20 Of The Best Matches From The NWCA National Duals
20 Of The Best Matches From The NWCA National Duals
The NWCA National Duals produced terrific action over the course of two days in Louisville. Here's a look back at 20 of the best bouts.
The NWCA National Duals featured upwards of 1,900 matches over the course of the two-day event in Louisville. Here's a look back at 20 of the best bouts that occurred inside the Kentucky Expo Center.
Division II
125 pounds — Paxton Creese (St. Cloud State) vs. Studd Morris (Central Oklahoma)
The D2 title dual started with fireworks, thanks to third-ranked Creese and #8 Morris, who staged a dramatic, down-to-the-wire battle with all sorts of twists and turns.
141 pounds — Khyvon Grace (West Liberty) vs. Laken Boese (Mary)
A high-scoring, back-and-forth battle with action from start to finish. The names are listed incorrectly on the scoreboard. Grace is in the red ankle band and Boese is in the green.
157 pounds — Nick Novak (St. Cloud State) vs. Gabe Johnson (Central Oklahoma)
Second-ranked Johnson raced out to an early 4-1 lead and threatened to add on before #8 Novak staged a methodical comeback in what proved to be a pivotal bout in the D2 title dual.
174 pounds — Austin Eldredge (Nebraska-Kearney) vs. Max Bruss (Mary)
Two of the top 174-pounders in the D2 rankings locked up when second-ranked Eldredge took on #3 Bruss in a quarterfinal dual.
Division III
149 pounds — Michael Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) vs. Kris Rumph (Wartburg)
Petrella sits atop the D3 rankings at 149 and it won't be long before Rumph, a returning All-American, is back near the top after rejoining the Knights at the semester break. Rumph raced out to an early lead before a wild exchange late.
141 pounds — Dakari Clay (Wisconsin-Whitewater) vs. David Panda (Baldwin Wallace)
A high-scoring battle with big moves, momentum shifts and a wild finish.
184 pounds — Jaritt Shinhoster (UW-Whitewater) vs. Shane Liegel (Loras)
Shinhoster is a returning D3 champ who's coming off a run to the Midlands finals. Liegel entered Louisville ranked #1 at 184.
197 pounds — Parker Venz (Augsburg) vs. Ben Kawczynski (UW-La Crosse)
Kawczynski entered the weekend ranked #1 in D3 at 197. Venz came in unranked, although that's likely soon to change after his performance in Louisville. This one featured an action-packed first period and went down with a trip to the D3 finals on the line.
NAIA
125 pounds — Esco Walker (Grand View) vs. Brandon Orum (Life)
The two most-recent NAIA 125-pound kings collided in the first bout of the championship showdown between Grand View and Life.
133 pounds — Taylor Vasquez (Morningside) vs. Tyree Johnson (Life)
Fifth-ranked Johnson and #8 Vasquez staged an action-packed battle that went back and forth that tipped in the final seconds.
174 pounds — Chinges Tsermaa (Doane) vs. Stephen Kelle (Southeastern)
After a slow-paced start in the battle between #4 Kelle and #5 Tsermaa, the action picked up in a big way in the third period.
184 pounds — Ben Lee (Grand View) vs. Myles Starke (Life)
Fifth-ranked Starke got out to a quick lead early before #2 Lee charged back late in the NAIA title dual.
NCAA Women
109 pounds — Sage Mortimer (King) vs Sydney Petzinger (North Central)
This 29-point shootout had huge team implications when King and North Central met in the National Duals final.
136 pounds — Viktorya Torres (King) vs. Yele Aycock (North Central)
This is the match that turned everything around for King, and eventually led to a thrilling conclusion at 191 pounds.
101 pounds — Aaliyah Payne-Parris (Sacred Heart) vs. Samantha Miller (Presbyterian)
This match had historical significance: it was the first time two D1 women's wrestling programs faced off in a dual, and this was the opening match.
136 pounds — Paige Wehrmeister (Presbyterian) vs. Nina Makem (Augsburg)
Makem proved why she's the top 136-pounder with a dominant win over the third-ranked wrestler in the country.
NAIA Women
116 pounds — Peyton Prussin (Life) vs. Cailin Campbell (Grand View)
Returning two-time champ Prussin moved up a weight to take on Campbell in the semifinals, and the heart-pounding result was must-watch wrestling.
136 pounds — Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan) vs. Paige Respicio (Providence)
What happens when #1 Nwachukwu takes on #2 Respicio in the opening dual of the National Duals? Let's just say Nwachukwu proved why she's #3 in FloWrestling pound-for-pound rankings.
170 pounds — Catherine McNulty (Indiana Tech) vs Dymond Guilford (Cumberlands)
There's a reason Dymond Guilford is ranked #1 in the FloWrestling pound-for-pound rankings. This is one reason why.
101 pounds — Esthela Trevino (Southern Oregon) vs Kayla Mckinley-Johnson (Menlo)
This fall by Trevino during the semifinals set the tone for the team as it defeated Menlo, 25-18.
