Grand Valley State, McKendree each get two champions at loaded Missouri Valley Women’s Open

MARSHALL, Mo. – NCAA No. 4 Grand Valley State and NCAA No. 5 McKendree were the only college programs to come home from the rugged Missouri Valley Women’s Open on Saturday with two individual champions.

Grand Valley State’s individual champions were Sage Mortimer (110) and freshman Sabrina Nauss (180).  Mortimer, ranked No. 2 in the NCAA, pinned NCAA No. 1 and returning NCWWC champion Ava Bayless in 2:41. Mortimer is coming off a 2024 U23 World title for Team USA. Nauss, who won numerous Fargo titles while in high school, kicked off her college career with an 8-4 win over NCAA No. 8 Naomi Simon of Iowa.  

McKendree’s champions were Shelby Moore (124) and Alexandra Szkotnicki (131), both who are currently ranked No. 3 in their weight class by the NCAA. Moore scored a 6-1 decision over high school No. 7 Sierra Chiesa of Pennsylvania. Szkotnicki earned a 4-1 win over high school No. 1 Bella Williams of Oklahoma.

One of the three unattached champions is a student at McKendree, Destiny Rodriguez, who scored an 11-0 technical fall in the 160-pound finals over NCAA No. 7 Gretchen Donally of Colorado Mesa.

The event maintained its reputation as one of the toughest college opens in the nation. There were 28 nationally ranked teams from the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA and USports in Canada, as well as a variety of athletes from the Open level, college clubs and high school individuals.

NCAA No. 1 Iowa had an individual champion, Brianna Gonzalez at 117 pounds. In a battle of stars, NCAA No. 1 Gonzalez beat NAIA No. 1 Camille Fournier of Texas Wesleyan in a 10-0 technical fall. Gonzalez was the only athlete to repeat as a Missouri Valley Women’s Open champion. Iowa had three runners-up and 11 placewinners in the event, which did not keep team scores.

Two other unattached champions were Xochitl Mota-Pettis of Texas (138) and Valerie Hamilton of Illinois (145). Mota-Pettis, a past Senior National Team member and U.S. Open champion, defeated NAIA No. 4 Kendall Bostelman of William Penn in the finals. Hamilton, a multiple-age group national champion who graduated high school in 2024 but did not yet enroll in college, stopped NCAA #10 Rebecca Strong of Lindenwood with a pin in 1:52.

Host Missouri Valley, which is ranked No. 9 in the NAIA, had an individual champion with Kelani Corbett at 207 pounds. Corbett, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, stopped NCAA #3 Sara Lake of Lindenwood, 7-0.

One of the most impressive wins came at 103 pounds, where Ohio high school star Makennah Craft scored a 10-0 technical fall over NCAA #1 Rianne Murphy of Iowa. Craft is ranked #5 nationally in high school at 100 pounds and was a 2022 Junior Nationals finalist.

Karla Padilla of the University of Cumberlands won the title at 235 pounds on Friday night, beating Campbellsville’s Brianna Staebler by pin in 2:01. The 235 weight class is not contested at either the NCAA or NAIA Nationals, but is often included in college open tournaments.

MISSOURI VALLEY WOMEN’S OPEN

At Marshall, Mo., November 22-23

(with current national ranking)

103

1st Place Match – HS #5 Makennah Craft (Unattached OH) won by tech fall over NCAA #1 Rianne Murphy (Iowa) (TF 10-0)

3rd Place Match – NCAA #10 Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree University) won by fall over NCAA #3 Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State) (Fall 2:51)

5th Place Match – NJCAA #1 Calli Connally (Carl Albert) won by tech fall over Vivian Mariscal (Central Methodist University) (TF 14-4)

7th Place Match - Alexis Miller (Unattached OK) won by decision over Malarie Dominguez (Wayland Baptist University) (Dec 4-0)

110

1st Place Match – NCAA #2 Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) won by fall over NCAA #1 Ava Bayless (Iowa) (Fall 2:51)

3rd Place Match – NCAA #5 Emilie Gonzalez (Iowa) won by decision over NAIA #5 Avery Ashley (Oklahoma City University) (Dec 5-4)

5th Place Match - Sophia Cornish (Colorado Mesa) won by tech fall over Dinayah Vazquez (Emmanuel University) (TF 12-1)

7th Place Match – NCAA #9 Samantha Miller (McKendree University) won by fall over NAIA #12 Hailey Holland (Missouri Valley College) (Fall 2:57)

117

1st Place Match – NCAA #1 Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) won by tech fall over NAIA #1 Camille Fournier (Texas Wesleyan) (TF 10-0)

3rd Place Match – NAIA #3 Zao Estrada (William Penn University) won by tech fall over NCAA #4 Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel University) (TF 10-0)

5th Place Match – NCAA #6 Caitlyn Jackson (Lindenwood University) won by fall over NAIA #6 Flavia Nagatani (GVWC) (Fall 1:30)

7th Place Match - Marjorie McDaniel (Colorado Mesa) won by fall over Ava Rose (Iowa) (Fall 1:44)

124

1st Place Match – NCAA #3 Shelby Moore (McKendree University) won by decision over HS #7 Sierra Chiesa (Unattached PA) (Dec 6-1)

3rd Place Match – NCAA #4 Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) won by decision over NAIA #3 Joanna Vanderwood (William Penn University) (Dec 6-1)

5th Place Match - Lexie Lopez (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Cali Leng (Iowa) (Dec 7-3)

7th Place Match - Alexandra Fitzgerald (Sacred Heart) won by tech fall over Kamilah Brooks (Lindsey Wilson) (TF 10-0)

131

1st Place Match – NCAA #3 Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree University) won by decision over HS #1 Bella Williams (Unattached OK) (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match - Cayden Condit (Lindenwood University) won by fall over NAIA #5 Ashley Whetzal (Missouri Valley College) (Fall 1:35)

5th Place Match – NCAA #8 Emily Frost (Iowa) won by fall over Shelby Kemp (William Jewell College) (Fall 0:59)

7th Place Match - Karlee Brooks (Iowa) won by fall over NAIA #18 Cameron Ortiz (Campbellsville University) (Fall 3:48)

138

1st Place Match - Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Unattached TX) won by tech fall over NAIA #4 Kendall Bostelman (William Penn University) (TF 15-4)

3rd Place Match - Nichole Moore (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Madeline Barton (Quincy) (TF 10-0)

5th Place Match – NAIA #9 Samantha Barragan (Texas Wesleyan) won by decision over Kori Campbell (Lindsey Wilson) (Dec 7-0)

7th Place Match - Viktorya Torres (McKendree University) won by tech fall over Gianna Anaya (Emmanuel University) (TF 12-1)

145

1st Place Match - Valerie Hamilton (Unattached IL) won by fall over NCAA #10 Rebecca Strong (Lindenwood University) (Fall 1:52)

3rd Place Match - Aleah Nickel (Unattched CA) won by decision over NCAA #8 Elleni Johnson (Grand Valley State) (Dec 6-4)

5th Place Match – NAIA #2 Emma Walker (Campbellsville University) won by forfeit over NAIA #14 Josselinne Campos (Lindsey Wilson) (FF)

7th Place Match - Kaiulani Garcia (Oklahoma State University) won by fall over Maegan Flaherty (Texas Women`s University) (Fall 0:44)

160

1st Place Match - Destiny Rodriguez (Unattached McKendree University) won by tech fall over NCAA #7 Gretchen Donally (Colorado Mesa) (TF 10-0)

3rd Place Match – NAIA #10 Micah Fisher (Unattached Cumberlands) won by fall over NAIA #12 Darby Weidl (Ottawa University) (Fall 2:17)

5th Place Match - Noelle Gaffney (Unattached Grand Valley State) won by fall over NAIA #13 Sierra Mefford (University of the Cumberlands) (Fall 2:27)

7th Place Match – NAIA #2 Josette Partney (Missouri Baptist University) won by decision over Athena Willden (William Jewell College) (Dec 6-4)

180

1st Place Match - Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) won by decision over NCAA #8 Naomi Simon (Iowa) (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match – USport #1 Vianne Rouleau (University of Alberta) won by forfeit over NAIA #6 India Page (Lindsey Wilson) (FF)

5th Place Match – NAIA #3 Liliana Vergara (Campbellsville University) won by decision over NAIA #8 Saiheron Preciado-Meza (University of the Cumberlands) (Dec 7-1)

7th Place Match – NCAA #3 Madison Sandquist (Sacred Heart) won by injury default over NAIA #7 Kaley Rice (Texas Wesleyan) (Inj. 0:00)

207

1st Place Match – NAIA #1 Kelani Corbett (Missouri Valley College) won by decision over NCAA #3 Sara Lake (Lindenwood University) (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match – NCAA #4 Jayleen Sekona (Colorado Mesa) won by fall over Alivia White (Iowa) (Fall 1:40)

5th Place Match – NCAA #7 Katja Osteen (Iowa) won by fall over NAIA #4 Hannah Jackson (Ottawa University) (Fall 1:02)

7th Place Match – NAIA #2 Maquoia Bernabe (University of the Cumberlands) won by decision over NAIA #5 Leilani Sanchez (Wayland Baptist University) (Dec 6-2)

235 pounds

1st Place Match - Karla Padilla (University of the Cumberlands) won by fall over Brianna Staebler (Campbellsville University) Fall 2:01

3rd Place Match – NAIA #17 Emmale Americano (Baker University) won by fall over Melissa De La Torre (Unattached Morningside) Fall 2:31

5th Place Match - Makenna Fetters (Hawkeye Community College) won by fall over Phoebe Burt (William Penn University) Fall 1:25

7th Place Match - Isabella Allen (Iowa Central Community College) received a bye