One of the most entertaining events in women’s college wresting — the NAIA National Invite — is going down Friday and Saturday in Jamestown, North Dakota. This is the fourth year of the event, the NAIA has only crowned two team champions thus far, as Menlo won the inaugural event in 2019, 2020 was canceled due to Covid, and Campbellsville won it last year.

This year promises to be full of drama and must-see matchups as there’s a new sheriff in town — Life University, a program that won its first NWCA National Duals title over Campbellsville in January. When the two programs met in Kentucky, it was 25-19 Life with the dual coming down to the last match. They wrestled again in early February, and it was more of the same, the match coming down to the end, with Life winning it 24-23. That being said, it was Campbellsville that had the upper hand at the Mid-South Conference Championships, outpacing Life 142.5 to 122.5 with a talented roster that earned lots of bonus points.

The stage is set for the NAIA National Invite this weekend.

“We’ve had a season that has been defined by how we overcome adversity,” Life head coach Ashley Flavin (formerly Sword) said. “This weekend will be no different. The day after entries were due, Briana Kellin had a season-ending injury. There are no alternates and so we enter the tournament with 11 athletes instead of 12.”

Even with all that recent history, it might not be Life or Campbellsville that ends up on top. The most recent NAIA Coaches Poll has neither Life nor Campbellsville on top, but Grand View in the #1 spot, and Menlo at #2. Needless to say, there’s traffic at the top. The team race will come down to how the scorers perform in swing matches and in swing weights, especially when these teams meet head-to-head. Underperforming or overperforming a seed can be the difference between a team coming home with a title or second or third place.

“This is not the first time we’ve entered a tournament considered underdogs and down an athlete,” Flavin said. “But this team performs best when the deck is stacked against them. Our focus for the weekend is the same it has been all year, work hard and love harder, because love drives out fear.”

Here are top 8 teams* right now.

1. Grand View (174)

2. Menlo College (165)

3. Life University (163)

4. Campbellsville University (162)

5. Texas Wesleyan (155)

6. Southern Oregon University (154)

7. University of the Cumberlands (105)

8. Wayland Baptist University (93)

* Rankings used in this article are the most recent available on the NAIA website, published on February 10.

In a demonstration of the NAIA parity, only 101 and 155 have the returning champ as the top seed. Keep in mind, Menlo wasn’t there last year and will bring a strong lineup. In fact, it brings two of the only undefeated top-ranked wrestlers to the tournament — 116-pound Alleida Martinez and 191-pound Tavi Heidelberg. Life’s #1 Peyton Prussin is also undefeated at 109.

Here’s a quick peek at each weight and what to watch for:

101 pounds

Returning national champ Nina Pham is the one to beat here, coming into the tournament as the savvy veteran with a long resume of accomplishments. Mid-South Conference champion Katalina Bartelt took some losses at 109, but seems to have optimized at 101, making her a legit national contender, though Pham seems to be in a tier all her own. Pham’s only NAIA loss this year is to Peyton Prussin, 8-6 at the Missouri Valley Open. The University of Providence’s returning finalist Ivy Navarro, currently ranked #1 before Pham dropped to this weight, is aiming for the top spot as well, only taking losses this year to NCAA/NCWWC champ Olivia Shore — a memorable last-second loss in the finals of the MoVal — and Emma Baertlein at the Cascade Conference Championships. It was her sister Ira, however, who had the hot hand at the Cascade, winning it all and earning the MOW award. She was ranked #11 in the last NAIA ranking. KCAC Conference Champ Esther Walker, ranked #2, is also compelling. Looking for some dark horses? Keep an eye on Heart of America Conference champ Emma Cochran from Grand View and seventh-ranked Emma Baertlein from Southern Oregon. Both have proven they can win big matches.

Current Top 10

1. Ivy Navarro (Providence)

2. Esther Walker (Midland)

3. Katalina Bartelt (Life)

4. Madison Brown (Texas Wesleyan)

5. Alaina Sunlin (Iowa Wesleyan)

6. Emma Cochran (Grand View)

7. Emma Bartalein (Southern Oregon) 

8.Elisabeth Dosado (Cumberlands)

9. Sydney Kutzke (Indiana Tech)

10. Ana Bradshaw (Missouri Baptist)

109 pounds

Three big names pop when you look at the entries here — returning national champ Peyton Prussin (Life), Asia Ray (Wayland Baptist), and Iowa Wesleyan star freshman Mia Palumbo. Surely everyone is eager to see what one-time high school phenom Palumbo can do at Nationals. She’s coming off a Heart of America Conference title and seems ready to compete at this level. Prussin has been a headline in the NAIA for several years now and is the clear favorite, though Asia Ray has the tools to beat anyone —a two-time national champion, having won the WCWA and NAIA titles in 2019. Meanwhile, this weight is full of names that could make deep runs. In fact, it’s so deep that some very good wrestlers will not make the podium. Watch out for Texas Wesleyan’s #4 Jasmine Godinez, Missouri Baptist’s #10 Jessica Corredor, and Brewton-Parker’s #11 Alyssa Valdivia. Darkhorse? Pay attention to Campbellsville’s previously unranked Kelsey Bilz, Southern Oregon’s Cascade Conference champ Macie Stewart, and Life’s #12 ranked Kory Phillips.

Current Top 10

1. Peyton Prussin (Life)

2. Asia Ray (Wayland Baptist)

3. Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist) – dropped to 101

4. Jasmine Godinez (Texas Wesleyan)

5. Mia Palumbo (Iowa Wesleyan)

6. Tehani Soares (Indiana Tech)

7. Barbara Greenberg (Menlo)

8. Valerie Ornelas (Southern Oregon)

9. Chloe Krebsbach (Grand View)

10. Jessica Corredor (Missouri Baptist)

116 pounds

The top 10 in this weight is strong, but the top four are really strong, as #1 Alleida Martinez, #2 McKayla Campbell, #3 Salyna Shotwell, and #4 Camille Fournier are all contenders for the national title. Campbell is the returning champ, though Alleida Martinez would have to be the favorite here, a two-time national champion with big-match experience. If you’re looking for a darkhorse, the University of Providence #6-ranked Ashley Gooman is for real.

Current Top 10

1. Alleida Martinez (Menlo)

2. McKayla Campbell (Campbellsville)

3. Salyna Shotwell (Life)

4. Camille Fournier (Texas Wesleyan)

5. Tara Othman (Southern Oregon), Ashley Gooman (Providence)

7. Ashley Tobe (Grand View)

8. Alexis Medina (Cumberlands), Arianna Marrufo (Jamestown)

10. Carolina Johnson (Southern Oregon)

123 pounds

A deep weight with several legit contenders. Lyon’s Jasmine Hernandez will try to go back to back, but has Baker’s Nichole Moore in the way. Hernandez has only had four matches this season. Top-ranked Moore, the Heart of American Conference champion comes into this weekend with a 34-3 record. Her only losses are to Colorado Mesa’s Marissa Gallegos, King’s Cheyenne Sisenstein, and North Central’s Amani Jones, all NCAA All-Americans. She didn’t take a loss to an NAIA opponent this season and had numerous wins over ranked opponents, including Life star freshman Salyna Shotwell. Campbellsville sophomore #3 Leila Castro is also compelling, bringing a 12-0 record into the weekend. Campbellsville is sending two qualifiers at this weight, with last year’s fourth-place finisher Jackie Ghent also in the mix. There’s a string of names worthy of mentioning — #2 Carolina Moreno (SOU), #4 Alana Vivas (Menlo), All-American Macy Higa (SOU), returning All-American Sophia Smith (OKC), #5 Ashley Whetzal (Lyon), returning All-American Josie Bartishofski (Jamestown), #7 Devin Patton (Texas Wesleyan) and so many more. This weight is deep, deep, deep. You could make a case for any one of the 16 to make the top 5. It’s not often there’s a group like this. Parity, anyone? For a darkhorse, watch Grand View’s Adrienna Turner.

Current Top 10

1. Nichole Moore (Baker)

2. Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon)

3. Leila Castro (Campbellsville)

4. Alana Vivas (Menlo)

5. Ashley Whetzal (Lyon)

6. Adrienna Turner (Grand View)

7. Devin Patton (Texas Wesleyan)

8. Jacqueline Ghent (Campbellsville)

9. Rebekah Cordova (Wayland Baptist)

10. Karoline Ortiz (Missouri Baptist)

130 pounds

Top-ranked Nanea Estrella of Menlo, the 2020 Junior national champion, will seek her first college national title in her first opportunity, with #2 ranked Lexi Basham of Texas Wesleyan ready and willing to take it away from her. Estrella has had limited matches this season, only 8-1 heading into the weekend, earning a Cascade Conference title, while Basham boasts a 33-2 record. Meanwhile, third-ranked Andrea Schlabach from Grand View is 22-5, the returning third-place finisher from last year and Heart of America Conference champ this year. Life’s Julia Vidallon is up a weight from last season, ranked #4, a finalist last year at 123. Look for a possible Cinderella in Mid-South Conference runner-up Katlyn Pizzo from Campbellsville or Wayland’s #6 Deanna Prince, the runner-up to Lexi Basham at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships.

Current Top 10

1. Nanea Estrella (Menlo)

2. Lexi Basham (Texas Wesleyan)

3. Andrea Schlabach (Grand View)

4. Angela Vitiritti (Campbellsville)

5. Julia Vidallon (Life)

6. De’anna Prince (Wayland Baptist)

7. Cindy Zepeda (Menlo)

8. Katlyn Pizzo (Campbellsville)

9. Joanna Vanderwood (Iowa Wesleyan)

10. Isabella Gonzalez (Grand View)

136 pounds

Adaugo Nwachukwu (N-wah-chook-woo perhaps) comes in ranked #1 by virtue of a win over 2019 WCWA champ Gracie Figueroa, a fall at the York College Women’s Open in January. She also had a win over Texas Wesleyan talent Mea Mohler this season and brings a 17-1 to Jamestown. Mohler is a scratch this year, unfortunately. It’s hard to see anyone beating Nwachukwu with a resume like she has this year, so the freshman from California has wrestled her way into being the unlikely favorite going into the weekend. It appears top-ranked Aliyah Yates might be a scratch as well, as she was not entered at the time of this article. Second-ranked Jordan Suarez, the returning fifth-place finisher, is always a tough out and will contend for the top, bringing her 18-4 record to North Dakota. Look for possible upsets and deep runs from #7 Randi Robison of Campbellsville, who took second last year and #9 Louisa Schwab of Menlo.

Current Top 10

1. Aliyah Yates (Cumberlands)

2. Jordan Suarez (Wayland Baptist)

3. Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan)

4. Mea Mohler (Texas Wesleyan)

5. Paige Respicio (Providence)

6. Emily Se (Southern Oregon)

7. Randi Robison (Campbellsville)

8. Olivia Mottley (Life)

9. Louisa Schwab (Menlo)

10. Maci Avila (Midland)

143 pounds

Second-ranked Emma Walker is wrestling at a high level right now, bringing a 20-2 record into the NAIA Invite, and she’ll battle it out with #1 Destiny Lyng, who is 22-2 on the season, #3 Alexis Gomez (17-3), and #5 Madison Diaz (21-7). Walker has wins over Lyng and Gomez this year and though she might be the slight favorite coming into the weekend, it’s not by much as both her wins were close. Her only two losses were to top NCAA women. Darkhorse? Let’s go with #7 ranked Samantha Snow, who took fourth at this event last season.

Current Top 10

1. Destiny Lyng (Oklahoma City)

2. Emma Walker (Campbellsville)

3. Alexis Gomez (Grand View)

4. Gracie Figueroa (Menlo) – Dropping to 136

5. Madison Diaz (Grand View)

6. Heather Achterberg (Missouri Baptist)

7. Samantha Snow (Indiana Tech)

8. Carley Anderson (Indiana Tech), Maryellen Lafferty (Texas Wesleyan)

10. Kaydince Turner (Hastings)

155 pounds

SOU’s Sienna Ramirez will defend her national title this weekend, but she’ll have to deal with a new opponent that wasn’t in the field last season—#2 Kenya Sloan is back. Sloan took a loss to NCAA runner-up Kayla Marano at the Bearcat Open, but otherwise has looked good in her return to the mat after a long recovery from an injury. If she’s even close to her old form, you’d think she’d give Ramirez all she could handle and be a legitimate threat for a national title. Meanwhile, #3 India Page seems to be getting better and better. Keep an eye on #9 Kaylynn Albrecht from Baker, who dropped back down to 155 this season, and seems to have found her optimized weight, going an impressive 27-4 on the season. One of Albrecht’s losses was to #4 Destinee Rivera from Life, so watch out for her as well. Tenth-ranked Kendra Thompson put together a fantastic tournament last year, finishing third, and is capable of doing it again.

Current Top 10

1. Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon)

2. Kenya Sloan (Campbellsville)

3. India Page (Brewton-Parker)

4. Destinee Rivera (Life)

5. Tiyahna Askew (Missouri Baptist)

6. Dempsi Talkington (Eastern Oregon)

7. Alexis Lopez (Grand View)

8. Leilani Hernandez (Texas Wesleyan)

9. Kaylynn Albrecht (Baker)

10. Kendra Thompson (Campbellsville)

170 pounds

This weight will be one to watch! The seedings will be — how shall we say it — strange? Returning national champion Jordan Nelson took two losses early in the season at the Missouri Valley Open, one to currently #1 ranked Abby McIntyre 8-7 and one to freshman Ashley Lekas from Texas Wesleyan 6-4, and then she took one more loss later in the season to King freshman hammer Cheyenne Bowman 1-0. Nelson seemed to get stronger as she got deeper into the season (not unlike last season), including an impressive win over Dymond Guilford 8-2 in the finals of the Mid-South Conference Championships. After winning a WCWA title for Missouri Baptist in 2019, Guilford decided to forego her final year of eligibility and compete at the Senior level, where she’s been a star for the last few years, winning Senior Nationals in 2021 and currently ranked #2 at 76 kg. She has since returned to college wrestling for Cumberlands. Meanwhile, #4 Brittyn Corbishley has taken multiple losses to Sierra Talmadge, and Corbishley has a win over Bowman, a common opponent with Nelson. McIntyre is 14-2, her only losses to two-time NCAA runner-up Joye Levendusky and Grand View’s All-American Hunter Robinson. OK, so what’s the result of all this? Good chance Nelson will be seeded as low as #4 and Guilford could drop as low as #6 — a wild scenario for a wrestler ranked #2 in Senior rankings! Shall we call her a darkhorse? (Insert laughing emoji here.) Don’t miss this weight! Will be fun to see what happens.

Current Top 10

1. Abby McIntyre (Grand View)

2. Dymond Guilford (Cumberlands), Sierra Talmadge (Jamestown)

4. Brittyn Corbishley (Texas Wesleyan)

5. Jordan Nelson (Life)

6. Olivia Robinson (Eastern Oregon)

7. Elisa Robinson (Baker)

8. Chamira Cooper (Cumberlands)

9. Ilaisaane Latu (Hastings)

10. Dennis Bailey (Southern Oregon)

191 pounds

Yes, top-ranked Tavi Heidelberg is seeking her first national title, but she’s been awful close before. A transfer to Menlo from powerhouse NCAA program King, she made the national finals each of the last two years, and in both of those years, lost to now three-time national champion Sydnee Kimber of McKendree. With Kimber out of the way, can she win a title this year? So far, no one in the NAIA has been able to beat her as she brings an 8-0 record into Jamestown. She’s co-#1 with Lyon’s Kelani Corbett who took 3rd last season. Meanwhile, Cumberlands’ Jesse Kirby has put together a solid season with a 30-5 record, including wins over #5 Hamilton, #6 Vergara, #7 Sandoval, #9 Palmeri, and NCAA third-place finisher Jayleen Sekona of Colorado Mesa. But don’t forget about the star of NWCA Duals, Life’s #5 Gabby Hamilton. She’s a proven gamer. If you want a possible Cinderella, look no further than #10 Kelly LaCost from Jamestown. She’s 16-4 on the season and will be on her home court, so to speak.

Current Top 10

1. Tavi Heidelberg-Tillotson (Menlo), Kelani Corbett (Lyon)

3. Karrah Smith (Southern Oregon)

4. Jesse Kirby (Cumberlands)

5. Gabrielle Hamilton (Life)

6. Liliana Vergara (Campbellsville)

7. Emily Sandoval (Menlo)

8. Natalia Villegas (Grand View)

9. Catherine Palmieri (Life)

10. Kelly LaCost (Jamestown)