Grit, comebacks and clutch performances defined the Mavericks’ battle at NCWWC Nationals, as freshmen stepped up and veterans fought for All-American status on wrestling’s biggest stage.
The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) women’s wrestling team wrapped up its season on March 8 at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship in Coralville, Iowa. Against a deep field of over 300 wrestlers from 64 schools, the Mavericks finished eighth overall with 48 points,
leading all teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCWWC Region 8.
“It comes with a lot of hard work from the team […], and to be able to say that we can [go to nationals] again shows the consistency of our program; it shows what these young ladies put in from day one,” said head coach Travis Mercado.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, though. CMU entered Saturday’s blood round, where a win means an All-American finish, and a loss means your season is over, with six wrestlers still in contention. But the Mavericks struggled, going 1-5 in those critical matches, with freshman Lorianna Piestewa being the only one to punch her ticket to the podium.
Piestewa, seeded eighth, recorded CMU’s best finish at the tournament. She opened with wins over Liannett Ortiz of Wartburg and Linda Holeman of Western New England before falling to No. 1 seeded Amani Jones of North Central in the quarterfinals. In the blood round, she defeated Utica’s Jazmene Molina by an 11-1 technical fall to secure All-American status.
Piestewa continued her run with back-to-back 10-0 technical fall victories over No. 4-ranked Cali Leng (Iowa) and No. 8-ranked Ally Fitzgerald of Sacred Heart. She earned a 7-4 decision over No. 2 ranked Montana DeLawder of King University in the third-place match. Her only loss came against the eventual national champion, and she finished her freshman season with a 17-2 record.
Redshirt Senior Jennesis Martinez, competing at 103 pounds, was in position to become a fivetime NCWWC All-American but fell short in the blood round.
“It’s my last time competing in college, […] I just wanna let loose an wrestle like I know how to,” said Martinez.
She started strong with a pin against Gianna Hernandez of Western New England and a 10-2 win over Brianne Graves of North Central before losing to Iowa’s Sterling Dias. In a win-or-go-home match against North Central’s Madison Avila, Martinez lost 8-2, ending her season with an 11-2
record.
Fellow freshman Maddison Heinzer also competed at 103 pounds and fought through a
tough bracket.
“I know they’re good, but I’m ready to wrestle,” said Heinzer.
After winning her opening match, she fell to Otterbein’s Olivia Shore but responded with a pair of victories, including an upset over No. 3-ranked Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley State. She was eliminated in the blood round by Schreiner’s Odelia Lopez.
At 124 pounds, freshman Brooke McCurley had a solid showing, bouncing back from a first-round loss to earn three straight pins in the consolation bracket. Her run came to an end in the blood round against DeLawder, finishing her season with a 23-13 record.
Freshman Gretchen Donally, wrestling at 160 pounds, also battled through a competitive field. She started with two wins, pinning Janiya Brogan of West Liberty and Love Daley of Sacred Heart. After falling to Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades of Iowa in the quarterfinals, she faced Tiera Jimerson of North Central in the blood round. In a close match, Donally lost 2-1, finishing her season at 27-8.
Redshirt junior Isabeau Shalack competed at 207 pounds and started the tournament with a 2-1 decision over Manusiu Muti of McKendree. After a loss to Alyssa Favara of Lock Haven, she responded with two victories in the consolation bracket, including a technical fall and a 7-0 decision. Facing Iowa’s Alivia White in the blood round, Shalack came up short and was eliminated, finishing the season with a 19-9 record.
CMU finished eighth overall, the highest among RMAC and NCWWC Region 8 programs. The team featured several young wrestlers, including Piestewa, Heinzer, McCurley and Donally, who gained national tournament experience.
