Wrestling | 11/20/2023 3:30:00 PM

MARSHALL, Missouri (Nov. 20, 2023) - This past weekend, 14 Pioneers earned points for the Texas Woman's Wrestling team at the prestigious Missouri Valley Open. Nari Miller and Jaycee Portee were the top placing Pioneers. They finished eight and fourth respectively.

Miller, who competes in the 155 weight class, wrestled eight rounds during the Friday and Saturday, Nov 17 and 18 in Marshall, Mo. and earned 12 points for the Pioneers.

The sophomore received a bye in her first round and defeated Presley Givens from Oklahoma City by fall over. In the third round, Miller fell against Athena Willden by tech fall. Miller won rounds four, five and six by tech fall, decision and fall over. The contestant from McKendree University defeated Miller by fall over in the seventh round. 

Miller wrestled Taydem Khamjoi in the match for 7th place and fell by tech fall. 

Portee placed fourth in the 235 weight class, earned 14.5 points and was the highest placing Pioneer last weekend. 

The returning sophomore from Lubbock, TX, received bye in the first round and lost to Payton Sholander from Wayland Baptist by fall over in the quarterfinal round. . Portee went on to win rounds two, three and four. 

In the third place match, Portee fell against Sholander a second time by fall over. 

Hannah Vos and Mia Howell wrestled in the 155 and 235 weight class respectively. 

Vos collected 5.5 points for the Pioneers by winning two rounds by tech fall and fall over to then fall over to Simon Fraser's and Campbellsville's contestants. 

Howell won one of three matches by defeating Melissa De La Torres from Morningside University by decision and scored 0.5 team points. 

In the 123 weight class, McKenzie England also earned 0.5 team points by receiving a bye in the first round and winning the consolation bracket round two by decision over Zoe Hanley from Lourdes. 

England fell against Caxton Smyth from Central Christian by decision 10-2. 

Five Pioneers wrestled under the 130 weight class. Livier Dubon, Ploy Tipmanee, Laisha Rios, Valeria Acevedo-Hernandez and Alexis Hanks earned a total of 14 team points for TWU. 

Kira Phillips earned five team points for the team under the 136 weight class. The sophomore won the first and second round by tech fall over but was defeated in the third round by Lilly Gough from Central Methodist.

Maegan Flaherty, Jermariah Ferguson and Poorna Babu all competed in the 143 weight class. They collected eight team points total. 

Flaherty won two of the four matches by tech fall and fall over and fell by two fall overs in the second round of the championship bracket and the third round of the consolation bracket.

Ferguson fell by tech fall in the first match of the weekend to then receive a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket. Ferguson won by decision (10-1) over Markaela Pugh and lost against Mackenzie Pratt by fall over. 

Babu collected three team points by winning the first round of the championship bracket by fall over. In the next two rounds, Babu lost by fall over Emma Walker from Campbellsville and Reagen Gallway from Hasting.

The Pioneers are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at University of the Ozark.

- PIONEERS -