CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The third-ranked King University women's wrestling team finished fourth at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals Saturday after dropping matches to second-ranked University of Iowa and fourth-ranked McKendree University.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #2 Iowa 31, #3 King 8; #4 McKendree 29, #3 King 16
LOCATION: UNI Dome; Cedar Falls, Iowa
RECORDS: King 6-2; Iowa 9-0; McKendree 11-2
HOW IT HAPPENED – #2 IOWA (semifinal)
- In the dual, there were six matchups of ranked wrestlers as the Hawkeyes got off to a hot start with four straight wins.
- Second-ranked Sterling Dias pinned sixth-ranked Mia Zuniga in 4:04 at 101 pounds to give Iowa the early lead.
- Third-ranked Danielle Garcia fought at 109 pounds, but dropped a tight 2-0 decision to second-ranked Ava Bayless.
- At 115 pounds, fifth-ranked Melanie Mendoza fell to second ranked Brianna Gonzalez 8-0 before Iowa took a 14-0 as second-ranked Felicity Taylor edged third-ranked Montana DeLawder 5-0 at 123 pounds.
- King then came up with back-to-back technical falls at 130 and 136 pounds. Third-ranked Victoria Baez-Dilone topped 10th-ranked Emily Frost 10-0 at 130 pounds before fourth-ranked Claire DiCugno defeated Lilly Luft 10-0 at 136 pounds.
- Yasmine Kalilliy Oliveira wrestled top-ranked Reese Larramendy tough, but bell 7-0 at 143 pounds as the Hawkeyes took a 17-8 lead.
- Following an Iowa win by forfeit, second-ranked Tiffani Baublitz fell on a technical fall to top-ranked Kylie Welker 10-0 at 170 pounds.
- Iowa took the dual 31-8 with a pin at 191 pounds as Jaycee Foeller topped sixth-ranked Alexa Garcia.
HOW IT HAPPENED – #4 MCKENDREE (third place)
- After the Bearcats won the first bout, King rattled off a pair of falls, with Garcia picking up a win in just 1:45, while Mendoza won in 5:18 to put King up 10-4.
- At 130 pounds, Baez-Dilone won a 2-2 decision over top-ranked Cameron Guerin, making the score 13-9.
- King picked up points at 136 and 143 pounds, with fourth-ranked DiCugno dropping a 10-7 decision while Olivera lost a 12-1 tech fall at 143 pounds.
- McKendree would win at 155 by forfeit before winning a pin at 170 pounds, taking a 26-15 advantage.
- At 191 pounds, Garcia dropped a narrow 3-2 decision to Tristan Kelly, allowing McKendree to take a 19-16 victory.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- King has competed in 12 NWCA National Duals and has finished in the top five each time, including 11 of 12 in the top three.
UP NEXT
- King competes in their first home match of the season on Saturday against 11th-ranked Presbyterian College at 2:00 p.m.
- The Tornado then host the Tornado Open on Sunday starting at 9:00 a.m.-
