CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Colorado Mesa women's wrestling team had a historic day on day two of the NCWWC Championships at PowerHouse Arena on Saturday (Mar. 4) evening. The Mavericks finished in fourth which matched its all-time best team finish and they crowned their first-ever national champion in the process.
The Mavericks racked up 108 points to match their best ever finish of fourth as they finished ahead of Augsburg, Simon Fraser and Sacred Heart and just behind stalwarts McKendree, King and eventual national champion North Central.
Marissa Gallegos won the program's first-ever national championship after defeating Amani Jones of North Central 7-2 to cap her undefeated season. Jones opened the match with a takedown in the opening minute of the match, but Gallegos came back with a crotch lift for two points followed by an immediate turn on a leg lace for a 4-2 lead.
In the second period, Gallegos got a takedown and a point off a caution in to build the decisive lead.
She becomes just the second female NCAA individual champion for the Colorado Mesa athletic department joining current swimmer Lily Borgenheimer. She became the third female overall along with Borgenheimer and the Maverick 4x400 indoor relay team.
Dalia Garibay competed in her second national championship match, this time at 155 pounds. For the second time, she was the runner-up at the weight after she fell 6-2 to Marlynne Deede of Augsburg. Deede scored three takedowns before Garibay earned a takedown in the waning seconds of the match.
Jennesis Martinez placed fourth at 101 pounds after going 2-1 on the day. She defeated her teammate
Isabella Morales 4-1 to open her day followed by a 9-1 win over top-seeded Jessica Corredor of King. She closed out her day with an 11-1 loss to second seeded Lizette Rodriguez of McKendree.
The all-American honor makes it three for Martinez and has a possibility of two more in her career should she take those opportunities.
Freshman
Hailey Chapman finished in sixth place at 130 pounds. Chapman started the day with a pin at 1:01 of Alexandra Fitzgerald of Sacred Heart before falling to Montana Delawder of King by pin. In her final match of the season, she fell to Sara Sterner of North Central 6-0 in the fifth-place match.
Holly Beaudoin made it back-to-back sixth place finishes at 136 pounds. The Poulsbo, Wash. native pinned North Central's Salome Walker at 2:46 in her first match of the day before falling by technical fall 18-8 by Paige Wehrmeister of Presbyterian. In her final match, she fell to No. 2 seed in the weight Nina Makem of Augsburg by technical fall 13-2.
Sophomore
Jayleen Sekona placed fifth at 191 pounds in one of the tougher weight classes in the tournament. The Alaska native won her first match of the day with a 4-1 win over Jacklyn Smith of Sacred Heart before falling to Brittyn Corbishly of North Central 7-2. She was awarded a medical forfeit in the fifth-place match from Katja Osteen of Simon Fraser.
Isabella Morales finished in seventh place at 101 pounds after falling to her teammate Martinez in her first match of the day 4-1. Morales bounced back with an 11-0 technical fall win over Aaliyah Payne-Parris of Sacred heart in the seventh-place match.
