CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The entirety of the 2023-24 season has been steadily building up to the most important stage of them all: the NCWWC National Championship tournament on Friday and Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team – ranked 15th in the nation – sends a group of seven to the brackets where they’ll compete alongside 49 other institutions.
After placing ninth nationally at the event last spring to set a new program-best final mark, the Blue Hose will begin their third event of the year from the state of Iowa at approximately 11:00 AM Central Time (or noon eastern).
Should any PC grapplers avoid two defeats on Friday, they’ll automatically advance to Saturday’s next round where 10 national champions will be crowned (one for each standard weight class).
Chiara Barbieri (101), Alyssa Mahan (123), Cassia Zammit (130), Madeline Kubicki (143), Henlee Haynes (170), Ta’Niya Roberts (170), and Ella Beam (191) all punched their tickets to the national tournament by finishing 4th or higher at the Southeast Regionals back on February 23.
That’s the second-most entrees that have qualified for Presbyterian in a single year throughout the short history of the program.
Those seven have combined for 165 total wins since November, although each competitor will be suiting up at Nationals for the very first time (a group that is comprised of five freshmen, a sophomore, and junior transfer).
GAMEDAY INFO – FRIDAY, MARCH 8
NCWWC National Championships | 11:00 AM CST / 12:00 PM EST
WHERE: Alliant Energy PowerHouse (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
WATCH: Flo Wrestling
LIVE RESULTS: Track Wrestling
FULL BRACKET: NCWWC
TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND
- Upon claiming 20 victories at the Regional tourney (hosted by Emmanuel in Georgia), the Blue Hose bring 28 top-three finishes with them to the gargantuan bracket. Head coach Brian Vutianitis’ squad has gathered a whopping 97 pins on the year and 74 additional wins via technical fall.
- With a personal record of 17-11, Barbieri receives a BYE in class 101 and will await the winner of an opening-round clash between McKendree’s Lizette Rodriguez and Sacred Heart’s Samantha Yap.
- One of three PC performers to boast a win percentage of over 70 percent, Mahan (Presby’s overall wins leader with 31 victories) will begin her afternoon in a head-to-head with Ana Rojas Zamora (Chadron) from class 123.
- Another wildly-efficient wrestler in group 130, Zammit will tussle with Simon Fraser’s Marquesis Haintz in the opening round where she sits just one W away from the 30-win marker, already with 20 wins by either pin or tech.
- Statistically Presbyterian’s most dangerous weapon – evidenced by a 28-8 record and a team-high 78% chance of a win – Kubicki will meet Dakota-Mar Dinielli of Western New England in the 143-pound opener.
- The only weight class where Presby will have two representatives, group 170 will see Henlee Haynes do battle with Iowa’s Haley Ward. Additionally, rookie Ta’Niya Roberts was granted a BYE past the opening round, awaiting the victor of a bout between Talia Mitchell (John Carroll) and Cara Broadus (Sacred Heart).
- Fresh off a silver medal at the Regional event, Beam successfully completed her arc to qualify for Nationals after being forced to sit out due to injury in 2023. On Friday, the 191-pounder (with a record of 23-11) will be given a BYE and will take on the winner of a match between Emory and Henry’s Brittney Reed and Iowa’s Jaycee Foeller.
