Ottawa-Arizona takes NCWA women’s crown with four champions; Bellarmine claims men’s title with four champions

2023 NCWA women's team champions - Ottawa-Arizona. Photo courtesy of NWCA Facebook

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Bellarmine, the NCAA team in the Southern Conference which is going through its transition to Div. I, earned four champions and eight total All-Americans to capture the men’s title at the NCWA Nationals on Saturday. Bellarmine scored 206 points, followed by Liberty, with three champions and 12 All-Americans and 189.5 points.The Apprentice School was third with 135 points, with Springfield Tech in fouth with 133.5 points and Grand Valley State in fifth with 131 points.

Ottawa-Arizona claimed the women’s team title, scoring 120 points, ahead of runner-up Grays Harbor with 80 points. The top five including third-place Big Bend CC with 41 points, fourth-place Washington State with 36.5 points and fifth-place M.I.T. with 34 points.

In the women’s finals, Ottawa-Arizona had four champions in Jennifer Alcott (101), Hermelinda Mendoza (109), Lyqualah Kinsey (116) and Julia Mata (155), two runners-up and two fourth-place finishers.

All four Ottawa-Arizona champions scored pins in the finals. Mendoza repeated as national champion with her pin of Daniela Suttles of Grand Canyon in 2:23. Alcott pinned Caley Kling of Colorado State in 48 seconds. Kinsey pinned Mia Armstron of Texas-Arlington in 1:36. Mata put away Leilani Frazier of Santa Rosa JC in 1:26.

Runner-up Grays Harbor had an individual champion, Renaeh Ureste (191), one runner-up, four third-place finishers and a fourth-place athlete.

Joining Mendoza as repeat NCWA national champions were Lauren Stone of Florida (123) and Katie Moore of Stony Brook (235). Stone pinned Mia Garza of Texas in the finals in 1:14, while Moore pinned Kali Hood of Grays Harbor in 4:38.

M.I.T. had a pair of champions, Viveca Pannell (130) and Veloria Pannell (143). Veloria Pannell was named Outstanding Wrestler in the women’s division. Other individual champions were Sophia Carson of New Hampshire (136) and Samantha Meyer (Big Bend CC (170).

In the men’s finals, Bellarmine champions were Jack Parker (125), Zac Cowan (149), Cole Nance (165) and Devan Hendricks (174), all with dominant performances. Three of their finals were falls, with Parker pinning Bruno Alves of Apprentice in 4:17, Nance pinning Talon Pisarchuk of Williamson College of Trades in 3:57 and Hendricks stopping 2022 NJCAA national champion Josh Kenny, now with Grand Valley State, in 6:48. Cowan defeated a past NCWA champion, Thomas McCane of Central Florida, with a 22-7 technical fall.

Liberty swept all three of its finals matches, the final three weight classes, as Josiah Murphy (197), Jeff Allen (235) and Frederick Weaver (285) defended their national titles. Allen became a four-time NCWA champion with his victory.

Weaver scored the only pin for Liberty in the finals, getting the fall in 6:09 over Thaddeus Huff of Bellarmine. Murphy stopped Seth Konynenbelt of Grand Valley State, 3-2. Allen edged Zeke Alleman of Utah Tech, 5-4.

Other individual champions were Kaden Blair of Toledo (133), Alfonso Vargas of Florida (141), James Lunt of Springfield Tech (157) and Nicholas Franco of Rutgers WC (184).

NCWA NATIONALS
At San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 9-11

Women’s results

101
1st Jennifer Alcott (Ottawa - Arizona (W)) F Caley Kling (Colorado State (W)), 0:48
3rd Ariel Kamat (Texas A&M (W)) FOR Jasmine Cortez (Texas State (W))

109
1st Hermelinda Mendoza (Ottawa - Arizona (W)) F Daniela Suttles (Grand Canyon (W)), 2:23
3rd Griselda Cuevas (Western Washington (W)) F Aliya Hammons (Grays Harbor (W)), 1:05

116
1st Lyqualah Kinsey (Ottawa - Arizona (W)) F Mia Armstrong (Texas - Arlington (W)), 1:36
3rd Aleyda Rodriguez (Grays Harbor (W)) F Hannah Ung (Northeastern (W)), 0:28

123
1st Lauren Stone (Florida (W)) F Mia Garza (Texas (W)), 1:14
3rd Jada Yamada (Western Washington (W)) DEC Asia Ronan-johnson (Florida A&M (W)), 8-4

130
1st Viveca Pannell (M.I.T. (W)) DEC Taliyah Armstrong (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 10-9
3rd Anna Rodriguez (Big Bend CC (W)) DEC Kimberly Iglesias rodriguez (Florida (W)), 8-2

136
1st Sophia Carson (New Hampshire (W)) F Julie Wilson (Washington State (W)), 4:59
3rd Samantha Tuttle (Grand Canyon (W)) DEC Jasmin Soc-lopez (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 12-10

143
1st Veloria Pannell (M.I.T. (W)) MD Anastacia Fucci (Colorado State (W)), 13-4
3rd Petra Bernsten (Washington State (W)) F Sitlaly Macias (Big Bend CC (W)), 5:12

155
1st Julia Mata (Ottawa - Arizona (W)) F Leilani Frazier (Santa Rosa JC (W)), 1:26
3rd Faith Guevara (Montclair State (W)) DEC Tatiana Molinero-ceras (Pacific Lutheran (W)), 7-3

170
1st Samantha Meyer (Big Bend CC (W)) F Cheyenne Williams (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 0:56
3rd Katie Gakin (Grays Harbor (W)) F Maile Ka-ahanui (Liberty (W)), 3:23

191
1st Renaeh Ureste (Grays Harbor (W)) F Melissa Moore (Texas Tech (W)), 0:25
3rd Megan Webster (Grays Harbor (W)) F Trinity Robinson (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 4:52

235
1st Katie Moore (Stony Brook (W)) F Kali Hood (Grays Harbor (W)), 4:38
3rd Jojera Dodge (Grays Harbor (W)) F Jada Robinson (Florida A&M (W)), 2:01

Women’s Team Standings
1 Ottawa - Arizona 120
2 Grays Harbor 80
3 Big Bend CC 41
4 Washington State 36.5
5 M.I.T. 34
6 Florida 31.5
7 Grand Canyon 29
8 Colorado State 24
9 Florida A&M 23.5
10 Northeastern 22
11 Liberty 21
11 New Hampshire 21
11 Western Washington 21
14 Santa Rosa JC 19
15 Texas – Arlington 17
(of 39 teams)

Men’s results

125 LBS
1st Jack Parker (Bellarmine) F Bruno Alves (Apprentice), 4:17
3rd Dante Mininno (Liberty) DEC Dylan Beddow (Springfield Tech), 8-4
5th Chase Arnestad (Liberty) F Caleb Olgers (Apprentice), 1:21
7th Tanner Higa (Dubuque WC) F Avian Martinez (Treasure Valley CC), 4:46

133
1st Kaden Blair (Toledo) DEC Dillon Messick (Apprentice), 3-1 SV
3rd Michael Schiffhauer (Bellarmine) DEC Blake Schmitt (Liberty), 6-3
5th Gabriel Martinez (Grand Valley State) M FOR Michael Gonzalez (Springfield Tech)
7th Jesus Sanchez (Dubuque WC) DEC Caleb Hernandez (Ohio State WC), 5-2

141
1st Alfonso Vargas (Florida) DEC Elijah Gandert (Grays Harbor), 11-9 SV
3rd Parker Watson (Ohio State WC) DEC Jordan Robins (Apprentice), 3-1 SV
5th Scott Kilian (Texas A&M) F Kalil Shabazz (Springfield Tech), 4:00
7th Kenneth Lambert (Clemson) F Ian Campbell (Grays Harbor), 0:21

149
1st Zac Cowan (Bellarmine) TF Thomas Mccane (Central Florida), 22-7 7:00
3rd Joey Murphy (Grand Valley State) DEC Drevon Wallace (Allen), 15-9
5th Caden Jacobs (Grand Valley State) DEC Zachary Ortega (Apprentice), 11-5
7th Charles Hudson (Liberty) FOR Jacob Grogan (Texas A&M)

157
1st James Lunt (Springfield Tech) DEC Joseph Miranda (Rowan), 4-1
3rd Alex Rivera (Bellarmine) DEC Nicholas Martino (Fresno State WC), 6-2
5th Ezekiel Burkholder (Toledo) DEC Elijah Kidder (Grand Valley State), 5-0
7th Kyle Romano (Georgia) FOR Wayne Lamont (Stony Brook)

165 
1st Cole Nance (Bellarmine) F Talon Pisarchuk (Williamson College of the Trades), 3:57
3rd Charles Roche (Central Florida) F Jolan Martori (Springfield Tech), 2:40
5th Landon Kissell (Apprentice) F Ethan Baker (Apprentice), 2:23
7th Yury Pozdneev (Ohio State WC) DEC David Over (Liberty), 8-6

174
1st Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine) F Josh Kenny (Grand Valley State), 6:48
3rd Zachary Kaminski (Liberty) F Benjamin Blickle (Ohio State WC), 2:37
5th Riley Hackworth (Florida) F Keith Brubach (Slippery Rock), 3:28
7th John Podsednik (Alabama) DEC Derrick Andolsek (Akron), 13-8

184
1st Nicholas Franco (Rutgers WC) DEC Ben Liss (Rutgers WC), 5-1
3rd Kennedy Wyatt (Bellarmine) F Michael Jackson (Allen), 4:27
5th Graham Carson (Ohio State WC) MD Gabriel Hayes (Liberty), 10-1
7th Stephano Magny (Springfield Tech) FOR Aaron Whear (James Madison)

197 
1st Josiah Murphy (Liberty) DEC Seth Konynenbelt (Grand Valley State), 3-2
3rd Matthew Abraham (Toledo) F Derek Yingling (Slippery Rock), 4:31
5th Matthew Micale (West Chester) DEC Sean Gillespie (Liberty), 9-6
7th Andrew Nanai (UCONN) DEC Davyn Peterson (Springfield Tech), 7-2

235
1st Jeff Allen (Liberty) DEC Zeke Alleman (Utah Tech), 5-4
3rd Joseph Pineda (Dubuque WC) DEC Seth Ellsmore (Liberty), 3-2
5th Shawn Conniff (Springfield Tech) FOR Jeffrey Worster (Maine Maritime Academy)
7th Aaron Sacca (Central Florida) F Landon Gray (East Carolina), 6:23

285 
1st Frederick Weaver (Liberty) F Thaddeus Huff (Bellarmine), 6:09
3rd Jacob Meek (Toledo) DEC Peter Cortapasso (Apprentice), 12-7
5th Caleb Corrigan (Rowan) DEC Michael Morales (Central Florida), 4-3
7th Brett Boudreau (Grand Valley State) DEC Dustin Uribes (Apprentice), 6-1

Men’s Team Standings
1 Bellarmine 206.5
2 Liberty 189.5
3 Apprentice 135
4 Springfield Tech 133.5
5 Grand Valley State 131
6 Toledo 99.5
7 Ohio State WC 94
8 Central Florida 92.5
9 Grays Harbor 78.5
10 Florida 70.5
11 Rowan 63-
12 Slippery Rock 54.5
13 Dubuque WC 51
14 Allen 50.5
15 UConn 50
16 Washington State 46
17 Texas A&M 44
18 Penn State WC 41.5
19 Rutgers WC 39.5
20 Maine Maritime Academy 39
(of 73 teams)