It has been a monster January for women’s wrestling, highlighted by the 2026 NWCA National Duals and Life vs North Central in the ultimate National Duals tiebreaker.

North Central won the NCAA All-Divisions tournament on January 10. 

Life won the NAIA tournament on January 10.

The two faced off on Thursday, January 15, during FloWrestling Night in America for the ultimate National Duals tiebreaker. 

North Central prevailed, 28-13, by winning seven of 10 matches, including a 4-4 down-to-the-wire nailbiter at 131 pounds. Below are the results and the full match replay.

North Central 28, Life 13
103: Maddie Avila (NCC) over Alyssa Quezaire (L), 10-0 3:50
110: Kaelani Shufeldt (NCC) over Diana Gonzalez (L), 13-2 5:04
117: Salyna Shotwell (L) over Mikayla Garcia (NCC), 8-1
124: Sara Sterner (NCC) over Anna Krejsa (L), 10-0 3:28
131: Yele Aycock (NCC) over Sarah Savidge (L), 4-4)
138: Claire DiCugno (NCC) over Olivia Mottley (L), 11-0 5:24
145: Bella Mir (NCC) over Jamilah McBryde (L), 8-2
160: Latifah McBryde (L) over Taylor Graveman (NCC), 11-5
180: Reka Busa (L) over Shenita Lawson (NCC), 2-2
207: Caroline Ward (NCC) over Madddy Welch (L), 6-1

D1 Lehigh vs D1 Iowa

There are seven NCAA Division I women’s wrestling programs, and two squared off in Iowa City on Sunday, January 18. Iowa (D1), Lehigh (D1), and Otterbein (D3) wrestled a triangular, with the Hawkeyes dominating both teams. 

Lehigh 32, Otterbein 11
Iowa 37, Lehigh 7
Iowa 42, Otterbein 1

Iowa Dominates Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invitational

The Hawkeyes sent most of the team to Mount Vernon, Iowa, on Saturday, and the results speak for themselves. Iowa crowned eight champions, and would have had a ninth if Naomi Simon (180) hadn’t redshirted. 

Intrigue is high at 103, 110, and 207 pounds with intense roster battles for one spot. 

Top-ranked 103-pounder Val Solorio has three wins over two-time All-American (2nd, 4th) Sterling Dias this season, but a 4-4 win in the Mike Duroe finals might make the final decision difficult for Chun and staff. Dias topped All-American (3rd) Rianne Murphy, 5-4, in the semis.

Nyla Valencia is the clear frontrunner at 110 despite two returning national champions at her weight. She defeated Ava Bayless, 8-4, in the semis and Emilie Gonzalez, 11-0, in the finals. 

Iowa’s current starters at 103 (Solorio) and 110 (Valencia) didn’t make the postseason roster last season. Solorio was at 110 and was not selected for the postseason, and Valencia has been injured for two straight seasons. 

There’s also competition at 207, with Katja Osteen making a statement. She competed at 180 while two-time national champion Kylie Welker took a first-semester break, but won the Mike Duroe Invite at 207 with a 7-0 shutout over four-time national finalist Jaycee Foeller. Foeller defeated teammate Libby Dix, 10-0, in the semis. 

Iowa Placers
103: Val Solorio, 1st
103: Sterling Dias, 2nd
103: Rianne Murphy, 3rd
110: Nyla Valencia, 1st
110: Emilie Gonzalez, 2nd
110: Ava Bayless, 3rd
117: Harlee Hiller, 1st
124: Cali Leng, 1st
124: Isabella Marie Gonzalez, 3rd
124: Ava Rose, 5th
131: Karlee Brooks, 1st
131: Emily Frost, 3rd
131: Mia Goodwin, 6th
138: Lilly Luft, 1st
138: Ella Schmit, 3rd
138: Danni Swihart, 6th
145: Reese Larramendy, 1st
145: Cadence Diduch, 2nd
207: Katja Osteen, 1st
207: Jaycee Foeller, 2nd
207: Libby Dix, 5th

Bearcats On The Prowl

McKendree showed why it will contend for a team title at the 2026 NCAA Championships in March. Head coach Alexio Garcia sent most of his stars to the Missouri Baptist Open, crowning six champions, with a seventh if you count Katey Valdez, who wrestled unattached. 

Garcia has depth, too — and has decisions to make after Savannah Gomez defeated teammate Jasmine Robinson, 6-2, in the 160-pound finals. Heather Crull fell to teammate Valdez in the 103-pound finals, but it’s presumed that Crull still has the spot since Valdez competed unattached. 

Shelby Moore (124), a two-time All-American and national finalist, and Cam Guerin (131), a four-time national champion, didn’t compete but are still the presumed starters. The Bearcats won both weights with non-starters.

McKendree Placers
103: Heather Crull, 2nd
110: Gabby Tedesco, 1st
110: Emma-Grace Cabinian, 5th
117: Kiona Conner, 2nd
124: Mariah Smith, 1st
131: Alex Szkotnicki, 1st
138: Haylie Jaffe, 1st
145: Alexis Gomez, 2nd
160: Savannah Gomez, 1st
160: Jasmine Robinson, 2nd
180: Autumne Williams, 4th
180: Allison Evans, 3rd
207: Tristan Kelly, 1st
207: Rylee Ferranti, 2nd
207: Chloe Hoselton, 3rd

Dual of the Week: McKendree vs Grand Valley State

McKendree travels to Grand Valley State for the GLVC Conference Duals, where both teams will face multiple schools from the conference on Saturday, January 24. This is the highlight dual, of course, and is a rematch of the 2026 National Duals semifinals. Here’s what happened last time (with links to matches)

McKendree 25, Grand Valley State 13
103: Heather Crull (M) over Rayana Sahagun (GVSU), 9-0
110: Gabby Tedesco (M) over Kiely Tabaldo (GVSU), 5-0
117: Sage Mortimer (GVSU) over Yu Sakamoto (M), 14-3
124: Aspen Blasko (GVSU) over Shelby Moore (M), 4-1
131: Cam Guerin (M) over Emily Medford (GVSU), 10-9
138: Katie Lange (GVSU) over Haylie Jaffe (M), 2-1
145: Duda Batista (M) over Margaret Buurma (GVSU), 4-2
160: Jasmine Robinson (M) over Noelle Gaffney (GVSU), 9-4
180: Tristan Kelly (M) over Sabrina Nauss (GVSU), 10-0
207: Destiny Rodriguez (M) over Aaliyah Grandberry (GVSU), 4-0

Dan Gable Joins Women's Wrestling Weekly: The Show (Ep. 64)

Women's Spotlight: Alex Penley and Remy LaFlamme

It’s Time To Break Up

The NCAA approved a proposal to establish a Division III women’s wrestling championship starting in the 2027-28 academic year. Under the current format, all three divisions compete at the same NCAA Championships. Under the new format, Division III will host a separate championship. 

The NCAA has 122 programs that currently offer or will offer women’s wrestling across all divisions. Here’s the breakdown.

Division I: 7
Division II: 38
Division III: 77
Total: 128

That means athletic scholarship programs (D1/D2) will host a separate tournament from non-athletic scholarship schools (D3) during the 2027-28 season. This affected North Central in particular, since it recently won the NCAA All-Divisions bracket at the 2026 NWCA National Duals. 

Women’s Wrestling On Iowa PBS

Iowa PBS is crushing it with women’s wrestling coverage, showcasing three duals this season. Watch the replay of Grand View’s 34-15 win over Missouri Valley here, then watch a worldwide stream of junior college powers Indian Hills vs Iowa Central here on Wednesday, January 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern. 

Are You A Warrior?

The Warrior Women’s Open is 23-24 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is consistently one of the best in-season tournaments, with top high school, college, and post-college wrestlers competing. The weather could take a bite out of this year’s tournament, but there should be plenty of high-profile matchups to keep fans locked in. 

College Commitments Are Rolling In

High schoolers are making their college decisions. Click here to stay current. 

Upcoming Tournaments

Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24
Warrior Women’s Open

Saturday, January 24
Georgia Open
PA State Dual Tournament
Journeyman College Duals

Sunday, January 25
CCIW Championships

Weekend Results

Sunday, January 18
Tornado Open
Elmhurst Invite
Women’s Spartan Mat Classic
Mount Union Raider Open
William Penn Open

Saturday, January 17
Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invitational
York Women’s Open

Friday, January 16
Missouri Baptist Open