Bowling Green, KY – The #12 University of the Cumberlands women's wrestling team recorded 124.5 points to finish fourth at the Mid-South Conference Tournament Friday. The Patriots finished behind #1 Life University (211.5 points), #7 Indiana Tech (164.0 points), and #5 Lindsey Wilson (163.5 points) in the team standings. Cumberlands had five wrestlers place in the top three of their respective weight classes to earn All-Conference honors on the day. 

Genesis Gilmore and Naomi Duenas both garnered Second Team All-Conference honors with runner-up finishes in their respective classes. 

#11 Gilmore secured second place in the 145-pound division after compiling a 2-1 record and scoring 16.0 team points. After receiving a first-round bye, Gilmore posted a 13-2 tech fall over #5 Kori Campbell (Lindsey Wilson) in the quarterfinals. She followed that up with an 11-0 tech fall over #3 Amelia Fawcett (Life University) at the 3:21 mark in the semifinals to advance to the championship bout. In the finals, Gilmore squared off with #2 Jamilah McBryde (Life University) and finished runner-up after dropping a tech fall decision. She heads into the postseason with a 19-8 overall record. 

#8 Duenas also earned a runner-up finish in the 207-pound class, posting a 2-1 mark and scoring 17.0 team points. After a first-round bye, Duenas needed just 45 seconds to pin Jasmin Beckham (Georgetown College) in the quarterfinals. She followed with another fall in the semifinals, pinning #7 Hayeni Costa (Lindsey Wilson) at the 1:56 mark to punch her ticket to the finals. In the championship match, Duenas fell by tech fall to #6 Madeline Welch (Life University) to claim second place and now sits at 13-6 on the season. 

Saiheron Preciado-Meza, Kaitlin Castro, and Destiny Marquez each earned Third Team All-Conference honors with third-place finishes for the Patriots. 

#3 Preciado-Meza placed third in the 180-pound class after going 3-1 on the day and scoring 17.5 team points. After receiving a bye, she earned a 53-second fall over London Crossley (Rochester Christian University) in the quarterfinals. Following a narrow 9-8 semifinal decision loss to #12 Katelyn Lewis (Lindsey Wilson), Preciado-Meza responded with a 1:13 fall over Audrey Gribble (Montreat) in the consolation semifinals. She secured the bronze medal with a fall over #20 A'Niyah Sullivan (Georgetown College) at the 2:09 mark to improve to 22-4 overall. 

Castro turned in one of the strongest consolation runs of the tournament to finish third at 124 pounds, compiling a 4-1 record and scoring a team-high 19.0 points. After dropping an 8-6 decision in the opening round to #4 Kamilah Brooks (Lindsey Wilson), Castro battled back with three falls in the consolation bracket. She pinned #15 Daniela Espinal (Montreat) in 2:03 and Aaliyah Lee (Lourdes) in 1:29 before advancing via medical forfeit in the consolation semifinals. In the third-place match, Castro secured a 1:40 fall over #16 Jes'Onia Barefield (Georgetown College) to claim the bronze medal and move to 13-10 on the season. 

Marquez rounded out the All-Conference honorees with a third-place finish in the 207-pound class, going 3-1 and adding 14.5 team points. Following a first-round bye, she recorded an 11-0 tech fall over #13 Cheyenne Cruce (Lindsey Wilson) at the 5:59 mark in the quarterfinals. After falling in a tightly contested semifinal decision to #6 Madeline Welch (Life University), Marquez answered with an 11-0 tech fall over Jasmin Beckham (Georgetown College) in 3:41 to reach the third-place match. She closed her tournament with an 8-1 decision over #7 Hayeni Costa (Lindsey Wilson) to improve to 9-5 overall. 

NAIA qualifiers are expected to be announced March 3rd. The 4th Annual NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship is slated for March 13-14, 2026 at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Wichita, Kan. 

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