STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Winning a pair of individual titles and qualifying 12 wrestlers to the upcoming national meet, the Augsburg University women’s wrestling team finished in third place at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships Northwest Regional, held on Sunday at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Augsburg, ranked No. 5 in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association national ranking of NCAA-affiliated women’s wrestling programs, had 12 of its 14 competing individuals finish among the top five in their weight classes in the regional, qualifying for the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 4-5 in Adrian, Mich. The Auggies scored 117.5 points to finish third in the 10-team regional, behind No. 3-ranked Simon Fraser (B.C.) and No. 4-ranked North Central (Ill.).
Emily Shilson (JR, Maple Grove, Minn./Mounds View HS), the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the NWCA’s NCAA national rankings at 109 pounds, qualified for her third NCWWC nationals with a pin and a pair of 10-0 technical falls to win her weight class title. She outscored her opponents by a 26-0 margin on Sunday, including a 10-0, 2:56 technical fall in the finals over No. 4-ranked Alexia Seal of Simon Fraser in the finals — Shilson’s fifth win over a ranked wrestler this season. Shilson, who won NCWWC national titles at 109 pounds in 2021 and 2020 and the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Alliance national title in 2020, is now 21-0 on the season with 10 technical falls and six pins. In her college career, Shilson is now 43-0 with 23 technical falls and 14 pins.
No. 5-ranked 136-pounder Nina Makem (FY, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) qualified for her first national meet with two victories and the regional title on Sunday. She opened with a 7-4 win over Jade Trolland of Simon Fraser and claimed an 8-0 win over No. 4-ranked Sara Sulejmani of North Central in the finals — her second win over Sulejmani this season. Makem is now 26-5 on the season with 17 technical falls and two pins.
Marlynne Deede (JR, Springville, Utah/Springville HS), ranked No. 3 nationally at 155 pounds, qualified for her third national tournament with a second-place finish in the regional. She topped Tiera Jimerson of North Central, the No. 6-ranked wrestler nationally, 6-3 in her first match, before falling 11-0 to No. 2-ranked Alyvia Fiske of Simon Fraser in the finals. Deede, who finished third at the 2021 NCWWC and sixth in 2020, is now 21-4 on the season and 44-17 in her college career.
Kya Rybachek (SO, Mountain Iron, Minn./Hibbing HS) qualified for her second straight national tournament with a third-place finish at 143 pounds, going 3-1 on the day with a technical fall and two first-period pins in her final two matches — a 2:06 win over Sagel Bush of Pacific (Ore.) in the consolation semifinals, and a 1:32 pin of Clara Scaglioni of Simon Fraser in the third-place match. Rybachek, who finished fourth at 136 pounds at last year’s nationals, is now 10-9 on the season and 16-14 in her career.
Faith Tuttle (JR, North St. Paul, Minn./North St. Paul HS) qualified for her second straight national tournament with a third-place finish at 191 pounds. After a semifinal loss, she rallied back with two victories — a 52-second pin of teammate Lay Reid (FY, West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) and a 3-2 win over No. 8-ranked Julia Richey of Simon Fraser in the third-place match — her third win over a nationally-ranked opponent in her last eight matches. Tuttle, who finished seventh at 191 at last year’s national meet, is now 18-6 on the season and 33-15 in her career. Reid also qualified for the national tournament with a fifth-place finish at 191.
Charlotte Kouyoumtjian (FY, Porterville, Calif./Monache HS) finished third at 123 pounds to qualify for her first national tournament. She dropped her first match on Sunday but responded with three straight wins, including a 10-0 technical fall and a 38-second pin of No. 6-ranked Asia Nguyen-Smith of North Central in the third-place match. Kouyoumtjian is now 12-8 on the year.
Kahlea Jolly (JR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) qualified for her third straight NCWWC tournament and fourth national tourney overall with a fourth-place finish at 155 pounds, including a 10-0, 1:14 technical fall in her opening match on Sunday.
Gabby Skidmore (JR, Spooner, Wis./Cumberland HS) also qualified for her third straight NCWWC tournament and fourth overall with a fifth-place finish at 123 pounds, going 3-2 with two pins, including a 2:38 pin over Joclyn Bhatha of Simon Fraser in the fifth-place match. Skidmore, now 19-5 on the season and 38-12 in her career, finished second at 130 pounds at the 2020 WCWA tournament and sixth at 130 in the 2020 NCWWC.
Autumn Flanigan (SO, Troy, Mo./Troy Buchanan HS) qualified for her second straight NCWWC tournament with a fifth-place finish at 130 pounds. She finished third at 136 pounds last year and is 12-7 this year.
Sierra Brown Ton (JR, Allen, Texas/Einstein HS), a national qualifier last year, finished fifth at 136 with a 2-2 performance to improve to 5-5 on the season.
Madison Horn (SO, Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS), a national qualifier last season, finished fifth at 170, improving to 9-13 on the year.
Two Auggies saw their seasons end with sixth-place finishes at the regional. Melissa Jacobs (JR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Belle Plaine HS (Scott West)) at 170 and Savannah Vold (SR, Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) at 130.
NCWWC Northwest Qualifier Results
Check out Auggies Women’s Wrestling at athletics.augsburg.edu.