Warriors Win Third NJCAA National Championship in Women's Wrestling
via www.indianhillsathletics.com
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – The Indian Hills Women's Wrestling squad once again asserted itself as the premiere junior college program as the Warriors captured an their third team national championship since the NJCAA event began in 2023. The Warriors ran away with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Women's Wrestling National Invitational with 294.5 team points.
The 294.5 team points are the second-most in program history as the Warriors took home three individual national champions to go along with four national runner-up performances. In total, 16 Warriors earned All-American status at the Mid-America Center on Saturday.
The Warriors continued its remarkable run atop the junior college women's wrestling ranks with another national title. Indian Hills outlasted the field by finishing 103.0 team points ahead of second-place Iowa Western Community College. The three individual national champions were tied for the most at this year's tournament while the 16 All-American honors were the most among the 22-team field.
Indian Hills saw three freshmen lead the charge with individual national titles on Saturday. Nevaeh Hayden (Tulsa, OK/Union), the top-seeded wrestler and No. 1 ranked individual all year long at 180lbs, ran through the bracket to claim the national title. Hayden secured back-to-back falls in the final two rounds to finish the season undefeated.
Freshman Ariah Mervilus (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) made a remarkable run through the 110lb bracket as the sixth-seeded wrestler. Mervilus knocked off No. 2 seeded Abigail Butts of Carl Albert State College (OK) in the semifinals before upending fifth-seeded Rachel Jones of Snow College (UT) in the championship bout.
Kennedi Johnson-Washington (Greenwood, SC/Greenwood) captured the 235lb national title after a dominating performance on Saturday. Washington-Johnson outscored her two opponents, the No. 5 seed in the semis and the No. 2 seed in the finals, by a combined score of 17-0 to give the Warriors three consecutive national champions at the 235lb class.
Indian Hills saw six sophomores repeat as All-Americans with impressive showings in Council Bluffs. Angelica Vicente Gonazlez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Eugenio Guerra Cruz) captured a runner-up finish in the 124lb bracket while Gensis Gilmore (Clarksville, TN/Montgomery Central) placed third overall at 145lbs. Amaria Ridgner (Richton Park, IL/Rich Township), Madison Leverknight (Kansas City, MO/Winnetonka), Ruth Jimenez Batista (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Trina Padilla De Sanz) and Eden Smith (Fort Collins, CO/Poudre) each became two-time All-Americans for the Warriors.
Freshman EmmaLyn Burnett (Kansas City, MO/Platte County) made a remarkable run to the finals in the 117lb bracket to finish as a national runner-up. Burnett, unseeded entering the tournament, knocked off three seeded wrestlers over the two-day event, including a win over the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals.
Freshman Chasey Karabell (Aurora, CO/Eaglecrest) earned a national runner-up finish in the 103lb bracket. Karabell did not allow a point until the championship bout to become an All-American.
Freshman Wyntergale Oxendine (Lumberton, NC/Lumberton) placed second overall for the Warriors in the 207lb bracket to earn All-American honors. Oxendine, seeded fifth in the bracket, outscored her opponents 27-0 in the first three rounds before ultimately falling in the title match.
In addition to the women's program, the men's wrestling squad captured their first-ever national title as the Warriors became the first program in NJCAA history to capture both men's and women's titles in the same year.