NCAA College Preview Series: #7 North Central
Photo courtesy of North Central Athletics.
Amanda Martinez, Yelena Makoyed, and Asia Nguyen-Smith. Photo courtesy of North Central Athletics.
by Derek Levendusky
Twitter: @AWWderek
Ranked #7 in preseason poll, third-year program North Central is coming into the 2021-2022 season with big goals and high expectations. Two-time national finalist Amanda Martinez slides into an assistant coach’s role, while national champion Yelena Makoyed is returning for her junior year after a fantastic offseason that included winning a Junior Pan Am gold medal.
Here’s an interview with Cardinal head coach Joe Norton.
1. What are your reflections on last season?
Last season was a great one for us. Everyone that competed had to battle the adversities brought on by the pandemic, and I am very proud of the way our women persevered. We were only able to get four dual meets in during the shortened season, but were grateful to get a Regional and National tournament to cap the season. Finishing with 6 All-Americans and a National Champion was an outstanding culmination to our second season as a program.
2. Talk about your returning class. Who are some of the women you have high expectations for this year?
We have 6 NCWWC All-Americans on our squad this year. Yelena Makoyed is back after an undefeated National Championship season. 2x AAs Asia Nguyen-Smith and Malea Palahniuk are also back. Abbey Denney and Mateah Roehl were first time AAs as freshmen last year, and Angelina Kirkpatrick was an AA in 2020 but missed last season after a knee surgery. We are extremely excited to watch Yelena continue to develop into one of the top women’s wrestlers in America, and see the others make their climb towards winning the program’s second ever [individual] national title!
3. Talk about your incoming freshmen class. Who are you excited about and what are some of the names that you expect an immediate contribution from?
The freshmen class is a very exciting one. It contains 12 women who were ranked as individuals in the final national high school rankings last season. I believe this was the largest haul of ranked wrestlers of any program in the country. Amani Jones was a Super 32 and Fargo Champ before winning Pan Am Junior Gold last summer. Kendra Ryan made the Junior National team with a 3rd place finish at Women’s Nationals, winning several matches over collegiate All-Americans. Sara Sulejmani, Adaugo Nwachukwu, Tiera Jimerson, Yele Aycock, Emma Grimm, Brooke Crawley, Fiona McConnell, Traeh Haynes and Sydney Petzinger are all names that you’re going to become very familiar with!
4. How do you feel about your preseason?
We were very impressed with our group during the pre-season. It’s always a good indicator of who is motivated to accomplish big things as the workouts are voluntary. Our women were showing up for regular lifting and conditioning sessions together and getting on the mats nearly every day throughout the fall. It’s been fun to finally start working with them over the past week, but the foundation they built for themselves in the pre-season has certainly allowed us to hit the ground running!
5. Talk about some of your team's goals this season. Are there any specific events you're excited about?
Our goal this season is to crack into that group of teams that find themselves in the national championship conversation year after year in collegiate women’s wrestling. We are chasing the McKendrees and Kings of the world, and the expectation is to catch them! Our women were extremely motivated by seeing Yelena win a national title last year, and I think you can expect more of that from our team this season in year three! I think we are particularly looking forward to the MoVal Open, the Desert Duals and the National Duals this year where we will get to test ourselves against the best teams in the country!
6. What are some things you've built into your program that you credit for the success you've had so far?
We built our program on team and family. Every one of our women cares just as much about their teammates’ wins and losses as they do about their own. Our team is a family, and people will always work hard for their family.
7. Who are some of the women in the room that are providing leadership and shaping your culture?
Yelena Makoyed, Amanda Martinez (now Assistant Coach), and Asia Nguyen-Smith have been huge in shaping the culture of our team and providing leadership. From day one on our campus, they have been fully bought into our coaching staff and our mission. They bring energy and intensity every day, and encourage those around them to do the same.
North Central begins their season at the Pointer Open in Stevens Point, Wisconsin on November 6th at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.