned 10 All-Americans, with seven still alive in the consolation rounds.

Nine of the 10 No. 1 seeds have advanced to the semifinals. The only No. 1 who was defeated was Ciera Foster of Oklahoma City, who was pinned in the quarterfinals by No. 8 seed Sienna Ramirez of Southern Oregon at the 6:00 mark.

The only 2019 NAIA national champion in the field, Asia Ray of Wayland Baptist, reached the semifinals at 109 pounds. Ray, seeded No. 3 this year, was the 2019 NAIA champion at 101 pounds and is a past Junior World medalist.

Only one unseeded wrestler is in the semifinals, Victoria Hinojo of Oklahoma City at 191. Hinojo beat the No. 3 seed MaQuoia Bernabe of the Cumberlands in the quarterfinals.

In addition to being the annual national championship for NCAA programs, this was also a qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling in Fort Worth, Texas, April 2-3. According to the procedures, “the highest placed NAIA U.S. athlete per weight category who has yet to qualify will qualify to enter the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling at the weight category she chooses.” There will be 10 athletes who will punch their ticket to Fort Worth this weekend at the NAIA event.

There are two student-athletes in the tournament who have already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials:
Julia Vidallon of Life (123) and Alexandra Castillo of Campbellsville (170). Both qualified by winning the 2020 WCWA Nationals, one of the Olympic Trials qualifiers.

The event is broadcast live on FloWrestling. The morning session begins 10:00 a.m CT., with the finals at 7:00 p.m. CT.

NAIA WOMEN’S NATIONAL INVITATIONAL
At Jamestown, N.D., March 12

Semifinal pairings

101
No. 1 Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist) vs. No. 4 Esthella Trevino (Southern Oregon)
No. 3 Ivy Navarro (Providence) vs. No. 7 Madison Brown (Texas Wesleyan)

109
No. 1 Mckayla Campbell (Campbellsville) vs. No. 4 Tehani Soares (Indiana Tech)
No. 3 Asia Ray (Wayland Baptist) vs. unseeded Macie Stewart (Southern Oregon)

116
No. 1 Peyton Prussin (Life) vs. No. 4 Josie Bartishofski (Jamestown)
No. 3 Stefana Jelacic (Lourdes) vs. No. 7 Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville)

123
No. 1 Julia Vidallon (Life) vs. No. 5 Nichole Moore (Baker)
No. 3 Katlyn Pizzo (Campbellsville) vs. No. 2 Jasmine Hernandez (Lyon)

130
No. 1 Bridgette Duty (Cumberlands) vs. No. 4 De'anna Prince (Wayland Baptist)
No. 3 Angela Vitiritti (Campbellsville) vs. No. 2 Mea Mohler (Texas Wesleyan)

136
No. 1 Desiree Zavala (Wayland Baptist) vs. No. 4 Destiny Lyng (Oklahoma City)
No. 3 Andrea Schlabach (Grand View) vs. No. 2 Randi Robison (Campbellsville)

143
No. 1 Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp (Midland) vs. No. 5 Jordan Suarez (Wayland Baptist)
No. 6 Erin Redford (Eastern Oregon) vs. No. 6 Sydney Freund (Oklahoma City)

155
No. 8 Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon) vs. No. 5 Kendra Thompson (Campbellsville)
No. 3 Kamalamaokapomahealani Lewis (Midland) vs. No. 2 Morgan Mayginnes (Baker)

170
No. 1 Alexandra Castillo (Campbellsville) vs. No. 5 Sierra Talmadge (Jamestown)
No. 3 Hunter Robinson (Grand View) vs. No. 2 Jordan Nelson (Life)

191
No. 1 Nkechinyere Nwankwo (Oklahoma City) vs. No. 4 Kelani Corbett (Lyon)
Unseeded Victoria Hinojo (Oklahoma City) vs. No. 2 Elisa Robinson (Baker)

Team Standings
1 Campbellsville (W) 126.5-
2 Life (W) 100.5
3 Oklahoma City (W) 78.5
4 Wayland Baptist (W) 73
5 Southern Oregon (W) 71.5
6 Cumberlands (W) 68.5
7 Jamestown (W) 65
8 Missouri Valley (W) 64.5
9 Grand View (W) 60
10 Midland (W) 58.5
11 Baker (W) 57.5
12 Lyon (W) 49.5
13 Indiana Tech 43.5
14 Texas Wesleyan (W) 40.5
15 Corban 32.5
16 Eastern Oregon (W) 30.5
16 Providence (W) 30.5
18 Missouri Baptist (W) 25.5
19 Lourdes 24.5
20 Waldorf (W) 20.5
(of 31 teams)

Quarterfinal results

101
Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist (W)) VSU Alaura Couch (Grand View (W)), 10-0 1:09
Esthella Trevino (Southern Oregon (W)) VFA Kassidy Ramirez (Lyon (W)), 8-4 2:22
Ivy Navarro (Providence (W)) VSU Esther Walker (Midland (W)), 10-0 2:07
Madison Brown (Texas Wesleyan (W)) VFA Devyn Gomez (Life (W)), 12-5 3:48

109
Mckayla Campbell (Campbellsville (W)) VSU Kory Phillips (Life (W)), 10-0 2:23
Tehani Soares (Indiana Tech) VFA Jaine Stephens (Cumberlands (W)), 8-4 5:24
Asia Ray (Wayland Baptist (W)) VFA Emma Cochran (Grand View (W)), 4-0 1:20
Macie Stewart (Southern Oregon (W)) VFA Rayana Sahagun (Jamestown (W)), 4-0 0:53

116
Peyton Prussin Las Vegas, NV (Life (W)) VFA Arianna Marrufo (Jamestown (W)), 2-2 1:01
Josie Bartishofski (Jamestown (W)) VPO Serenity Durham goree (Midland (W)), 4-0
Stefana Jelacic (Lourdes) VSU Aphrodite Ayala (Simpson (W)), 10-0 1:20
Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville (W)) VSU Camille Fournier (Texas Wesleyan (W)), 10-0 3:46

123
Julia Vidallon (Life (W)) VPO Theresa Rankin (Lourdes), 8-0
Nichole Moore (Baker (W)) VSU Ashley Whetzal (Lyon (W)), 12-0 2:05
Katlyn Pizzo (Campbellsville (W)) VFA Jacqueline Ghent (Campbellsville (W)), 6-0 0:58
Jasmine Hernandez (Lyon (W)) VFA Isabella Gonzalez (Grand View (W)), 10-1 2:21

130
Bridgette Duty (Cumberlands (W)) VSU Karoline Ortiz (Missouri Baptist (W)), 10-0 4:28
De'anna Prince (Wayland Baptist (W)) VPO1 Macy Higa (Eastern Oregon (W)), 9-6
Angela Vitiritti (Campbellsville (W)) VPO1 Briana Kellin (Life (W)), 2-2
Mea Mohler (Texas Wesleyan (W)) VSU1 Alexandra Baudhuin (Jamestown (W)), 13-2 2:03

136
Desiree Zavala (Wayland Baptist (W)) VSU Charmayne Delong (Indiana Tech), 10-0 0:27
Destiny Lyng (Oklahoma City (W)) VSU Brigid Shannon (Corban), 12-0 3:08
Andrea Schlabach (Grand View (W)) VPO1 Savanna Mccutchen (Missouri Valley (W)), 4-3
Randi Robison (Campbellsville (W)) VPO1 Mattison Parker (Oklahoma City (W)), 11-7

143
Waipuilani Estrella-beauchamp (Midland (W)) VSU Nancy Becerra (Missouri Valley (W)), 10-0 0:53
Jordan Suarez (Wayland Baptist (W)) VFA Samantha Snow (Indiana Tech), 10-0 2:38
Erin Redford (Eastern Oregon (W)) VFA Emma Walker (Campbellsville (W)), 4-0 1:47
Sydney Freund (Oklahoma City (W)) VPO1 Ashley Ikner (Cumberlands (W)), 11-3

155
Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon (W)) VFA Cierra Foster (Oklahoma City (W)), 4-1 6:00
Kendra Thompson (Campbellsville (W)) VFA Tiyahna Askew Lawrenceville, GA (Missouri Baptist (W)), 6-4 5:38
Kamalamaokapomahealani Lewis (Midland (W)) VFA India Page (Brewton Parker (W)), 2-2 2:28
Morgan Mayginnes (Baker (W)) VFA Destinee Rivera (Life (W)), 6-1 4:09

170
Alexandra Castillo (Campbellsville (W)) VFA Shania Gowan (Missouri Baptist (W)), 8-0 0:55
Sierra Talmadge (Jamestown (W)) VPO1 Chamira Cooper (Cumberlands (W)), 9-5
Hunter Robinson (Grand View (W)) VFA Mahealani Ramirez (Missouri Valley (W)), 4-0 0:42
Jordan Nelson (Life (W)) VSU Jennifer Curry (Baker (W)), 13-0 5:47

191
Nkechinyere Nwankwo (Oklahoma City (W)) VSU Brianna Staebler (Campbellsville (W)), 12-0 4:32
Kelani Corbett (Lyon (W)) VFA Catherine Palmieri (Life (W)), 9-2 5:26
Victoria Hinojo (Oklahoma City (W)) VPO1 Maquoia Bernabe (Cumberlands (W)), 4-2
Elisa Robinson (Baker (W)) VFA Kelly Lacost (Jamestown (W)), 5-0 1:08