RESULTS (PDF)

Park City, KS – The UC women's wrestling team opened their season at the Falcon Invite, hosted by Friends University. The Patriots had an excellent showing, placing five in the top-three of their weight classes with three individual champions.
 
As a team, Cumberlands had a 40-22 record and led their opponents in every statistical category including falls (13-11), tech falls (8-5), decisions (7-1) and match points 268-86.
 
Claiming the championships for the Pats were Elizabeth Dosado, Aliyah Yates and Ariana Pereira. Angelina Castaneda earned second place and Jesse Kirby placed third at the tournament.
 
The best weight class for UC at the Falcon Invite was the 101-weight class. It was an all Cumberlands final between Dosado and Angelina Castaneda, unfortunately Castaneda was unable to compete in the final match, crowing Dosado the champ. To open the tournament Dosado, ranked #8 in the NAIA took down #16 Gabriela Garcia of Brewton-Parker. The match was all Dosado, who won via 12-2 tech fall. The win sent Dosado to the semifinals where she came out victorious from a 9-3 decision before taking the final win. Castaneda joined Dosado in the finals with two wins of her own. In Castaneda's first match, she picked up the fastest pin for the team on the day, pinning her opponent in just 19 seconds. She then dominated her opponent in the semis 14-3 for the tech fall win.
 
Yates, ranked 8^th, rolled through her competition in the 136-weight class, going 5-0, with two falls. She kicked off her 2022 season with a 10-0 tech fall, shutting out her opponent, a theme Yates had all day. She then had back-to-back pins, not even eclipsing two minutes on the mat, the first at 1:24 and the second at just 33 seconds. The closest match of the tournament for Yates came in the semifinals from a 6-0 decision. Her finals match only lasted 38 seconds before Yates claimed victory from a 11-0 tech fall. In the finals, Yates hit a suplex earning her five points and then she rattled off three leg laces for the 136-title, the first championship of her collegiate career.
 
Also claiming her first collegiate title was unranked Pereira in the 170-weight class. Pereira went 5-0 on the day with a pair of falls to her name. Her first came in her opening match, pinning her opponent at 2:08. She then had two consecutive matches where she blanked her opponents 10-0 for tech fall wins. For the semifinal matchup Pereira's opponent Leilana Hernandez from Texas Wesleyan, ranked #10 in the 155-weight class. Pereira had a 4-2 lead before pinning Hernandez to advance to the finals. Pereira again had a tough matchup, this time 11^th ranked Darby Weidl from Ottawa. But once again Pereira rose to the occasion, never trailing in the match, able to secure the 6-4 victory.
 
Placing in the tournament as well was Kirby in the 191-weight class, where she earned third place. The senior picked up her first victory of the day from a fall just over one minute at 1:12, Kirby, ranked #5 then had to face Folashade Akinola from York ranked #17. Kirby began both periods with a four-point takedown and also got a two-point takedown to win 10-0 for the tech fall. In the semis, Kirby faced the defending NAIA Champion, Kelani Corbett from Lyon. Kirby was able to score six points, but Corbett earned 16 herself sending Kirby to the consolation bracket. The Culpeper, VA native then battled back, winning a pair of matches, where combined she outscored her opponents, 19-3 for the third-place finish.
 
The Patriots had four freshmen competing at the tournament and all of them earned their first collegiate victories. In the 15-weight class Erica Moore and Lianna Ward combined for three wins to being their Patriot careers. Ward dropped her first match and then battled back for a pair of consolation wins, both by decision to make it to the fourth round.  Moore won her very first collegiate match with a fall at 1:13, where she was up 6-1 before getting the pin.
 
Both Olivia Hogan and Cierra Abrego won their first college matches from falls For Hogan in the 130-weight class, she secured her win under two minutes with a fall at 1:56. She then picked up a win in the second round from a 6-1 decision to advance to the quarterfinals before falling to the consolation bracket. Abrego earned her fall at 2:33 in the 170-weight class, she scored her first points just 16 seconds in before going up 6-5, at the time of the fall. Her second victory also came via fall at 2:01 in the consolation bracket.
 
Camarie Cunningham had one of her best outings as a Patriot going 2-2 in the 136-weight class. Both of her wins came via fall in the consolation bracket. Her first at 4:33 and then her second in the next match at 3:50. Cunningham led the way for both matches before securing the pin.
 
Zoey Smith found success in the 130-weight class winning her second match of the day. She won via fall as well. She was up 10-0 before earning the win at 4:34.
 
The Patriots will return to the mats for the Life Open in Marietta, GA on  Saturday, November 12.

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