The NCC women’s wrestling team hasn’t blinked in their title defense. The team has retained their number one ranking for the entirety of the 2023-2024 campaign, and they look to remain champions at the season’s end.
Aside from the overall success as a program, the team has a staggering 16 wrestlers ranked within the top ten of their respective weight classes. Kendra Ryan, ‘25, is the only wrestler with a number one ranking, with her holding down the top spot in the 109 pound weight class.
The wrestlers aren’t the only ones receiving accolades. Head coach Joe Norton was honored as Region IV Coach of the Year. This marks the third consecutive time he has been named the winner of this accolade.
This season, the team also accepted recognition from the City of Naperville for the first time. The event hosted by Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli, ‘91, honored the team’s first national championship. Additionally, Maddie Avila, ‘26, Jaslynn Gallegos, ‘24, and Yalena Makoyed, ‘23, received honors for winning the individual national titles in their respective weight classes.
They also saw two wrestlers get named National Wrestling Coaching Association Wrestler of the Month. Ryan won in November and Amani Jones, ‘25, won in December.
Coming into postseason play, the team won all but one event as a team. Their lone loss on the year came on the road in a dual with the University of Iowa. The Cardinals fell short by a single point to the top-ranked Hawkeyes.
While the success on the national stage speaks volumes to the team’s strength, they still showed their dominance in their conference. They won their second straight CCIW title by sweeping the top spots in each of the ten weight classes.
Looking ahead
Women’s wrestling has commanded the mats these past few months. The Regional competition at Gregory Arena exemplifies this. The team ran through the field as the number one seed. The Cardinals won the event in powerful fashion with a score of 219 points. To put it into perspective, the second-place team, Aurora University, finished with a score of 106 points.
Furthermore, the individual performances will give many wrestlers the chance to compete in the National Tournament. This affords them the opportunity to win individual national champion titles in their respective weight classes. A staggering 15 Cardinal wrestlers will get to compete. Avila, Gallegos and Makoyed will get the opportunity to defend their titles. Additionally, Makoyed will seek her fourth individual national championship. For as great as the Cardinals have been thus far, the team is hopeful the best is yet to come.
All attention shifts to the NCWWC National Championship, where the Cardinals look to complete the season on top once again. The event takes place on Mar. 8 and 9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse.
