The 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships are March 8-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The NCWWC currently includes NCAA programs from the Division I, II, and III levels. Athletes qualified for the 2024 NCWWC through six Regional Qualifiers.

Click here for brackets and read below for instant reactions to the brackets and the draws.

Top-seeded wrestlers are Emilie Gonzalez of Iowa (101), Kendra Ryan of North Central (109), Samara Chavez of King (116), Shelby Moore of McKendree (123), Victoria Baez-Dillone of King (130), Yele Aycock of North Central (136), Alara Boyd of North Central (143), Marlynne Deede of Iowa (155), Kylie Welker of Iowa (170) and Traeh Haynes of North Central (191).

Use the FloWrestling watch guide to learn more about the championships and to follow along live.

Iowa, King, McKendree, and North Central are in a four-way team race, so seeding and head-to-head match-ups will determine this year’s winner. 

Tournament Format

The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships will have 24 wrestlers per bracket compared to 20 last year. 

Each team can qualify up to 15 wrestlers, but only one at each weight can score. If a team has two wrestlers in the finals (it has happened before) then only the champion will score. However, this can prevent another team from earning placement points. 

Bonus points cannot be scored if two wrestlers from the same team face each other. This prevents a coach from fixing matches to get additional team points. Below is a breakdown of how tournament scoring works.

Reminder: women's college wrestling uses freestyle rules so there are no major decisions.

Championship advancement: 1
Consolation advancement: 0.5
Technical superiority: 1.5
Fall: 2

Placement points
First: 16
Second: 12
Third: 10
Fourth: 9
Fifth: 7
Sixth: 6
Seventh: 4
Eighth: 3

101: Iowa’s Emilie Gonzalez is the top seed and her teammate, Sterling Dias, is seeded second. These two have gone back and forth all season with Gonzalez securing a convincing win over Dias during the regional finals. Maddie Avila of North Central is seeded third after winning the 2023 NCWWC 101-pound title. Dias and Avila would meet in the semifinals if the seeds hold, but Dias is the favorite following an 11-0 tech over Avila in the National Duals finals. Avery Kibelbeck and Jessica Corredor of King are on opposite sides of the bracket.

109: North Central’s Kendra Ryan and Iowa’s Ava Bayless are seeded first and second, respectively. These two did not meet during the college season but Ryan earned a 12-1 tech over Bayless at the 2023 US Nationals in December. 

Jaslynn Gallegos (North Central) moved down to 109 pounds after winning the 116-pound title last year. She is seeded third and could meet Bayless in the semifinals if the seeds hold. Bayless defeated Gallegos, 5-5, at the National Duals, which ultimately led to Iowa’s 21-20 win over North Central at the National Duals. 

Ryan is seeded first but she has the tougher side of the bracket. Mount Olive’s Samantha Miller is a three-time All-American who had a good regional tournament, Jenavi Alejandro of Tiffin reached the 101-pound finals last year, McKendree’s Pauline Granados was a 2020 NCWWC champion, and Lock Haven All-American Kaelani Shufledt pushed Ryan at U.S. Nationals.

Results from this bracket will go a long way in determining the team champion.

116: Samara Chavez enters as the top seed following a consistent and dominant season so far. She dropped down to 50 kg (110 pounds) for U.S. Nationals but looks to secure her first national title after finishing third and second each of the past two seasons. She held a big lead over Gallegos during last year’s finals before she was pinned. 

Chavez pinned North Central’s second-seeded Sydney Petzinger at the NWCA All-Star Classic, but that was an exhibition so the result won’t show on either’s record. Two wrestlers from Iowa are entered: third-seeded Brianna Gonzalez and fourth-seeded Felicity Taylor. Taylor, a three-time NCWWC finalist and 2021 champion for McKendree, dropped to 116 from 123 late in the season. McKendree’s Julia Vidallon, a 2020 WCWA champion for Life, is in the same quad as Petzinger.

123: Freshman Shelby Moore of McKendree has been the class of the field since January. She lost to Iowa’s Felicity Taylor at the Missouri Valley Open but has a win over second-seeded Amani Jones of North Central at the National Duals. Montana DeLawder and Virginia Foard of King are seeded third and fourth, respectively, which places them on opposite sides of the bracket. These two have gone back and forth all season with DeLawder winning the most recent match. 

Foard has a bye in the first round and will meet the winner of the Ava Rose (Iowa) and Hannah Suboni-Kaufman (Augustana) match. 

130: This is Cam Guerin’s time to shine. The McKendree star has won the past three NCWWC titles despite losses during the season. She is seeded second opposite of top seed Victoria Baez Dilone, who defeated Guerin 2-2 at the National Duals. 

Aurora’s Lexi Janiak, seeded third, is 2-2 against Guerin but the two have not met this season. Guerin defeated Janiak during last year’s finals and could meet in the semis.

Circle the bottom half of the top side of the bracket. McKendree’s Jennifer Soto is seeded fourth and will receive a bye. She will face the winner of the Emily Frost (Iowa) and Sara Sterner (North Central) match. This first-round bout could go a long way in determining a team title. 

136: This is anyone’s weight. North Central’s Yele Aycock, a 2023 national finalist, is seeded first but she did not receive a favorable draw. She has McKendree’s Estella Gutches and Iowa’s Lilly Luft in her quad, both of whom she had tight matches with at the National Duals. 

King’s Claire DiGugno is seeded second, Simon Fraser’s Jade Trolland is seeded third, Lock Haven’s Grace Stem is seeded fourth, and Colorado Mesa’s Holly Beaudoin is seeded fifth. Trolland and Beaudoin could meet in the quarterfinals after facing each other three times during the season. 

143: This bracket has the most intrigue. 

North Central’s Alara Boyd is seeded first and used her COVID year after four seasons at McKendree. She is a three-time NCWWC finalist and 2021 champion.

Third-seeded Emma Bruntil, a 2023 Senior World teamer, won titles for McKendree in 2020 and 2021. She was a college teammate with Boyd and returned to competition following a three-season layoff. Bruntil publicly predicted that McKendree would win this year’s team title. 

Second-seeded Reese Larramendy of Iowa knocked off Bruntil during the regional finals but fell to Boyd at the National Duals. Her teammate, Ella Schmit, is seeded fifth.

Athena Willden of William Jewel is seeded fourth after securing a fall over Schmit at the regional. 

King’s Aine Drury is seeded sixth and has flown under the radar. She dominated regionals, which was her first her first college-eligible tournament of the season. She will be a factor at this weight.

Presbyterian’s Maddie Kubicki is seeded seventh after making a 2023 U20 World team.

Hold on to your hat. This will be a wild ride. 

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

155: Bella Mir (Iowa) and Tiera Jimerson (North Central) will face off in the first round but it might not have implications for team points. Marlynne Deede (Iowa) and London Houston (North Central) are the “starters” and are expected to be the point scorers based on seeds. Deede won the 2023 NCWWC tournament when she was at Augsburg and is on the opposite of Nina Makem, her former teammate, who is seeded third.

King’s Cheyenne Bowman reached the 2023 national finals at 170 pounds and is seeded second. Two-time national finalist Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa) is seeded fourth.

170: The biggest match of the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships is expected to happen in the finals. 

Top-seeded Kylie Welker (Iowa) has blitzed the competition and continues to make steady progress throughout the season. She is arguably the best college wrestler in the country.

Second-seeded Yelena Makoyed is the returning three-time NCWWC champion at this weight but fell to Welker at the National Duals, 11-3. 

Both are legitimate threats to make the 76 kg Olympic team, but Welker notched dominant wins during the last two outings over Makoyed. There’s a chance that the team title comes down to this match. The wrestling world wins if that happens. 

191: North Central has the top two seeds with Traeh Haynes first and Brittyn Corbishley second. Keep an eye on Sandra Guerrero (New Jersey City University) and Sara Lake (Lindenwood University). Both can make a deep run and win the tournament. Iowa’s Jaycee Foeller is seeded fifth.