Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu
Oct. 24, 2022 - Coming off a season with a program record 12 All-Americans and a fourth place finish at the Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) National Championships, the North Central College women’s wrestling program is eager to get back on the mat and continue its quest for the program’s first National Title.
The Cardinals began practice on Oct. 10 and head coach Joe Norton has been impressed with the team’s eagerness to learn and improve their craft so far. “Practice has been really good, I think the newcomers are eager to learn and the returners are eager to get back to the groove we had at the end of last season. The energy and effort has been good, they took the preseason and offseason training seriously” said Norton.
Last season, the Cardinals placed third at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals while finishing second at the NCWWC Northwest Regionals and hoisting a fourth place trophy at the NCWWC National Championships in March. The Cardinals are returning a majority of their team from last season including two-time National Champion Yelena Makoyed and National Runner-up's Sydney Petzinger and Niya Teresita Gaines.
“The returners look really good so far, I think there is another motivation in the room this season because there is a specific team goal in mind. Last year, it was still trying to get women up on the podium and potentially win a team trophy but the one goal this year is to win the team National title. There is another level of motivation when you feel like you’re doing things for the team and not just for individual accolades. The returners that were here last year understand that because they have gone through it and saw another team win the title. I love seeing that out of the returners, that they are embracing that added challenge that we put on them” said Norton.
According to Intermatwrestle.com, North Central has the No. 3 ranked recruiting class in the country behind the University of Iowa (D1) and Life University (NAIA). The Cardinals were the only NCAA Division III team to be recognized in the Top ten as the list contained Division I, II and NAIA schools.
“It is always a battle with the top women in the sport because they can offer them full scholarships, we have a lot of women on our team who have turned down those scholarships to come here. You’re going to miss out on a lot of women who just want to look at dollar signs but those women who are really invested in becoming the best wrestler and person they can be, you will have a shot with them” said Norton.
“It is really cool to be ranked among schools that give scholarships and it is always going to be impressive. Going up against a giant like the University of Iowa is going to be tough, but being spoken in the same breath as them as far as the quality of recruits we are bringing in shows us that we are doing a good job" said Norton.
With a new season comes a new recruiting class for the Cardinals, Norton has brought in ten newcomers including five transfers this season. All ten women are looking to contribute to the team's success this year while looking to earn a starting spot.
“It’s great seeing the transfers embrace the reason why they decided to come here, they are spending extra time in the room to soak up coaching and better training partners. The newcomers have been unafraid to grab a returner to wrestle and it shows me that they want to get better" said Norton.
London Houston and Jaslynn Gallegos are two of the Cardinal's transfers this season, both Houston and Gallegos are looking to contribute in the Cardinals quest for a National Championship. Houston come to North Central from King University where she has a very impressive resume as a wrestler as she previously won a Fargo and Pan Am championship while being the No. 2 ranked recruit in 2022.
“She has been eager to soak in what she wasn’t getting at her previous school as far as coaching and attention from the athletic training staff. It was a process to get her here but we are excited for her to get on the mat for us this season” said Norton.
Gallegos comes to North Central after spending three years at Presbyterian College. She claimed three consecutive NCWWC All-America awards and a Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) National Title, as well as placing fifth at the 2021 Junior World Championships for Team USA.
Maddie Avila and Kendall Bostelman are two of the Cardinals newcomers this season. Avila comes to North Central from California, the best women's wrestling state in the United States while Bostelman comes from Wyoming Semiary, the premier high school women's wrestling program in the country. Both Avila and Bostelman were nationally ranked when they graduate high school while both earning multiple All-America honors at Fargo.
"They both had impressive junior duals and Cadet and Junior world team trials performances. I expect both of them to compete for a starting spot at their weight classes. It was a smaller group than last year but it is a more selective group, it is women who fit certain needs for our team" said Norton.
Yele Aycock posted a 25-13 record last season while placing fourth at Regionals, qualifying for the National Tournament. Aycock fell short of All-America honors at the National Tournament but when she bumped up a weight class and competed at the Junior World Team Trials, she took home All-America honors. This season, Aycock is looking to make some noise throughout the wrestling world and climb the podium at the National Tournament in March.
“A lot of people don’t know who she is, but they will. She is really good at wrestling. She can compete for a National title this season, I think she can move up a weight class and compete for a title as well. I think a lot of people are going to say who is she and where did she come from. She worked really hard this offseason and has good training partners and good coaching and she soaked it all up" said Norton.
Salome Walker transferred to North Central last season from McKendree University, she posted an 8-5 record last season in her debut with the Cardinals. Walker competed at the World Team Trials in May and took home fifth place and All-America honors. Walker is another Cardinal that is looking to shock some people and reach the podium at the National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 4th.
"Salome wasn’t an All-America during the college season but went down to the world team trials and placed top eight, earning All-America honors. She found the attention from the coaching staff that she wasn’t getting at her old school so she is jumping levels and she's starting to learn wrestling to go along with her athleticism" said Norton.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) released their annual preseason National Rankings on Oct. 20. The Cardinals will enter their 2022-23 campaign ranked No. 1 while having 14 women individually ranked in their respective weight classes. Following the Cardinals is King University in second, Colorado Mesa University in third, McKendree University in fourth and Augsburg University rounding out the top five.
Petzinger will enter the season as the No. 1 ranked. in the 109-pound weight class after posting a 30-9 record last season while being the National Runner-up and earning All-America honors. Angelina Graff was ranked fifth in the same weight class after posting a 21-18 record, she took home All-America honors last season, finishing eighth at Nationals.
Gallegos heads into the season as No. 2 in the 116 pound weight class while Kendra Ryan was ranked third. Ryan posted a 27-13 record last season, placing sixth at Nationals and earning All-America honors. In the 123-pound weight class, Amani Jones was ranked third after posting a 35-8 record while placing fifth at Nationals last season.
Teresita Gaines is heading into the season ranked second in the 130-pound weight class after finishing the season as the National Runner-up with a 26-8 record. In the 136-pound weight class, Sara Sulejmani was ranked fourth after finishing seventh at Nationals and posting a 25-12 record last season.
Houston will enter the season as the fifth ranked wrestler in 143 pounds while Riley Aamold was ranked sixth. Aamold posted a 23-14 record last season, claiming sixth at Nationals and earning All-America honors.
In the 155-pound weight class, Tiera Jimerson was ranked fourth after posting a 20-7 record while placing fifth at Nationals. After taking a year off due to injuries, Malea Palahniuk returns to the mat as the No. 5 ranked wrestler in 155-pounds. Palahniuk earned All-America honors at the 2021 National Championships, placing fourth.
Makoyed is coming off yet another impressive season, posting a 27-1 record while claiming her second consecutive National Title and will come into the season as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the 170-pound weight class. Brittyn Corbishley will enter her first season with the Cardinals ranked fourth in the 170-pound weight class, she placed fourth at the NAIA National Championships last season. In the 191-pound weight class, Traeh Haynes was ranked seventh, she posted a 17-4 record last season.
The Cardinals Projected Lineup for the 2022-23 season.
101-Pounds: Angelina Graff and Maddie Avila
109-Pounds: Sydney Petzinger and Kendra Ryan
116-pounds: Jaslynn Gallegos
123-pounds: Amani Jones
130-pounds: Niya Teresita Gaines and Sara Sterner
136-pounds: Yele Aycock
143-pounds: Riley Aamold, London Houston, Salome Walker and Kendal Bostelman
155-pounds: Tiera Jimerson, Malea Palahniuk and Sara Sulejmani
170-pounds: Yelena Makoyed, Brittyn Corbishley and Fiona McConnell
191-pounds: Traeh Haynes and Alondra Aguayo
On Aug. 20, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced the addition of women's wrestling as their 26th sponsored sport. The CCIW will be the first NCAA Division III conference to sponsor women's wrestling. North Central, Augustana College, Carthage College, Aurora University and Lakeland University will all compete in the conference.
The Cardinals have been selected to host the first ever women's wrestling CCIW Championships, which will be held on Jan. 29 inside Gregory Arena
"It will be fun to compete for a CCIW Championships with our women’s team, and exciting to get to do that in our home gym! It will give our women just another thing to pursue in terms of being able to get their names up on the CCIW Champions wall in our wrestling facility. It’s awesome to see the sport growing within our conference" said Norton.
The National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship (NCWWC) announced the expansion from four to five regions, with the top four wrestlers in each weight class advancing to the National Tournament. North Central will be hosting the Region 4 Championships inside Gregory Arena on Feb. 19. The National Championships will be held at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this season, this is the first women's wrestling National Championship held at neutral location.
"It is going to be fun hosting the regional, we have had to go to UW-Stevens Point for the last two years but it will be fun to do it in our own arena with our fans and alumni in attendance and punch 15 women into Nationals and have a chance to put all 15 of them on the podium at Nationals" said Norton.
The No. 1 ranked Cardinals will open their season on Nov. 1 with a dual meet against the Aurora University Spartans at 6 pm inside Gregory Arena.
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Credits:
Steve Woltmann and Jim Thrall