FRANLKIN SPRINGS, Ga. – The fourth-ranked King University women's wrestling team finished third Saturday at the NCWWC Regional Championships, with King qualifying 10 individuals for the national championship, six of which were region champions. The top four finishers at each weight earned berths to the national championships.
THE BASICS
KING RESULT: 3rd of 11 (117.5 points)
LOCATION: Emmanuel University; Franklin Springs, Ga.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- #8 Avery Kibelbek went 2-0 on the day after earning two byes, advancing directly into the semifinals. After pinning Chiara Barbieri of Presbyterian, she won a 9-1 decision over teammate #10 Mia Zuniga to win the region championship at 103 pounds.
- At 110 pounds, #3 Samara Chavez also won the championship after posting a 2-0 record on the day. After her two byes, she won a 10-0 tech fall over Emmanuel's Dinayah Vazquez before beating Chloe Dearwester of Presbyterian 10-0 in the finals.
- At 117 pounds, #3 Clare Booe went 3-0 en route to the regional championship. After a first round bye, she beat Stacy Pule of Allen in 33 seconds before pinning Charlize Shuler of Presbyterian in the semifinals. In the finals, she faced teammate #6 Melanie Mendoza, who she beat 4-0 to take the championship.
- #2 Montana DeLawder won all three of her matches at 124 pounds, including pins of Andrea Castro of Southern Virginia and Ayonna McNeil of Mount Olive before earning a 10-2 decision in the finals over #6 Alyssa Mahan of Presbyterian to win the championship.
- Anna DiCugno won the championship at 131 pounds, winning by pin over Chloe Lawler of Mount Olive and teammate Jessica Corredor before taking a forfeit win in the finals.
- #4 Aine Drury rounded out the Tornado regional champions, winning all three of her matches at 145 pounds. After a first round bye, she won 10-0 over Kayleigh Savage of Mount Olive before pinning Emory & Henry's Molly Keller in 50 seconds. She won the championship with a 10-0 tech fall over #5 Madeline Kubicki of Presbyterian.
- #10 Mia Zuniga finished second at 103 pounds, with her lone loss coming to Kibelbek in the finals. Prior to that, she won a 30-second pin of Emily Flackenstein of Mount Olive before beating Jordan Epstein of Huntingdon 10-0 in the semifinals.
- At 117 pounds, #6 Melanie Mendoza also finished second, going 2-1 on the day. She started with a 54-second pin of Mallory McDonald of Mount Olive before pinning #4 Karissa Turnwall of Emmanuel in the semifinals. Her lone loss came to Booe in the finals.
- #6 Dianna Holmes went 2-1 at 110 pounds, earning a third-place finish. She opened the day with a pair of byes, before falling in the semifinals to Chloe Dearwester of Presbyterian. She bounced back to win a 10-0 tech fall in the consolation semifinals before beating Vazquez of Emmanuel 13-2 in the third-place match.
- Jessica Corredor finished second at 131 pounds, winning a true fourth-place match to qualify for nationals. She won her first two matches before falling to DiCugno in the semifinals. After dropping her consolation semifinal, she beat Isabella Hoffman of Emmanuel in the fifth-place match, before beating Kassey Daugherty of Presbyterian in the true fourth match to earn a berth to nationals.
RESULTS BY WEIGHT CLASS
103 - #8
Avery Kibelbek 1st (2-0); #10
Mia Zuniga 2nd (2-1)
110 - #3
Samara Chavez 1st (2-0); #6
Dianna Holmes 3rd (2-1)
117 - #3
Clare Booe 1st (3-0); #6
Melanie Mendoza 2nd (2-1)
124 - #2
Montana DeLawder 1st (3-0)
131 –
Anna DiCugno 1st (3-0);
Jessica Corredor 4th (4-2)
138 –
Annabel Garcia 2-2
145 - #4
Aine Drury 1st (3-0)
UP NEXT
- The 10 national qualifiers will wrestle at the NCWWC National Championships in two weeks in Iowa.
