Back-To-Back-To-Back

McKendree University didn’t enter the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships ranked first, but they ended the season as always — on top. The Bearcats have won every national championship since the NCAA programs hosted its own event in 2020. 

Head coach Sam Schmitz brought 15 wrestlers to the tournament and came away with two national champions, seven national finalists, and 12 All-Americans. Cam Guerin won her second 130-pound title and Sydnee Kimber won her third straight 191-pound crown with a fall over teammate Jaycee Foeller. 

“It means a lot to us,” Schmitz said. “Getting beat (at the National Duals to King) was a big deal. It was important to see if we could bounce back and recover and see what we’re made of. King is a very tough team and they have a lot of good kids but I don’t think we wrestled to our potential. I think we did a better job of that at the national tournament.

“It’s just really cool that we’ve put a stamp on being one of those programs that were dominant from the beginning. It’s cool to be part of history.”

Runner-up King University also had 12 All-Americans led by first-time champion Ashlynn Ortega at 143 pounds. 

Top 10 team scores
1. McKendree — 188
2. King — 166
3. Simon Fraser — 145.5
4. North Central — 128.0
5. Colorado Mesa — 89.0
6. Augsburg — 82.0
7. Tiffin — 75.5
8. Adrian — 42.5
T9. Emmanuel — 38.5
T9. Gannon — 38.5

10 Champions Crowned

McKendree won the team title but Simon Fraser brought home three individual titles — the most of any team. Karla Godinez-Gonzalez (116) and Alexandra Hendrick (123) won their second titles while Alyvia Fiske picked up her first. 

Augsburg’s Emily Shilson remains undefeated for her college career and is now a four-time college national champion. She won a WCWA championship in 2020 during the final year of the event and has won three straight NCWWC titles (2020-22). Yelena Makoyed of North Central won her second straight 170-pound title after reaching the finals three straight years. 

Individual Champions
101: Olivia Shore (Tiffin)
109: Emily Shilson (Augsburg)
116: Karla Godinez-Gonzalez (Simon Fraser)
123: Alexandra Hedrick (Simon Fraser)
130: Cameron Guerin (McKendree)
136: Zoe Nowicki (Adrian)
143: Ashlynn Ortega (King)
155: Alyvia Fiske (Simon Fraser)
170: Yelena Makoyed (North Central)
191: Sydnee Kimber (McKendree)

Click here for full results

More Championship Fever

The NAIA National Championships will take place on March 11-12 in Jamestown, North Dakota. This is the third year of the tournament since the 2020 event was canceled due to the coronavirus. 

Top-ranked Campbellsville enters as the reigning team champions but will face a few new challenges this time around. Several teams — including powerhouse Menlo College — were absent in 2021 due to COVID restrictions. Campbellsville head coach Lee Miracle is well aware that this year’s tournament will be tougher. 

“Our preparation is not recent,” Miracle said. “We've been going through our process throughout the year. I rely on competitions to measure where we are and what we need — then we improve. 

“With COVID and the cancellation of events, it was a different look last year. It was helpful to have a room that could push each other and grow from that. We try to get better every practice. I feel like this team is very special and has done the work required to win a team national championship.”

2021 Team Results
1. Campbellsville — 185
2. Life — 134.5
3. Wayland Baptist — 100
4. Oklahoma City — 96.5
5. Southern Oregon — 94.5
6. Cumberlands — 89
7. Jamestown — 77
8. Grand View — 76.5
9. Baker — 72
10. Midland — 70

Top-ranked at each weight
101 – Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist)
109 – Peyton Prussin (Life)
116 – Alleida Martinez (Menlo)
123 – Nichole Moore (Baker)
130 – Nanea Estrella (Menlo)
136 – Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan)
143 – Emma Walker (Campbellsville)
155 – Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon)
170 – Abby McIntyre (Grand View)
191 – Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson (Menlo)

Jamestown Is Title Town

You’ll have to go through Jamestown if you want to win an NAIA championship. The town has just over 15,000 people and it has served as the only host for the event since its inception in 2019. 

The NAIA has always been at the forefront of adding women’s wrestling programs. Because of that, there have been more opportunities, historically, for women’s wrestling within the division. That’s why the level of wrestling between NCAA and NAIA programs is comparable. 

Jamestown coach Shauna Kemp has been at the forefront of the event, too. The former Lindenwood star was a four-time WCWA All-American and a 2012 national champion — so she has seen the sport evolve and grow over the past decade. 

Kemp is also proactive in promoting the event within the community. She visited all the elementary schools and talked to the kids about wrestling. They also provided free tickets to all students. 

“There are a lot of people on our committee who support the event but they also spread the word,” Kemp said. “And it’s on the radio station non-stop. We go out to all the businesses and have them put the event on the marquee. We really try to make sure the community is aware.

“I wish I was out there competing. I just love wrestling.”

EIWA Women’s Wrestling?

Women’s wrestling was front and center at the recent EIWA Championships held in Ithaca, New York, over the weekend. Four exhibition matches were held prior to the semifinals, which was the first time women’s wrestling was on display at the event. Hopefully, this is a sign of what’s to come.  

Results
116: Kaitlin Walker (Columbia) over Chloe Ayres (Princeton), 7-6
123: Destiny Garcia (Cornell) over Dorothea West (Drexel), Fall 1:29
145: Maya Letona (Columbia) over Annie Hua (Columbia), 14-3
191: Sarah Sams (MIT) over Giselle Kimball (Lehigh), 10-0

She said it

“If I had to sum up women’s wrestling in one word I would say ‘opportunity.’ There’s an opportunity to travel the world, an opportunity to have an affordable college experience. There is the opportunity to grow and develop not only as strong wrestlers but also as strong empowered women and future leaders. The opportunity to become the best possible version of yourself that you can be -- all from the skills, lessons, and values that one gains from wrestling.” — Tocarra Montgomery

Montgomery competed on the men’s wrestling team at East Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. She won a women’s national championship in 2004 during the first year the event was held and another title in 2006.