HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Top-ranked 136-pounder Nina Makem (SO, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) claimed a pair of first-period pins to capture her weight class title, leading the Augsburg University women’s wrestling team to a second-place finish at the Midlands Women’s Championships, held on Friday.
Improving to 16-2 on the season, Makem opened with a 16-second pin over Bethany Regione of Aurora (Ill.), then claimed a 2:49 pin over No. 2-ranked Yele Aycock of North Central (Ill.) in the finals. Makem built a 3-0 lead, then scored the pin with 11 seconds left in the first period, improving to 3-1 against Aycock this season. Makem now has five pins and nine technical falls among her 16 wins on the year.
Augsburg finished in second in the tournament, which featured seven college teams, along with a handful of high school and unattached wrestlers. The Auggies, ranked No. 5 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association’s NCAA women’s rankings, finished with 54.0 points, behind tournament titlist and No. 2-ranked North Central (Ill.), which had 107.5 points. Presbyterian (S.C.), ranked No. 7 in the NWCA poll, finished in third with 45.0 points and McKendree (Ill.), the No. 3-ranked squad, finished fourth with 31.5 points.
Eleven Auggies competed in the Midlands meet, combining for a 23-16 record, with five pins and four technical falls. Six Auggies earned top-four individual finishes.
Top-ranked 155-pounder Marlynne Deede (SR, Springville, Utah/Springville HS) finished second at the Midlands meet, suffering her first loss of the season in the finals, falling in the final seconds to Tiera Jimerson of North Central. Deede scored four points in the first period, but Jimerson scored four points in the second period, including a takedown with one second left, to tie the bout at 4-4 and claim the win on final-scoring criteria. Deede claimed two technical fall wins to reach the finals, including a 10-0, 1:32 win over No. 6-ranked Malea Palahnuik of North Central. She is now 17-1 on the season with four pins and 12 technical falls.
Gabrielle Torgerson (SR, Spooner, Wis./Cumberland HS) earned runner-up honors at 123 pounds, going 3-1 with a technical fall. She lost in the finals to Carley Ceshker, one of the top high school wrestlers in the country. Torgerson is now 16-8 on the season.
Autumn Flanigan (JR, Troy, Mo./Troy Buchanan HS) improved to 11-8 on the season with a third-place finish at 130 pounds, going 3-1 with a pin and a technical fall. She claimed a 11-2 win over No. 3-ranked Sierra Marie Miller of Presbyterian in the third-place match.
At 191 pounds, Melissa Jacobs (SR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Belle Plaine HS (Scott West)) finished third and Maia Foster (FY, Decorah, Iowa/Decorah HS) finished in fourth place for the Auggies. Brooklyn Hays (FY, Lindon, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) went 2-2 on the day at 155 pounds.
UP NEXT: Augsburg returns to action next Friday and Saturday (1/6-7) at the NWCA National Duals in Louisville, Ky.
Augsburg Individual Results
116 — Tateum Park 0-2.
123 — Gabrielle Torgerson 3-1, 2nd place.
130 — Autumn Flanigan 3-1, 3rd place; Mikalah Konz 0-1.
136 — Nina Makem 2-0, 1st place.
143 — Katie Lange 1-2.
155 – Marlynne Deede 3-1, 2nd place; Brooklyn Hays 2-2; Kahlea Jolly 0-2.
191 — Melissa Jacobs 1-1, 3rd place; Maia Foster 0-2, 4th place.
Check out Auggies Women’s Wrestling at athletics.augsburg.edu.
2022 Ken Kraft Women’s Midlands Championships results. Friday, December 30 at Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Brackets/Results on TrackWrestling.com
1 North Central 107.5
2 Augsburg University 54.0
3 Presbyterian College 45.0
4 Unattached 41.0
5 McKendree University 31.5
6 Lock Haven 15.5
7 Grand View 15.0
8 Aurora 14.5
9 Wyoming Seminary 6.0
10 Brewton Parker 0.0
11 Colorado Mesa University 0.0
12 Emmanuel College 0.0
13 King University 0.0
14 Life University 0.0
Women’s – 101
1st Place – Rianne Murphy of Unattached
2nd Place – Madison Avila of North Central
3rd Place – Samantha Miller of Presbyterian College
4th Place – Amber Turner of North Central
1st Rianne Murphy (Unattached) decision over Madison Avila (North Central) (Dec 8-4)
3rd Samantha Miller (Presbyterian College) fall over Amber Turner (North Central) (Fall 0:46)
Women’s – 109
1st Place – Sydney Petzinger of North Central
2nd Place – Kaelani Shufeldt of Lock Haven
3rd Place – Kendra Ryan of North Central
4th Place – Cassy Lopez of Presbyterian College
1st Sydney Petzinger (North Central) tech fall over Kaelani Shufeldt (Lock Haven) (TF 11-0)
3rd Kendra Ryan (North Central) tech fall over Cassy Lopez (Presbyterian College) (TF 10-0)
Women’s – 116
1st Place – Jaslynn Gallegos of North Central
2nd Place – Chloe Ayres of Unattached
3rd Place – Ainslie Lane of Presbyterian College
4th Place – Amaya Yoshizumi of North Central
1st Jaslynn Gallegos (North Central) fall over Chloe Ayres (Unattached) (Fall 4:01)
3rd Ainslie Lane (Presbyterian College) fall over Amaya Yoshizumi (North Central) (Fall 3:21)
Women’s – 123
1st Place – Carly Ceshker of Unattached
2nd Place – Gabby Skidmore of Augsburg University
3rd Place – Amani Jones of North Central
4th Place – Catherine Bertrand of Presbyterian College
1st Carly Ceshker (Unattached) fall over Gabby Skidmore (Augsburg University) (Fall 0:31)
3rd Amani Jones (North Central) tech fall over Catherine Bertrand (Presbyterian College) (TF 10-0)
Women’s – 130
1st Place – Sara Sterner of North Central
2nd Place – Alexis Janiak of Aurora
3rd Place – Autumn Flanigan of Augsburg University
4th Place – Sierra Marie Miller of Presbyterian College
1st Sara Sterner (North Central) fall over Alexis Janiak (Aurora) (Fall 2:36)
3rd Autumn Flanigan (Augsburg University) decision over Sierra Marie Miller (Presbyterian College) (Dec 11-2)
Women’s – 136
1st Place – Blanche ‘Nina’ Kemu Makem of Augsburg University
2nd Place – Yele Aycock of North Central
3rd Place – Paige Wehrmeister of Presbyterian College
4th Place – JoLynn Harris of McKendree University
1st Blanche ‘Nina’ Kemu Makem (Augsburg University) fall over Yele Aycock (North Central) (Fall 2:49)
3rd Paige Wehrmeister (Presbyterian College) decision over JoLynn Harris (McKendree University) (Dec 5-3)
Women’s – 143
1st Place – Alexis Gomez of Grand View
2nd Place – Alara Boyd of McKendree University
3rd Place – Grace Stem of Lock Haven
4th Place – Riley Aamold of North Central
1st Alexis Gomez (Grand View) decision over Alara Boyd (McKendree University) (Dec 9-7)
3rd Grace Stem (Lock Haven) tech fall over Riley Aamold (North Central) (TF 10-0)
Women’s – 155
1st Place – Tiera Jimerson of North Central
2nd Place – Marlynne Deede of Augsburg University
3rd Place – Malea Palahniuk of North Central
4th Place – London Houston of North Central
1st Tiera Jimerson (North Central) decision over Marlynne Deede (Augsburg University) (Dec 4-4)
3rd Malea Palahniuk (North Central) fall over London Houston (North Central) (Fall 1:44)
Women’s – 170
1st Place – Stella Steigler of Wyoming Seminary
2nd Place – Alex Alli of Wyoming Seminary
1st Stella Steigler (Wyoming Seminary) fall over Alex Alli (Wyoming Seminary) (Fall 2:22)
Women’s – 191
1st Place – Sydnee Kimber of McKendree University
2nd Place – Traeh Haynes of North Central
3rd Place – Melissa Jacobs of Augsburg University
4th Place – Maia Foster of Augsburg University
1st Sydnee Kimber (McKendree University) fall over Traeh Haynes (North Central) (Fall 3:22)
3rd Melissa Jacobs (Augsburg University) decision over Maia Foster (Augsburg University) (Dec 6-2)