Wichita, Kan. – The #12 University of the Cumberlands women's wrestling team looks to build upon its fourth-place finish at the Mid-South Conference Championships as it prepares to compete at the 4th Annual NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship, set for March 13–14 at Heartland Credit Union Arena. 

The Patriots will send 10 wrestlers to the national tournament, including eight automatic qualifiers from the MSC Championships and two conference wildcard selections. Cumberlands enters the championship with seven wrestlers ranked nationally in their respective weight classes. 

Leading the way is #3 Saiheron Preciado-Meza (17-4) at 180 pounds. Also ranked nationally for the Patriots are #8 Naomi Duenas (11-6) at 207, #11 Genesis Gilmore (19-8) at 145, #13 Alivia Ming (12-11) at 145, #13 Sierra Mefford (11-7) at 160, #14 Mary Jane Porter (16-9) at 131, and #15 Ruth Jimenez (14-6) at 138. 

In the 124-pound class, Kaitlin Castro (14-9) earned an automatic berth to represent the Patriots. At 131 pounds, Porter secured a conference wildcard selection to qualify for nationals. 

Jimenez (14-6) will compete at 138 pounds after earning an automatic qualification through the Mid-South Conference Championships. 

Cumberlands will have two representatives in the 145-pound class, as both Gilmore (19-8) and Ming (12-11) qualified automatically for the national tournament. 

At 160 pounds, Mefford (11-7) earned an automatic berth while Micah Miller (22-5) received a conference wildcard selection to compete in Wichita. 

Preciado-Meza (17-4) enters the championship as one of the top-ranked wrestlers in the country at 180 pounds after securing her automatic qualification. 

In the 207-pound division, Duenas (11-6) and Destiny Marquez (9-5) will both represent the Patriots after earning automatic bids through the conference tournament. 

With representation across multiple weight classes and seven nationally ranked wrestlers in the lineup, the Patriots will look to make their mark on the national stage in Wichita. 

Wrestling begins Friday, March 13 and concludes Saturday, March 14 at Heartland Credit Union Arena. 

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