Des Moines--The William Penn women's wrestling team closed out its dual season with a monumental 25-19 win over No. 2 Grand View in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Tuesday.
No. 3 WPU (6-5, 3-1 Heart) claimed victory in seven of the nine contested bouts as it earned its first-ever win in the head-to-head series (1-4 all-time). The match was aired live on Iowa PBS, the first time ever that the network has broadcasted a women's wrestling dual meet.
In the highly-anticipated dual, at least one ranked wrestler or defending national champion was featured in all 10 matches with both individuals being ranked in five of the bouts. Three top-ranked wrestlers--two from William Penn--stepped onto the mat Tuesday.
In the tightest battle of the evening, 103-pounder Lily Zapata (Fr., Lewisville, Texas, Sociology), ranked 14th in the NAIA, sprinted out to a 7-1 lead over No. 5 Judy Sandoval, headlined by a four-point move. The bout tightened up and eventually ended in an 11-11 tie, but Zapata won via criteria due to her four-point moves (two of them).
GVU (7-2, 3-1 Heart) took a short-lived lead with a forfeit at 110, while No. 1 Christianah Ogunsanya (Fr., Akure, Nigeria, Kinesiology) put the navy and gold back on top as she pinned Mayangelie Colon in a time of 1:38 at 117 pounds.
124-pounder Joanna Vanderwood (Sr., Graham, Wash., Nursing), who is No. 4 in the country, got past No. 13 Catharine Campbell by a 9-3 decision, but the Vikings recaptured the edge with a pin at 131 pounds to lead 12-11 at the break.
Fortunately, the Grand View lead again did not last long as 138-pounder No. 5 Kendall Bostelman (Jr., Napoleon, Ohio, Exercise Science) dropped Adrienna Turner by a 12-1 technical fall as the Statesmen led 15-13.
Esther Kolawole (Fr., Akure, Nigeria, Kinesiology), the top-ranked wrestler at 138 pounds, then moved up to 145 and crushed No. 6 Krista Warren by a 10-0 technical fall.
Caitlyn Davis (Jr., Hilton Head, S.C., Business Management) started slowly in her 160-pound matchup with Emmalee Spurgeon, but rallied with a strong second period and won 8-6.
No. 9 America Lopez (So., Val Verde, Calif., Psychology) locked up WPU's team victory as she won 10-4 over Yarissa Gallo at 180 pounds.
"Tonight's win has a lot of significance all around for the program," Head Coach Jake Kadel said. "It was the first time ever a women's dual has been broadcasted on Iowa PBS. Not only did our girls pull off an upset tonight, but they did so in an enemy arena which is pretty hard to do. Hats off to Lily Zapata for getting us rocking with a big win and setting the pace for the dual. Overall, I am super proud that our girls' hard work is paying off leading up to the postseason."
Next Up: William Penn travels to Baldwin City, Kan. Saturday to compete in the Baker Jimmy May Open at 9 a.m.
103--Lily Zapata (W) won by criteria over Judy Sandoval, 11-11 (3-1) (GVU earned one team point for scoring in the match)
110--Tristan Nitta (G) won by forfeit (3-6)
117--Christianah Ogunsanya (W) won by fall over Mayangelie Colon, 1:38 (8-6)
124--Joanna Vanderwood (W) won by decision over Catharine Campbell, 9-3 (11-7) (GVU earned one team point for scoring in the match)
131--Maya Davis (G) won by fall over Devin Patton, 2:26 (11-12)
138--Kendall Bostelman (W) won by technical fall over Adrienna Turner, 12-1 (15-13) (GVU earned one team point for scoring in the match)
145--Esther Kolawole (W) won by technical fall over Krista Warren, 10-0 (19-13)
160--Caitlyn Davis (W) won by decision over Emmalee Spurgeon, 8-6 (22-14) (GVU earned one team point for scoring in the match)
180--America Lopez (W) won by decision over Yarissa Gallo, 10-4 (25-15) (GVU earned one team point for scoring in the match)
207--Olivia Brown (G) won by technical fall over Phoebe Burt, 10-0 (25-19)
