IOWA CITY, Iowa— The Colorado Mesa University Maverick women's wrestling team dropped a tight 24-22 decision to Oklahoma State's club team and then was overmatched by the 2-time defending national champion and nation's top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, 36-8 in a Sunday afternoon tri-dual here in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The fifth-ranked Mavericks, now 3-2 on the season, split the ten matches against the Cowgirls in a back-and-forth dual that saw three lead changes.
Celina Preston was the Mavs' lone winner against Iowa, which had six nationally-ranked wrestlers in their lineup, including four ranked first or second.
All four of the Mavs' nationally-ranked wrestlers in action throughout the day won against the Cowgirls as CMU jumped out to a 12-2 lead behind a pin from eighth-ranked
Mia Zuniga at 103 pounds, a 13-3 technical fall win from ninth-ranked
Adriana Gomez at 110, and an 8-2 decision from
Sophia Cornish at 117.
However, the Cowgirls won the next three matches and took a 15-13 lead.
Sixth-ranked
Gretchen Donally then answered back with a pin just 40 seconds into her 145-pound match with Reagen Knapp to give the Mavs an 18-15 lead in the dual.
The Cowgirls then won by pin at 160 and by technical fall at 180 to claim the dual.
Fourth-ranked
Jayleen Sekona also won for the Mavs, claiming a 10-0 technical fall win at 207 pounds to make the final score closer.
Against Iowa, which has never lost a dual in the 3-year history of the program, the Mavericks dropped two tight decisions in the first four matches and were pinned in the other two.
The Hawkeyes then won the next two matches by technical fall and led 29-2 before Preston pinned Cadence Diduch at 160 to give the Mavs their lone win of the dual.
2024 Olympic Silver Medalist Kennedy Blades, ranked first at 160, then moved up to claim a 10-0 technical fall win at 180 pounds before Jaycee Foeller, ranked second, defeated Sekona, 8-0 in the final match.
Earlier, Nyla Valenica had defeated Gomez while Reese Larramendy beat Donally in two other match-ups of nationally-ranked wrestlers. Valencia and Larramendy are both ranked second at 110 and 145 pounds, respectively.
The Mavs will return to tournament action next Sunday (Dec. 14) as they will return to the Midwest to compete at the North Central College Invitational in Naperville, Illinois. The host Cardinals are ranked second as a team nationally.
Oklahoma State (Club) 24, #5 Colorado Mesa 22
103: #8
Mia Zuniga (CMU) def. Brooke Borrigan (OKST), Fall (4:08)
110: #9
Adriana Gomez (CMU) def. Rilee Harrison (OKST), T-Fall (13-3, 2:09)
117:
Sophia Cornish (CMU) dec. Jadyn Roller (OKST), 8-2
124: Molly Allen (OKST) def.
Kylee Golz (CMU), T-Fall (12-1, 2:06)
131: Kailey Benson (OKST) def.
Thalia Vogelsang (CMU), T-Fall (10-0, 4:06)
138: Eleanor Dean (OKST) def.
Mollie Dare (CMU), Fall (0:12)
145: #6
Gretchen Donally (CMU) def. Reagen Knapp (OKST), Fall (0:40)
160: Daniella Nugent (OKST) def.
Taylor Colangelo (CMU), Fall (2:18)
180: Kaiulani Garcia (OKST) def.
Maggie Smith (CMU), T-Fall (13-0, 4:37)
207: #4
Jayleen Sekona (CMU) def. Cameron Massie (OKST), T-Fall (10-0, 1:07)
#1 Iowa 36, #5 Colorado Mesa 8
103: Rianne Murphy (IOWA) dec. #8
Mia Zuniga (CMU), 3-1
110: #2 Nyla Valencia (IOWA) def. #9
Adriana Gomez, Fall (0:59)
117: #4 Brianna Gonzalez (IOWA) def.
Jojo McDaniel (CMU), Fall (2:45)
124: #6 Cali Leng (IOWA) dec.
Brooke McCurley (CMU), 5-4
131: Emily Frost (IOWA) def.
Hania Halverson (CMU), Fall (3:25)
138: Lilly Luft (IOWA) def.
Mollie Dare, T-Fall (10-0, 2:00)
145: #2 Reese Larramendy (IOWA) def. #6
Gretchen Donally, T-Fall (12-1, 4:21)
160:
Celina Preston (CMU) def. Cadence Diduch (IOWA), Fall (4:41)
180: #1 (160 lbs.) Kennedy Blades (IOWA) def.
Kimberly Carlin (CMU), T-Fall (10-0, 1:24)
207: #2 Jaycee Foeller (IOWA) dec. #4
Jayleen Sekona (CMU), 8-0
