Finals set at National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships: Iowa takes 13.5-point lead over North Central

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Returning champion and No. 1 ranked Iowa took a 13.5 point lead over No. 2 ranked North Central after the Saturday morning session at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships at Xtream Arena. The session included the semifinals, and all of the consolation matches, including the third, fifth and seventh place matches.

Iowa had 186.5 points, with North Central at 173 points. Rounding out the top five going into the finals are McKendree in third with 154.5 points, Grand Valley State in fourth with 120 points and King with 92.5 points.

All 15 Iowa wrestlers who qualified were able to earn All-American status. North Central has 12 All-Americans, and McKendree has nine All-Americans.

All three of the leading programs in the tournament placed four athletes into the finals, No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 North Central and No. 3 McKendree.

Iowa went 4-6 in the semifinals, advancing all of their powerful upper weight stars: No. 1 seed Macey Kilty (145), No. 1 seed Kennedy Blades (160), No. 1 seed Kylie Welker (180) and No. 1 seed Jaycee Foeller (207).

North Central advanced four of their seven semifinalists: No. 1 seed Amani Jones (124), No. 2 seed Sara Sterner (131), No. 3 seed Sydney Petzinger (117) and No. 3 seed Bella Mir (145).

McKendree also advanced four of their seven semifinalists: No. 2 seed Gabriele Tedesco (103), No. 2 seed Kaylynn Albrecht (160), No. 2 seed Tristan Kelly (207) and No. 3 seed Shelby Moore (124).

Blades, a 2024 Olympic silver medalist, hit some big moves in an 18-1 technical fall over No. 4 Tiffani Baublitz of East Stroudsburg. She will battle No. 2 seed Kaylynn Albrecht of McKendree in the finals. Blades is competing in her first NCWWC.

Kilty, a two-time Senior World medalist is also competing in her first NCWWC as a graduate student. Kilty scored a 10-0 technical fall in the semifinals over No. 4 seed and 2024 NCWWC runner-up Aine Drury of King. Kilty draws No. 3 seed Bella Mir of North Central in the finals. Mir, a transfer from Iowa, beat past teammate and 2024 NCWWC champion Reese Larramendy of Iowa, 6-3.

Welker, a returning NCWWC champion, defeated Iowa teammate Naomi Simon in the semifinals, 10-0. She draws Grand Valley State freshman No. 2 seed Sabrina Nauss in the finals, who won a wild 17-14 shootout in the semifinals over No. 3 Shenita Lawson of North Central, 17-14.

Just four returning or past NCWWC wrestlers were able to reach the finals: Jones, Welker, Olivia Shore of Otterbein (103) and Katerina Lange of Grand Valley State (138).

Jones, a two-time age-group World medalist for Team USA, stopped No. 5 seed Aspen Blasko of Grand Valley State, 9-4 in the semifinals, and draws tough sophomore No. 3 seed Shelby Moore of McKendree in the finals.

Shore dominated No. 1 seed Rianne Murphy of Iowa, 8-0 in her semifinals, and will battle No. 2 seed Gabriele Tedesco of McKendree in the finals. Shore was a 2022 NCWWC champion for Tiffin.

Lange scored a 10-0 technical fall over No. 4 Paige Wehrmeister of Presbyterian in the semifinals, and draws No. 3 seed Haylie Jaffe of McKendree, a freshman and past age-group World medalist for Team USA.

The finals at 110 pounds features former college teammates and regular rivals No. 1 Sage Mortimer of Grand Valley State and No. 3 Samara Chavez of King. Both competed at King, before Mortimer transferred to Grand Valley. Chavez knocked off 2024 NCWWC champion Ava Bayless of Iowa by pin in the semifinals in 4:21.

Other finals pairings are:

• No. 3 Sydney Petzinger (North Central College) vs. No. 4 Clare Booe (King University) at 117 pounds
• No. 1 seed Alexis Janiak of Aurora vs. No. 2 Sara Sterner of North Central at 131 pounds.
• No. 1 seed Jaycee Foeller of Iowa vs. No. seed Tristan Kelly of McKendree.

Foeller was an NCWWC runner-up last year. Janiak, a past age-group World medalist for Team USA, beat Sterner 9-6 in the third place match at the 2024 NCWWC.

The championship finals are set for 6:00 p.m. Central time, and will be broadcast live on FloWrestling.

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Coralville, Iowa

Finals pairings and medal round results

103

1^st - No. 2 Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree University) vs. No. 4 Olivia Shore (Otterbein)

3^rd – No. 1 Rianne Murphy (Iowa) pin No. 3 Sterling Dias (Iowa), 4:57

5^th – No. 7 Odelia Lopez (Schreiner) dec. No. 8 Avery Kibelbek (King), 6-4

7^th – No. 9 Madison Avila (North Central) dec. No. 12 Mia Zuniga (King), 12-4

110

1^st - No. 1 Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) vs. No. 3 Samara Chavez (King University)

3^rd – No. 4 Kendra Ryan (North Central College) dec No. 2 Ava Bayless (Iowa), 4-2

5^th -No. 5  Emilie Gonzalez (Iowa) dec. No. 12 Izabella Frezzo (New Jersey City), 8-2

7^th – unseeded Trinity Pendergrass (Quincy) med. forfeit No. 8 Dianna Holmes (King)

117

1^st - No. 3 Sydney Petzinger (North Central College) vs. No. 4 Clare Booe (King University)

3^rd – No. 2 Yu Sakamoto (Northern Michigan) tech fall No. 7 Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel University), 13-0

5^th – No. 1 Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) pin No. 5 Caitlyn Jackson (Lindenwood), 3:44

7^th – No. 8 Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell) pin No. 9 Shea Reisel (Dubuque), 0:42

124

1^st - No. 1 Amani Jones (North Central College) vs. No. 3 Shelby Moore (McKendree University)

3^rd – No. 8 Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa) dec.No. 2  Montana Delawder (King), 7-4

5^th – No. 5 Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) dec. No. 10 Alexandra Fitzgerald (Sacred Heart), 9-7

7^th – No. 4 Cali Leng (Iowa) tech. fall No. 6 Alyssa Mahan (Presbyterian), 10-0

131

1^st - No. 1 Alexis Janiak (Aurora) vs. No. 2 Sara Sterner (North Central College)

3^rd – No. 3 Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree University) pin No. 5 Viktorya Torres (McKendree University), 4:18

5^th – No. 9 Cayden Condit (Lindenwood) tech fall No. 6 Emmily Patnaude (Iowa), 10-0

7^th – No. 4 Jaclyn Dehey (New England College) pin unseeded Ragan Retell (Elmira), 3:34

138

1^st - No. 1 Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) vs. No. 3 Haylie Jaffe (McKendree University)

3^rd – No. 5 Nanea Estrella (Iowa) won by tech fall over No. 2 Carina Giangeruso (Presbyterian), 11-0

5^th – No. 7 Taylor Graveman (North Central College) dec. No. 4 Paige Wehrmeister (Presbyterian), 12-8

7^th – No. 9 Nina Makem (Augsburg) dec. unseeded Alissa Caltagirone (Northern Michigan), 14-10

145

1^st - No. 1 Macey Kilty (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Bella Mir (North Central College)

3^rd – No. 2 Reese Larramendy (Iowa) dec. No. 7  Zoey Lints (Elmira), 10-3

5^th – No. 4 Aine Drury (King University) dec. No. 5 Madeline Kubicki (Presbyterian), 1:23

7^th – No. 6 Savannah Gomez (McKendree) tech fall No. 8 Sydney Perry (North Central), 10-0

160

1^st - No. 1 Kennedy Blades (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Kaylynn Albrecht (McKendree University)

3^rd – No. 4 Tiffany Baublitz (East Stroudsburg) dec. No. 12 Nyla Burgess (Gannon), 9-0

5^th – No. 5 Elleni Johnson (Grand Valley State) pin No. 3 May Cuyler (Presbyterian), 4:04

7^th – No. 11 Alexandra Hofrichter (Dubuque) pin No. 6 Tiera Jimerson (North Central), 4:34

180

1^st - No. 1 Kylie Welker (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State)

3^rd – No. 4 Naomi Simon (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Shenita Lawson (North Central College), 9-0

5^th – No. 5 Brittyn Corbishley (North Central) pin No. 12 Azariah Moore (Lock Haven), 0:58

7^th – No. 6 Madison Sandquist (Sacred Heart) pin No. 9 Lydia Krauss (McKendree), 1:13

207

1^st - No. 1 Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Tristan Kelly (McKendree University)

3^rd – No. 3 Sara Lake (Lindenwood) dec. No. 7 Alyvia White (Iowa)

5^th – No. 4 Traeh Haynes (North Central) pin unseeded Maria Aiono (Presbyterian), 1:46

7^th – No. 11 Esther Peters (Chadron) tech fall unseeded Destiny Vaughans (Greensboro), 10-0

NCWWC Team Scores going into gold-medal finals

1            Iowa      186.5

2            North Central College        173.0

3            McKendree University      154.5

4            Grand Valley State             120.0

5            King University   92.5

6            Presbyterian         91.0

7            Lindenwood University     57.5

8            Colorado Mesa University               48.0

9            Sacred Heart        47.5

10          Elmira College    42.5

11           Emmanuel University        33.5

12          Otterbein              32.0

13          Gannon University             30.0

14          Northern Michigan University         29.5

15          Aurora   28.5

16          East Stroudsburg University            28.0

17          William Jewell College      26.5

18          Dubuque              25.5

19          Lock Haven University      21.5

20          Fort Hays State    21.0

Semifinal results

103

No. 4 Olivia Shore (Otterbein) dec. No. 1 Rianne Murphy (Iowa), 8-0

No. 2 Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree University) dec. No. 3 Sterling Dias (Iowa), 2-1

110

No. 1 Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) tech fall No. 4 Kendra Ryan (North Central College), 10-0

No. 3 Samara Chavez (King University) pin No. 2 Ava Bayless (Iowa), 4:21

117

No. 4 Clare Booe (King University) dec. No. 1 Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa), 3-2

No. 3 Sydney Petzinger (North Central College) dec. No. 7 Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel University), 10-1

124

No. 1 Amani Jones (North Central College) dec. No. 5 Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State), 9-4

No. 3 Shelby Moore (McKendree University) dec. No. 10 Alexandra Fitzgerald (Sacred Heart), 11-2

131

No. 1 Alexis Janiak (Aurora) dec. No. 5 Viktorya Torres (McKendree University), 3-1

No. 2 Sara Sterner (North Central College) dec. No. 3 Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree University), 8-4

138

No. 1 Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) tech fall No. 4 Paige Wehrmeister (Presbyterian), 10-0

No. 3 Haylie Jaffe (McKendree University) dec. No. 7 Taylor Graveman (North Central College), 5-1

145

No. 1 Macey Kilty (Iowa) tech fall No. 4 Aine Drury (King University), 10-0

No. 3 Bella Mir (North Central College) dec. No. 2 Reese Larramendy (Iowa), 6-3

160

No. 1 Kennedy Blades (Iowa) tech fall No. 4 Tiffani Baublitz (East Stroudsburg University), 18-1

No. 2 Kaylynn Albrecht (McKendree University) dec. No. 3 May Cuyler (Presbyterian), 10-3

180

No. 1 Kylie Welker (Iowa) tech fall No. 4 Naomi Simon (Iowa), 10-0

No. 2 Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) dec. No. 3 Shenita Lawson (North Central College), 17-14

207

No. 1 Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) tech fall unseeded Maria Aiono (Presbyterian), 11-0

No. 2 Tristan Kelly (McKendree University) dec. No. 3 Sara Lake (Lindenwood University), 8-1