North Central leads as CCIW women’s wrestling reaches midseason
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women's wrestling teams reached the midpoint of their season, using recent competitions to assess progress and identify key performers as they approach the second half of the schedule.
North Central University maintained its leading position in the conference by winning its fourth consecutive NCC Invitational team title. The Cardinals accumulated 139 points and achieved 14 total place finishes at the event. Sara Sterner led North Central with a championship run at 124 pounds, recording three pins during the tournament and securing her title by criteria in the final match. Other strong performances for North Central included runner-up finishes from Kaelani Shufeldt, Riley Rayome, Grace Stem, and Shenita Lawson. Jael Miller finished third at 180 pounds after pinning three opponents and defeating three ranked wrestlers.
Carthage College saw a standout performance from freshman Josie Hosea, who was named CCIW Women’s Wrestling Student-Athlete of the Week following a 5-0 record at the Hiram Terrier Round Robin. Competing at 160 pounds, Hosea earned first place and notched her first career technical fall. Kirsten Cortez also won her weight class for Carthage at 103 pounds with three victories by fall.
Other notable results came from Elmhurst University, where Claire Crouch secured third place at 103 pounds in the NCC Invitational after recording three pins through the consolation bracket. Both Crouch and teammate Viola Pianetto have compiled records of 14-5 this season. Aurora University's Zoee Sadler led her team with a runner-up finish in the 117-B bracket, scoring nearly all of Aurora's points at the meet.
Augustana College faced No. 14 Simpson College in dual competition but fell 40-10 as several Vikings competed against individually ranked opponents. Illinois Wesleyan University closed out its calendar year with Alivia Davey earning a ranked win over Aaliyah Grandberry of Grand Valley State during their final invitational appearance of the semester.
Across recent events, falls and technical superiority have played an important role in determining outcomes throughout CCIW women’s wrestling matches. For example, every bout in Augustana’s dual against Simpson ended by fall. As teams move into the latter part of their schedules, coaches continue to emphasize depth, aggressiveness, and experience gained from competing against strong opposition.