RESULTS

Franklin Springs, GA – UC sent six wrestlers to the Robert Horton Memorial Tournament and all six placed in the top-five of their respective weight class. The Patriots were able to defeat 11 opponents with eight falls, marking one of their most successful tournaments this season.

Leading the way for Cumberlands was senior Bridgette Duty who claimed first place in the 136 bracket. She had a difficult path to the title, having to face two top-ten NCAA D-II wrestlers. Early on in her first match, Duty was down via a four-point takedown, but then she countered her opponent earning two points of her own and getting a fall victory at 1:28, setting the tone for her day. Ranked second in the NAIA, Duty squared up against seventh ranked Julia Padilla from Emmanuel (NCAA D-II) in th semifinals. The Needville, TX native was in command the whole match, going up 5-0 with just 40 seconds left in the first period. After a reset, Duty came out firing to try and keep the contest from going into the second period. The last 20 seconds saw Duty earn five unanswered points to earn the 10-0 tech fall win.

In the championship match up against eighth ranked wrestler, Felicity Bryant, from Emmanuel (NCAA D-II). Duty went down early 2-0. Despite being down, Duty never wavered, earning an escape point and a two-point takedown of her own. The dual would go back and for the rest of the time, eventually being tied at 8-8 with 25 seconds left. The senior saw her opportunity to strike with a two-point takedown in the final 15 seconds to get the 10-8 decision win. She improves her record to 16-1 on the season and picks up her second individual title of the year. Duty now has 93 career wins moving her into second-place all time, passing Olympian Toccara Montgomery.

Elizabeth Dosado also found herself in the championship match, hers being in the 101-weight class. The sixth ranked wrestler earned her first win by decision of her career in her opening match with a score of 13-7. Dosado was tied with her opponent after one period, but then rattled off seven unanswered to earn herself a spot in the semifinals. In her second match, the freshman fell behind early and was eventually down 7-4. But she kept her composure and secured the win with a fall at 4:20. For the championship Dosado had to face Angelina Gomez, ranked #2 in the NCAA D-II from Emmanuel. Dosado fought hard, but ended up losing 10-0 to claim second place.

Having her best season of her career, Ashley Ikner added another top-three finish to her accolades. Coming out of the gates quick is her specialty, and Ikner scored ten points in the first minute and a half of her quarterfinal match in the 143-weight class. Unsatisfied with the tech fall win, Ikner went for the pin and was able to secure it at 1:24. Next up, Ikner had to wrestle Ashlynn Ortega, the third ranked wrestler out of King (NCAA DII). Ikner ranked 17^th, lost to Ortega from a 10-0 tech fall. The loss put her in the consolation bracket, but Ikner stuck to what she does best, falls in the first 1:30 of a match which is exactly what she did against her next opponent. The senior recorded the fall at 1:05 putting her through to the third-place match. This meant she had to face fellow teammate and senior Kailee Godinez. Ikner got out to a 4-0 lead and was able to hold it all the way through, winning by a 17-6 tech fall. This gave Ikner the third-place finish followed by Godinez in fourth.

Before 18^th ranked Godinez lined up against Ikner she recorded two falls of her own extending her team best fall record to ten. Her first fall came at 2:28 followed by 3:25. Godinez fell to the consolation bracket after facing fifth ranked Morgan Norris from Presbyterian (NCAA D-II). Norris went up 4-0, before earning her own fall at 36 seconds.

Also earning the fourth-place finish was Jaine Stephens in the 109-weight class bracket. After opening the tournament with a hard fought 19-8 tech fall loss, Stephens won three straight matches by fall to earn a spot in the third-place match. In her first consolation match the sophomore was down 2-0 before earning four points herself. Her last two-points translated into a fall at 3:53. Next up, the Williamsburg, KY native ranked fifth in the NAIA had to face fifth ranked Valerilla Mamleeva from Lindenwood (NCAA D-II). Despite Mamleeva going up 6-0 after a four-point takedown, Stephens remained composed using Mamleeva's momentum against her to record a two-point takedown. Stephens then forced her to the ground for a fall victory at 2:00. The sophomore's final fall of the day came after she was up 6-0 within the first minute of the match. Stephens then forced her opponent into a fall at 1:12. Unfortunately, Stephens was then unable to compete in the third-place with an injury forfeit, earning fourth place overall.

Olivia Coyne was able to earn a fifth-place finish in the 101-weight class. Her closest match was a 8-2 decision loss to Life's Unity Cordova. Coyne went down 4-0 in the first period, but then earned herself a two-point takedown. She was unable to score anymore points, but she was able to keep Cordova at bay.

The Patriots will return to the mats for their final home duals of the season. They will face both Campbellsville and Lourdes for MSC matchups starting at 7 PM on Friday, January 29. The duals can be seen on th UC Sports Network here.

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