It’s one thing to make a prediction. It’s another to make that prediction a reality. 

Emma Bruntil called her shot, and she plans to deliver.

The McKendree star announced her return to college wrestling on social media following a two-season absence. She won NCWWC titles in 2020 and 2021 before entering the transfer portal on November 22, 2021. 

Bruntil is also predicting a team title for McKendree at the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on 8-9. She quoted her announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter) with the following message:

“Oh and while I’m at it, we’re gonna win the team title this year. You can quote me on it.”

Oh and while I’m at it, we’re gonna win the team title this year. You can quote me on it🤷🏼‍♀️ https://t.co/j3d77JV3gF

— Emma Bruntil (@Emmaaabruntil) November 17, 2023

This is an interesting development for women’s college wrestling with Iowa entering its first season of competition. The Hawkeyes haven’t been tested thus far and will likely face their first test of the season at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on January 5-6. 

McKendree has a powerful line-up but many of its superstars have not competed yet. National champions Bruntil, Cam Guerin, and Emily Shilson have not worn a Bearcat singlet this season, and there’s no indication of when that will happen. 

There’s no such thing as a lock, but Bruntil is the favorite if she competes at 143 or 155. She recently made the Senior World team at 68 kilograms and has had consistent success at the international level since she left college wrestling. 

McKendree won the first three National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (2020-22) under Sam Schmitz before Alexio Garcia took over the program last season when North Central won the title under Joe Norton. 

“I’m really excited to be back on the college scene,” Bruntil said. “I’ve already gotten a lot of questions about why I chose to come back, and there are a few reasons for it. I had surgery right after the World Championships, and I’ll be using the college season to help prep for the Olympic trials. 

“Besides that, I really want to help McKendree win another team title. I’ve been training with Coach Alexio and Cam Guerin since I was 15, and it would be really special to end my career by winning a team title alongside them. I’ve been a part of a national championship team every year I’ve been in college, and I don’t plan on stopping now.”

A few things to keep in mind as it relates to Bruntil’s prediction. Each team can qualify up to 15 wrestlers to the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships but only one wrestler per weight can score. 

That means if two wrestlers from the same team reach the finals, only the champion will score team points. However, this prevents a wrestler from another team from earning second-place team points and helps teams with a deep roster. 

Bonus points will not be tabulated in the team score if two wrestlers from the same team face each other. This guards against fixing matches for team points. 

A technical superiority is worth 1.5 team points and a fall is worth two. The team race could come down to the wire so every point will be valuable. It will be interesting to see if Bruntil — and her McKendree teammates — go for the fall or are content with a tech if it’s available. 

The brackets are 20 deep so Bruntil will likely have four matches to win the title. She would earn an additional two team points if she gets all falls instead of all techs. That could make the difference between a bold prediction and the team’s fourth title in five years. 

Iowa, King, and North Central will have their say about Bruntil’s prediction in March. 

How many women’s college national championships are there?

Below is a guide to the different national college women’s championships since 2004. 

WCWA — Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association
This organization was created in 2004 to provide women an opportunity to compete. It included all divisions and the end-of-the-year tournament was considered the college national championship. The final WCWA championship was held in 2020. 

NAIA — National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
An NAIA invitational was held in 2019, canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and resumed in 2021. The 2023 NAIA Championships were the first officially sanctioned women’s collegiate national championship. 

NCWWC — National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships
This division includes all NCAA programs (D1, D2, and D3), and the first national championship was held in 2020. NCAA women’s wrestling is currently an emerging sport.