By Tanner Lafever
USA Wrestling

Amidst back-to-back championship weekends for women’s college wrestling, it could be easy to get lost in the whirlwind of it all – walking away at its conclusion with nothing but vivid, emotional remnants of the experience that was.

And who’s to say that’s a bad thing?

Perhaps the very purest form of consumption is to simply allow oneself to become swept up in the wave of sensations – never stopping to overanalyze one moment lest the next one pass you by.

I’m certainly not going to argue if that’s your approach.

But as I sit here at my desk during the brief hiatus between last weekend’s inaugural NCAA Championships and this weekend’s forthcoming NAIA national tournament, I find myself wanting to pause – at least briefly – and reflect upon this ongoing moment for the sport.

There’s never been a better, more competitive/appreciated time to be a women’s college wrestler – or women’s wrestler of any age, for that matter. This, after decades spent by trailblazers and advocates to open up the deserved opportunities now being seized by today’s athletes.

And just as those pioneers before them offered hope and inspiration to the current generation, so too will this group of young women to those following in their footsteps.

With that in mind, allow me to begin this latest women’s wrestling notebook by highlighting just some of the names to remember from a historic NCAA Championships in Coralville, Iowa.

After that, we’ll wrap with some names to look forward to at what will be an equally compelling NAIA Championships this weekend in Park City, Kansas.

Etched in history 

180.

That’s how many women – representing 54 different schools – will forever hold the distinction as the first participants at an NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships.

Among them, Sloane Kruger (Presbyterian) registered the first-ever win (and pin) at NCAAs just 1:03 into her preliminary bout at 103 pounds.

80.

That’s how many All-Americans – representing 27 different schools – stood on the podium.

The first of them to earn that honor was Grand Valley State’s Rayana Sahagun (103), thanks to a come-from-behind, quarterfinal pin against 2023 national champion Madison Avila (North Central).

Eight different schools produced the 20 first-ever finalists to compete for an NCAA individual title.

Iowa 103-pounder Valarie Solorio became the first to punch her finals ticket with a 0:40 semifinal fall over Trinity Pendergrass (Quincy).

And of the 10 women (from six schools) who will go down in history as the inaugural class of NCAA individual national champions, the original member was Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State).

A senior, Lange’s first NCAA title was the third individual crown of her storied college career.

The only wrestler to leave Saturday with more titles than Lange’s three was also the final victor of the night – McKendree’s Cameron Guerin.

Despite facing no shortage of adversity along the way, Geurin returned for one final collegiate season. And now that it’s over, she’s made history as a five-time national champion.

Guerin’s McKendree Bearcats are another name for the record books – becoming the first-ever NCAA team champions after a thrilling two-day race against runner-up Iowa.

Led by head coach Alexio Garcia, McKendree paced the field in All-Americans (10) and finalists (five).

There are countless names that deserve recognition from the remarkable weekend that was in Coralville – including Saturday night’s must-see finals. So, please don’t let my select choices here keep you from diving into the NCAA Championships from every possible angle.

Speaking from someone who was fortunate enough to cover it all in person, it truly was one of the rare instances in which the level of competition and preponderance of storylines met the (historic) championship moment.

And you simply can’t ask for anything more than that.

NAIA National Championships arrive 

This Friday/Saturday (March 13-14), Park City, Kansas, plays host to the fourth edition of the NAIA Women’s National Championships.

There, Heartland Credit Union Arena will feature some of the best team/individual talent in women’s college wrestling on display in a championship setting.

Here’s how the schedule breaks down over two days:

Friday, March 13

• Session I – 10:00 a.m. (First and Second Round + First/Second Round Consolations)

• Session II – 6:00 p.m. (Quarterfinals + Third/Fourth Round Consolations)

Saturday, March 14

• Session III – 10:00 a.m. (Semifinals + Fifth/Six Round Consolations, Placement Matches)

• Session IV – 7:00 p.m. (Championship Finals)

The championships will be streamed live on FloWrestling – where you can also find up-to-date brackets, team scores, mat assignments/alerts, etc.

And for those in the area looking to attend, ticket information is available here.

As for the field of competitors, storylines abound.

36 different institutions will be represented among the 210 qualifying athletes.

(For a detailed explanation of the qualifying process, FloWrestling has you covered.)

And unlike the NCAA Championships, NAIA programs can qualify up to 12 athletes for the national tournament – all of whom can score team points.

10 former champions also return for a 2026 title run – including seven who stood atop the podium just last year.

Senior national team member Cristelle Rodriguez (Doane University) is the lone athlete with multiple titles under her belt and will go for a three-peat at 124 pounds. The other nine will look to add a second title to their ledger(s).

Among them are the McBryde sisters (Zaynah – 138, Jamilah – 145 and Latifah – 160) from Life University – the returning team champions.

Another trio hails from William Penn (IA) – including Nigerian Olympians Christianah Ogunsanya (117) and Esther Kolawole (138), plus 2024 champ Mia Palumbo (110).

Two more come from the great Northwest in the form of the University of Providence’s Erin Hikiji (103) and Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp (131).

And the last is Dickinson State sophomore Jumoke Adekoye – who’ll pursue a repeat in another loaded bracket at 131 pounds.

The top four projected contenders in this weekend’s team title race are also the only schools with 12 qualifiers.

Leading the pack is the aforementioned Life University (GA), which combines both championship experience and unparalleled top-to-bottom depth. If the Eagles can go back-to-back under head coach Ashley Flavin, they’ll be the first program to do so since Campbellsville (KY) in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, William Penn (IA) may represent the greatest challenger thanks to its high-end firepower. With three #1 seeds and two more wrestlers favored to make the semifinals, the Statesmen could rack up a lot of points amongst their heavy hitters.

As for Providence (MT), the National Duals runners-up (to Life) will take their latest swing at a tournament setting in which they’ve only once previously finished inside the top five (2023).

And finally, returning second-place finishers Grand View (IA) will have to make its mark in the lightweights – where eight of its qualifiers reside between 103-124 pounds.

Stay tuned to USA Wrestling for coverage of the upcoming NAIA Women’s National Championships.

We’ll have recaps after both days of action in Park City, in what we can only hope will replicate the drama and storylines from NCAAs.

And with the talent set to take the mat this weekend, there’s no reason to suspect it won’t.