McKendree Wins WCWC Team Title With 5 Champs

McKendree’s Alexandria Glaude battles Lakeland’s Jayden Laurent in the finals of the 2020 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.

ADRIAN, MI –The #1 McKendree Bearcats flexed their muscle at the inaugural National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships for NCAA teams, hosted by the WCWC. At the end of the 2-day event, McKendree had 5 national champions. In fact, they had All-Americans in every single weight class, and 13 overall.

“The journey with the program has been crazy,” said Coach Sam Schmitz, looking back on his seven-year journey. “Seven years in it. Started with a few girls and it grew from there. It’s crazy where we’re at now.”

Winning national titles were 101-pound Pauline Granados, who had the signature moment of the event with a 5-point suplex in the finals, 130-pound Alexia Ward, a senior who hadn’t even made the podium since her freshman season, 136-pound Emma Bruntil, who also won Senior Nationals in December, 155-pound Alexandria Glaude who went back-to-back and is now a 2x national champ, and 191 Syndee Kimber who didn’t make the podium last season.

Bruntil’s finals bout was a rematch against her only loss this season, freshman Dalia Garibay of Colorado Mesa. Garibay beat Bruntil in a dual 8-6 in early February. Bruntil scored early and often this time, getting the 10-0 tech fall at the 3:31 mark.

Only a year ago, McKendree secured the first two national champions in their program history. They did win their first-ever national title at the mid-season 2019 NWCA National Duals, a feat they repeated this year, but they only took 3rdat WCWA Nationals. This year they added a national title at the individual culminating event, an accomplishment they hadn’t achieved in the history of their program. Schmitz acknowledges that the multi-divisional national tournaments have made the team race a little lighter, as the NAIA’a Menlo and Campbellsville now have their own national championship, but considers it a landmark accomplishment for the program just the same.

Coach Schmitz was honored at the event with the Coach of the Year Award.

Simon Fraser took 2nd in the team race, gaining three champions. The Godinez-Gonzalez sisters were dominant, both winning national titles for the Clan. Karla won the 116-pound title in a smothering performance over Felicity Taylor, shutting out the McKendree opponent 7-0, and 143-pound Ana Godinez-Gonzalez, actually the younger of the two, blew through powerful leg attacks to takedown McKendree freshman Alara Boyd and win it 10-0 at the 4:06 mark. At 123, Alex Hedrick avenged a loss to King’s Cheyenne Sisenstein at the NWCA National Duals in January with wily counters and attacks, securing the fall at 4:53.

King University took 3rd place without a national champion, as the two who made the finals fell to their opponents, but secured 9 All-Americans. 4th place Colorado Mesa is going home with 7 All-Americans. 

Start-up program Augsburg had 4 All-Americans of the eight competitors they brought, including Emily Shilson at 109, who added a WCWC national title to the WCWA title she won a few weeks ago. She also received the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. Freshman Gabby Skidmore had the upset of the tournament, beating #1 seed Nicole Depa of Simon Fraser 3-2 as a #8 seed in the quarters.

All results below.

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hosted by WCWC (Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition) for NCAA Schools
Adrian College, Adrian, MI, March 6-7, 2020

Team Awards:
1. McKendree - 191 points
2. Simon Fraser – 178.5 points
3. King – 123 points
4. Colorado Mesa – 92.5 points

M.O.W. Award: Emily Shilson (109)
Coach of the Year: Sam Schmitz (McKendree)

101 pounds
1st - Pauline Granados (McKendree University) Fr. dec. Iesha Washington (Emmanuel College) Sr., 5-1
3rd - Jennesis Martinez (Colorado Mesa University) Fr. dec. Jaclyn McNichols (King University) So., 2-1
5th - Trinity Oredina (Tiffin University) So. tech. fall Alisha Elizalde (Ferrum College) Sr., 13-2, 5:37
7th - Alice Todryk (UW-Stevens Point) Fr. tech. fall Johnvanique Porter (MacMurray College) Fr. 10-0, 1:42

109
1st - Emily Shilson (Augsburg University) Fr. pin Sugey Ceja (Tiffin University) Fr., 0:43
3rd - Brooke Thurber (UW-Stevens Point) Jr. over Tatyanna Ortiz (East Stroudsburg University) 4-2, Fr. (TF-1.5 0:55 (10-0))
5th - Aleeah Gould (King University) Jr. dec. Ciara McCrae (Simon Fraser University) Jr., 12-6
7th - Natalie Reyna (McKendree University) 12-8, So. over Allicia Mahoe (Schreiner University) 12-8, Fr. (TF-1.5 5:31 (10-0)

116
1st - Karla Godinez Gonzalez (Simon Fraser University) Jr. dec. Felicity Taylor (McKendree University) So., 7-0
3rd - Emily Se (Emmanuel College) Fr. pin Jaslynn Gallegos (Presbyterian College) Fr., 3:18
5th - Valerilla Mamleeva (Lindenwood University) So. pin Maddie Ruckdashel (Lakeland University) So., 3:48
7th - Anja Tschohl (Colorado Mesa University) Fr. tech. fall Shanna Morris (Tiffin University) So., 10-0, 0:57

123
1st - Alexandra Hedrick (Simon Fraser University) Jr. pin Cheyenne Sisenstein (King University) So., 4:53
3rd - Marissa Gallegos (Colorado Mesa University) So. tech. fall Phoenix Dubose (King University) Fr., 14-2, 4:48
5th - Asia Nguyen-Smith (North Central College) Fr. dec. Vayle Baker (Augsburg University) Fr., 8-2
7th - Theresa Rankin (McKendree University) Jr. inj. dft. Payton Stroud (McKendree University) Fr., 0:00

130
1st - Alexia Ward (McKendree University) Sr. dec. Amanda Martinez (North Central College) Jr., 4-2
3rd - Nicole Depa (Simon Fraser University) Sr. tech. fall Cindy Zepeda (Colorado Mesa University) Fr., 12-2, 4:47
5th - Allison Petix (King University) Jr. dec. Gabby Skidmore (Augsburg University) Fr., 8-2
7th - Alyssa Aceval (King University) So. dec. Eunique Davis (Tiffin University) So., 8-6

136
1st - Emma Bruntil (McKendree University) Fr. tech. fall Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa University) Fr., 10-0, 3:31 
3rd - Lauren Mason (Simon Fraser University) Jr. dec. Ana Luciano (King University) So., 6-2
5th - Zoe Nowicki (Adrian College) So. pin Julia Padilla (Emmanuel College) So., 5:33
7th - Mia Dow (MacMurray College) Jr. dec. Megan Struble (UW-Stevens Point) Fr., 6-0

143
1st - Ana Godinez Gonzalez (Simon Fraser University) Jr. tech. fall Alara Boyd (McKendree University) Fr., 10-0, 4:06
3rd - Ashlynn Ortega (King University) So. dec. Sara Brinkac (Simon Fraser University) So., 7-0
5th - Morgan Norris (Presbyterian College) Fr. dec. Alma Mendoza (Colorado Mesa University) So., 5-3
7th - Julianna Moreno (MacMurray College) Fr. pin Kaylee Lacy (Colorado Mesa University) So., 3:15

155
1st - Alexandria Glaude (McKendree University) 8-1, RS Sr. over Jayden Laurent (Lakeland University), So., 3-1
3rd - Alyvia Fiske (Simon Fraser University) Jr. dec. Joye Levendusky (McKendree University) So., 5-0
5th - Annabelle Helm (Gannon University) Fr. pin Marlynne Deede (Augsburg University) Fr., 2:00
7th - Taylor Hites (Tiffin University) So. dec. Malea Palahniuk (North Central College) Fr., 8-0

170
1st - Jessika Rottier (University Of Wisconsin At Stevens Point) 13-2, RS Jr. over Yelena Makoyed (North Central College) 26-3, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:40 (11-0)
3rd - Emily Cue (Simon Fraser University) So. tech. fall Nia Crosdale (King University) So., 14-1, 3:13
5th - Korinahe Bullock (McKendree University) Jr. inj. dft. Andrea Sennett (McKendree University) Jr., 0:00
7th - Rebekah Trudel (Simon Fraser University) Jr. over Mikayla Mata (Schreiner University) 14-10, Fr. (TF-1.5 1:16 (10-0)

191
1st - Sydnee Kimber (McKendree University) 14-1, So. over Tavi Heidelberg (King University) 2-1, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:23 (10-0)
3rd - Serena Woldring (Simon Fraser University) So. tech. fall Cristina Santoyo (Emmanuel College) Fr., 11-0, 4:05
5th - Jessie Lee (Tiffin University) Jr. pin Kendall McGarity (Gannon University) Fr., 2:54
7th - Kaylee Seabolt (Emmanuel College) So. pin Angelina Kirkpatrick (North Central College) Fr., 0:13