RESULTS

Louisville, KY – For UC's first competition of the 2023 calendar year, the team took part in the NWCA National Duals. The #8 Patriots went 1-1 on the first day of the tournament, dropping the first dual to #9 Texas Wesleyan (28-16) and then bouncing back for the 29-21 win over (RV) Ottawa.

Three wrestlers went 2-0 on the day with Aliyah Yates, Angelina Castaneda and Jesse Kirby. Yates led the way with a fall and a decision win while Castaneda had a tech and Kirby notched a fall along with forfeit wins.
 
CUMBERLANDS DEFEATS OTTAWA, 29-21
UC opened the dual with two forfeit wins to be up 10-0 for the 116-bout. Ashley Courtney stepped to the line for the Pats ready to extend the team's lead. Courtney picked up a pair of two-point takedowns with the second one leading to putting her opponent on her back. Courtney sealed the fall victory at the 1:07 mark to extend UC's lead to 15-0.

The Braves fought back, bringing the score to 15-10 when the 136-match took place. Yates wasted no time in the dual, tossing her opponent on her back in just 22 seconds for the sixth fastest fall amongst all wrestlers on the day.

Despite the victory for Yates, the Braves got two wins of their own to tie the score at 20 each for the 170 matchup. Chamira Cooper went out for UC and #10 Darby Weidl lined up for Ottawa. Weidl scored the first points of the match, but then it was all Cooper. The Cerritos, CA native got a pushout and then a two-point takedown before landing a blast double to make the score 7-2. Cooper scored six more points while only conceding one more for the 13-3 tech fall. Her win made the team score 24-21 in favor of UC.

The final match featured Kirby who only needed 29 seconds to secure her win. She got the two-point takedown and then used an arm bar to put her opponent on her back for the fall victory. This sealed the win for the Patriots for a 29-21 victory.
 
TEXAS WESLEYAN BEATS CUMBERLANDS, 28-16
#15 Castaneda set the tone for the team, with a tough matchup against #16 Jolie Lucas. Castaneda shot a single to take the lead and never looked back. Lucas tried to take shots herself, but Castaneda defended well and was able to rack up 10 points without conceding any for the tech fall victory.

The four team points Castaneda scored were all UC earned until the 136-weight class, leaving the score at 18-4 in favor of the Rams. #4 Yates took on #7 Mea Mohler (143-weight class). The two went back-and-forth all match, taking methodical shots at each other. Yates had the 2-1 lead after the first period, landing a takedown with eight seconds left in the period. Mohler started the next period strong with a four-point takedown to take the lead, but Yates did not waver. Yates earned two more two-point takedowns to edge Mohler by a score of 6-5 for the decision win.

The Patriots did not win another match until the 170-weight class from #1 Dymond Guilford. She faced off against #15 Aaylah Villareal and once again showed off her speed and athleticism, winning in jut 27 seconds. Guilford hit a double and went right into a leg lace, turning Villareal three times for the 10-0 tech fall win. Kirby followed that up with a forfeit win, leaving the team score at 28-16 in favor of Texas Wesleyan.

UC also had five wrestlers compete in the NUWAY Open with a trio of wrestlers earning a spot in the top-six of their weight class.

Ivy Partin had the highest finish by any UC wrestler, coming in fourth for the 123-weight class. Partin also earned her first collegiate win. She was up 5-0 after the first period and then landed a four-point takedown to start the second period. Her opponent earned two points, but Partin hung on for the 9-2 decision win.

Zoey Smith was able to place fifth in the 130-weight class, earning a pair of wins. She opened the competition with a fall at 5:24. Smith was down 8-6 with 40 seconds left in the match. Then Smith landed a four-point takedown that put her opponent on her back for the fall win.

In the 143-weight class UC had two wrestlers, both of which earned a win in the tournament. Erica Moore was able to place sixth in the weight-class with Lianna Ward just one match off form placing. Moore defeated Ward in the Consolation third round from a fall at 4:12. Ward's one win also came from a fall at 4:12.

Cumberlands returns to the mats for the second day of the NWCA National Duals. They will compete in three duals with the first against #7 Indiana Tech at 9AM ET on Saturday January 7.
 
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