Life University Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- With their defeat of No. 5 Menlo, 30-13, in the Third-Place Match of the NWCA National Duals, the Life University women's wrestling team put a solid cap on a weekend that saw the team go 3-1 with victories over teams ranked 18th, 5th, and 5th.

The weekend started Friday afternoon with a dual against No. 18 Baker, the Running Eagles claiming a dominant 37-9 victory. The match started with a solid victory for Devyn Gomez over No. 20 Kylie Hernandez in a quick, 1:45 pin. A quick 11-0 tech fall by Riley Dalrymple over No.17 Abbie Jones pushed the lead to 18-9 after the 136 lbs. match. A pin by Jamilah McBryde was followed up by a huge pin by her sister, Latifah, of the second-ranked 155 lbs. wrestler. From that point the team cruised to a 37-9 victory and berth in the Quarterfinals.

The quarterfinals saw a match against No. 5 University of Providence, the team's opening by splitting technical falls. In the 116 lbs. match, Kory Phillips earned a huge upset victory, pinning the top-ranked wrestler, Ashley Gooman, in just 1:04. Pins by Olivia Mottley and Zaynah McBryde in the following bouts swung momentum firmly on Life U's side. At 136 lbs. Sarah Savidge earned a significant 17-7 tech fall victory over No. Paige Respicio. The Running Eagles ended the first day of the event with three-straight pins from L. McBryde, Jessie Lee, and Madeline Welch to secure a 38-10 victory.

Life U's 23 dual win streak came to an end in the semifinals, coming up just short against No. 2 Grand View. Midway through the dual, Life U was down 15-8 Gomez and Peyton Prussin securing the only decision victories. A pin by Savidge at 136 lbs. and tech fall by L. McBryde at 155 lbs. narrowed the gap, pulling the team within striking distance, but a decision victory at 191 lbs. was not quite enough, falling out of the winners bracket by a score of 22-21.

In the placement match, Gomez earned another good start for the team, pinning the No. 13 wrestler in 1:01 which was followed by a top-10 victory for Jasmine Godinez at 109 lbs. The only victories earned by Menlo in the dual came back-to-back-to-back from 116 lbs. to 130 lbs. Savidge ended her 3-0 weekend with a 10-0 tech fall to start a strong run by the Running Eagles to end the dual. McBryde sisters, Jamilah and Latifah earned consecutive tech falls and then Lee pinned her opponent in just 56 seconds to take the final result out of contention, the team winning 30-13.

It will be a pretty quick turnaround for the Running Eagles, the team returning home to host Montreat College for a dual Wednesday at 6 PM in the Upper Gym.