Wild Finish in Kentucky: McKendree vs. Simon Fraser NCAA Finals Comes Down to Criteria

Photo courtesy of NWCA.

by Derek Levendusky, AWW staff writer

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - She lost 12-4 to Emily Cue only two months ago at the SFU Open. Now her team was down 18-16 going into the 191 bout of the NCAA Finals at NWCA National Duals. The weight of a national title rested on McKendree sophomore Sydnee Kimber’s shoulders. The nerves and the tension were real. The Bearcats had worked hard for this. With a talented top-to-bottom roster like McKendree’s, they expected this. Could she dig deep and take down the #1 ranked wrestler in the NCAA? 

The Alaskan recruit Kimber wrestled the match of her life. Starting with a pushout early in the first period, her team cheering wildly, she would not be denied, building up a 6-0 lead before Cue scored for the first time on an exposure in the second period, though it was too little too late. Kimber did it. A 10-2 win.

But those 2 points Cue scored. What did it mean?

Had Kimber done the unthinkable and shut out Cue, the result would be obvious. McKendree wins 19-18. But that dang 2-point exposure. In freestyle, a wrestler can earn a team point for her squad by scoring a single point in a match, as long as the match doesn’t result in a pin. So a 10-2 win for Kimber, though heroic, and certainly an upset, might not be enough. Because that made the final score…

19-19.

What does it mean? No cheering. No rushing the mats. Just tense waiting…to see who won by criteria. Both squads waited. In fact, the McKendree women went over to cheer on their male counterparts, who were also in the finals, and they waited.

Meanwhile, media posts started to go out. The table officials determined that Simon Fraser was the winner. TrackWrestling seemed to indicate that the Canadian program had toppled the giant and won the title. “Simon Fraser wins!” was being announced all over the country, including by AWW. 

Several McKendree wrestlers looked at their cell phones and saw posts announcing SFU as the winner. Hearts sunk. “We lost.”

The dual had been loaded with drama, upsets, and swing matches. In fact, three #1 ranked wrestlers lost in the dual, as SFU’s Karla Godinez-Gonzalez downed #1 ranked Felicity Taylor 8-0 in the 116 match, #2 ranked Alyvia Fiske beat #1 Alexandria Glaude 8-4 at 155, and of course, #2 ranked Kimber took out #1 Cue at 191. The dual was also marked by respect, as even in the middle of the final match, down by 4 with so much on the line, Cue extended her hand to slap Kimber five after a break in action from blood time. 

19-19.

The results were so close, so identical, that the officials had to use the last criteria: “First score in the dual meet.”

The first score in the dual was a forfeit at 101 for McKendree, when freshman Pauline Granados went out and got her hand raised. But the table officials said forfeits don’t count. Simon Fraser’s Ciara McCrae, they said, got the first score in the 109 match.

Simon Fraser wins! Right?

Hold on.

Let’s get the head official over here. We need to get this right. This cannot be a subjective interpretation of rules. There’s a national title on the line here.

The head official came to mat 11, rule book in hand. Let’s take a look at this…

Forfeits can count as a first score.

McKendree wins.

The decision came without trumpets, without fanfare. It was an analytical interpretation by the authority in the room.

Yes, forfeits count toward criteria. McKendree is the NCAA champion.

Coach Sam Schmitz walked over to his team, still sitting matside cheering on the men. He gathered his squad and broke the news: “We won.”

Then came the celebration, the screams, the cheering. Almost a half hour after the dual had ended.

“WE WON!!!”

Word began to spread around the country to confused fans, friends, and family. Posts celebrating SFU’s victory were already liked, loved, shared, and reshared. Wait. What? McKendree won? The hands and thumbs of wrestling media scrambled to take down the now embarrassing posts. Word spread through texts, phone calls, and new posts: “McKendree won, not SFU.” Everyone who knew recent history knew what this meant—back to back titles for the Bearcats.

“I’m confused…did SFU win on criteria?” said one comment. 

“I thought you just posted that Simon Fraser won, what happened?” asked another.

Mat Mayhem it was in Kentucky.

Once the fog cleared, the congrats and celebrations started. Not exactly “the moment” McKendree deserved or the collective cheer from the wrestling community, but in the end, the McKendree Bearcats stand on the top of the podium, joining King as the only back-to-back champions in the history of the NWCA, at least in the past decade when info is available.

It’s a testament to the growth of women’s wrestling, and the exciting scenarios the sport now presents, when two programs like McKendree and Simon Fraser meet up on the national stage at NWCA National Duals and can give fans such an entertaining performance. The same can be said of the Menlo-Campbellsville NAIA finals. To hear the cheers and feel the tension these matchups provided will make new fans out of anyone paying attention. For now, bravo to all four teams that made the finals, and especially McKendree and Menlo, national champions.