Stefana Jelacic (Lourdes) at the 2024 NAIA Women's National Championships in Jamestown, N.D.
The 2025 NAIA Women's National Championships head to Park City Arena in Park City, Kansas, just north of Wichita on March 14-15. This is the third year that women’s wrestling is an official NAIA championship sport. In previous years, women’s wrestling was considered a national invitational, and the NAIA was the first college organization with an official women’s wrestling championships.
There have been two teams that have won NAIA Women’s National Championship team titles, Southern Oregon and Menlo. Southern Oregon won the initial NAIA Women’s Nationals in Jamestown, N.D., making history for their coach Gabrielle Weyhrich as she became the first female head coach to lead a women’s college wrestling team to a national team championships. Another NAIA head coach, Ashley Flavin of Life, was the first to lead a women’s college team to a National Duals title.
Menlo, the team champions in 2024, will not be competing at this year’s national tournament after the athletics program moved to NCAA Division II in the summer of 2024.
No. 1 Life enters as the favorite to win the team title at this year’s tournament, with No. 2 Grand View and No. 3 William Penn also top contenders for the team title.
The NAIA uses a similar system that Div. I men’s wrestling uses, by giving allocations (by weight class) to each of the five conference tournaments in women’s wrestling. Once the qualifiers are done, there are a number of wildcards given to complete the tournament field.
There are six teams which qualified a full 12-athlete team for the nationals, Cumberlands, Doane, Grand View, Life, Providence and William Penn. Three teams qualified 11 athletes, Ottawa, Lindsey Wilson and Southern Oregon.
Returning champions from last year’s NAIA Nationals in Jamestown, N.D., are Stefana Jelacic of Lourdes (110), Cristelle Rodriguez of Doane (124), three-time national champion Carolina Moreno of Southern Oregon (131), Jamilah McBryde of Life (145) and Ashley Lekas of William Penn (180). Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp of Providence won a national title in 2021, and is the No. 2 seed in the 138-pound bracket.
Returning NAIA runners-up are Erin Hikiji of Providence (103), Jasmine Howard of Texas Wesleyan (117), Camille Fournier of Texas Wesleyan (117), Maya Davis of Grand View (124), Sarah Savidge of Life (131), Zaynah McBryde of Life (138) and Latifah McBryde of Life (160).
The No. 1 seeds at this year’s NAIA National Championships are Hikiji of Providence (103), Anaya Falcon of Life (110), Christianah Ogunsanya of William Penn (117), Rodriguez of Doane (124), Moreno of Southern Oregon (131), Zaynah McBryde of Life (138), Jamilah McBryde of Life (145), Latifah McBryde of Life (160), Lekas of Texas Wesleyan (180) and Olivia Brown of Grand View (207).
Ogunsanya competed at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, placing 13th at 53 kg for Nigeria. She also competed at the 2023 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. William Penn’s Esther Kolawole is the No. 3 seed at 145 pounds, and is also a 2024 Paris Olympian for Nigeria. Kolawole is also a two-time U23 World bronze medalist.
Conference team champions coming into the nationals were No. 1 Life (Mid-South), No. 16 Oklahoma City (Sooner Athletic Conference), No. 11 Ottawa (KCAC), No. 2 Grand View (Heart of America), No. 5 Southern Oregon (Cascade Collegiate) and No. 10 Doane (GPAC).
While Southern Oregon and Menlo are the only teams to win an official NAIA Women’s Nationals, NAIA programs have been winning national women’s college titles for years. There were three NAIA National Invitationals held prior to gaining official status, with Campbellsville winning twice (2021 and 2022) and Menlo winning in the first event in 2019.
Prior to that, women’s college wrestling national events were held teams from the NAIA, NCAA and NJCAA. The event started as the Women’s College Nationals, then was changed to the WCWA Nationals. Four NAIA colleges won those events, led by four-time winner Oklahoma City (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), three-time champion Univ. of the Cumberlands (2006, 2007, 2008), two-time champion Missouri Valley College (2004, 2005) and two-time champion Campbellsville (2018, 2019).
NAIA Women’s National Championships
At Park City, Kansas, March 14-15
Quick Links
Watch the NAIA Women’s National Championships
Event Schedule
Friday, March 14
9:00 a.m. - Doors and Ticket Booth Open
10:00 a.m. - Session I - 1st & 2nd Round, 1st & 2nd Consolation
6:00 p.m. - Session II - 3rd Round (Quarterfinals), 3rd & 4th Consolation
Saturday, March 15
9:00 a.m. - Doors and Ticket Booth Open
10:00 a.m. - Session III - 4th Round (Semifinals), 5th & 6th Consolation, Consolation Placements
7:00 p.m. - Session IV - Championship Finals
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