Wrestling | 2/3/2024 11:55:00 PM
DENVER, Colorado (Feb. 3, 2024) - The Pioneers traveled to Denver, Colorado and brought home five third places and one second place from the inaugural Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women;s Wrestling Championship.
This championship served as an individual event with only individuals earning titles. All five schools that were recently added to the RMAC Wrestling program had wrestlers attending (Adams State, Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, Simon Fraser and TWU).
In the 123 weight class, Brooke Zejda placed third for the Pioneers. Zejda won by fall over Rylie McCabe from Adams State in the first round of the tournament. She fell in the semifinals round to the competitor from Chadron State. She defeated her opponent by fall in the consolation semi round and the third place match.
Zejda was also named the Wrestler of the Championship. The sophomore from Dallas, Texas, notched three pins, the most in the event, in just over four minutes for the Pioneers.
Alexis Hanks also earned the third place in the 130 pounds weight class for TWU. Hanks won three out of four matches total and won two of them by tech fall that ended in 11-0 results. For the first two matches won, Hanks defeated competitors from Adams State and Colorado Mesa. The third place match was against Kaydence Boyd from Colorado Mesa. Hanks defeated Boyd by fall in just over one minute into the match up.
The Pioneers collected another third place with Kira Phillips in the 136 weight class. Phillips won two matches by tech fall and her final match by fall against Annika Lee from Chadron State.
Jermariah Ferguson, the top placing Pioneer of the tournament, took home the second place in the 143 weight class. Ferguson won her first match by tech fall against Miranda Sanchez from Adams State. In the semifinal round, Ferguson defeated Karstin Hollen from Chadron State by decision (12-5).
In the first place match, Ferguson fell to Liana Fernandez from Adams State.
Two more third places for the Pioneers came from Nari Miller and Mia Howell.
Miller won the first bout by tech fall. Despite losing her second match to the Simon Fraser wrestler, Miller won h=the next two matches and ended in third place in the 155 weight class.
Howell lost her first match to Julia Richey from Simon Fraser, but came out victorious in the third place match where she wrestled her teammate Faith Perez in the 191 weight class.
The Pioneers will return home and take on Texas Wesleyan on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at KMA.
-PIONEERS-
