This year the NCAA has all divisions of women competing for the same national
championship at the end of the season. In a few years the NCAA will separate championships
and divide by divisions like the men’s programs 1, 2 and 3. Augustana decided to host the event
a few years early to give the D3 women another tough tournament before all divisional finals this
March. There will be 34 total teams, 5 nationally ranked programs and 5 Wisconsin teams. The
tournament is listed as the Quad Cities division three invitational.
The best program in the field is national dual champions #3 North Central from Illinois.
Nationally ranked women for the Cardinals include: #7 Maddie Avila at 103, #1 Kaelani Shufeldt
at 110, #4 Riley Rayome at 117, #1 Sara Sterner at 124, #5 Yele Aycock at 131, #3 Claire
Dicugno at 138, #2 Bella Mir at 145, #7 Taylor Graveman at 160, #5 Jael Miller at 180 and top
ranked Shenita Lawson at 207. Wisconsin preps on roster comprise of Bella Bolek and Natalie
Klavetter.
Division three also offered its own national duals invitational (like this individual
tournament) and #8 Wartburg won that title. Ranked wrestlers for the Lady Knights include: #5
Chloe Shefflied at 103, #10 Afftynn Stusse at 110, #9 Gable Hemann at 117 (What a name! Also
first female Gable I’ve came across), #10 Sophie Bowers at 124, #9 Kylie Rule at 138, #10
Anuyah Kelly at 145 and #4 Rewa Chababo at 207. Native Cheeseheads on roster include Kylie
Rule, Hallie Krueger, Cailyn Whittier and Ava Gardner.
Aurora from Illinois comes in ranked tenth with returning national champion #4 Alex
Janiak on roster at 131. Other ranked wrestlers for the Lady Spartans include: #6 Genesis
Ramirez at 103 and Sophia Ball at 138. I did a yoga stretch to make a Wisconsin connection
(loosely) because I like this program. Olga Turiy is on roster and is an alumni of the best high
school in Illinois. Said high school also produced Wisconsin’s best wrestling writer. Reavis High
School in Burbank, Illinois. To bring it all home without the education of the mighty Rams this
article doesn’t exist, shoutout to the Burbillies.
Simpson College of Iowa is ranked 18th. They travel with individual ranked wrestlers
including: #9 Emme Hicks at 103 and #6 Keeley Kehrli at 160. The Storm has a roster with
women from all over the country, but no Wisconsin ties. The last ranked program coming is #20
Adrian out of Michigan. Ranked women for the Bulldog include #6 Keeley Kehrli at 160. The
Bulldogs have a large roster recruited nationwide, with no Wisconsin connections.
We’ll start our Wisconsin preview with the Lady Raiders of Milwaukee. I am interested in
the status of this program, especially within the NCAA. They are scheduled to compete at the
National Collegiate Club Nationals to end their season. The other teams we discuss will
compete at the NCAA Nationals in Coralville. MSOE has a roster of five women highlighted by
Wisconsin preps Leah Mindiloa and Jackie Zuniga Rangel.
Carthage College has four women from Wisconsin led by Karina Torres and Crystal
Gutierrez. They have no nationally ranked wrestlers. Lakeland also does not have any women
in the national rankings, yet. The Lady Muskies have 7 young ladies on roster, but no Wisconsin
preps. Oshkosh is representing the WIAC and also does not have any ranked women. The Lady
Titans have had some girls in the ranking throughout the year and will hopefully peak at the end
of season. Oshkosh has 11 Cheesehead natives on roster led by Lake Geneva’s Ella Creighton.
Stevens Point has one woman in the rankings #9 Kara Kuge at 180. The Dawgs have 27
Wisconsin preps on roster, more than most total squads. While having a strangle hold on
Wisconsin ladies recruiting, the Pointers recruit nationwide and have a deep roster. The school
support is huge and shown by a roster of six coaches. A ranked Wisconsin native to watch is #9
Alex Hofrichter of Dubuque at 160. Dubuque features a Wisconsin coaching staff and two other
Wisconsin high school alumni.
A perennial powerhouse from the men’s side that is still growing on the women’s side is
Augsburg. The Auggies have no nationally ranked women, but have one Wisconsin prep Paige
Haaf, transfer from UWO on roster. A notable Wisconsin connection to the Cornell Rams is
former Askren Wrestling Academy member Lauren Louvie as assistant coach. Alivia Davey of
Berlin is wrestling for Illinois Wesleyan, a transfer from Oshkos. The team has no ranked
women, but a Wisconsin presence at the tournament is always worth noting.
The Loras women’s team will be well coached featuring assistant Tyler Dow of
Stoughton. The Luther Norsewomen have poached Wisconsin recruiting 160 pounder Kylie
Miller over the border from St. Croix Falls. Side note, when examining the Norse roster a young
lady was from Chicago Bulls College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois. I looked up the
school and what an amazing thing the pro sports team did for the city. Will we see some
Packers, Brewers or Buck High students in the future?
Otterbein has no ranked wrestlers or Wisconsin connections. I bring up the program
because they have last year’s 103 pound national champion Olivia Shore on roster. Olivia hasn’t
competed yet this season, but was honored at the last dual for senior night. Here’s hoping she
gets to go for another championship this year!
There are 22 other programs coming to the event. None of those programs have any
ranked women or Wisconsin connections. Each had their own interesting quirks, pros and cons
as I went through their respective webpages and seasons. These programs are not irrelevant,
but that is all we will say about them today. Each has a chance to make its mark and have a
featured section in next year’s preview.
Individual Weight Predictions:
103:
Gold- #6 Genesis Ramirez Aurora
Silver- #5 Chloe Shefflied Wartburg
Bronze- #7 Maddie Avila North Central
110:
Gold- #1 Kaelani Shufeldt North Central
Silver- #10 Afftynn Stusse Wartburg
Bronze- Briana Martinez Stevens Point
117:
Gold- #9 Gable Hemann Wartburg
Silver- #4 Riley Ramone North Central
Bronze- Margaret Gilmore Stevens Point
124:
Gold- #1 Sara Sterner North Central
Silver- #10 Sophie Bowers Wartburg
Bronze- Mya Delleree Oshkosh
131:
Gold- #4 Alexis Janiak Aurora
Silver- #5 Yele Aycock North Central
Bronze- Cera Philson Stevens Point
138:
Gold- #9 Kylie Rule Dubuque
Silver- #8 Sophia Ball Aurora
Bronze- #3 Claire Dicugno North Central
145:
Gold- #2 Bella Mir North Central
Silver- #10 Anuyah Kelly Wartburg
Bronze- Aine Moffit Augustana
160:
Gold- #9 Alex Hofrichter Dubuque
Silver- #7 Taylor Graveman North Central
Bronze- #6 Keeley Kehrli Simpson
180:
Gold- #9 Kara Kuge Stevens Point
Silver- #5 Jael Miller North Central
Bronze- #6 Mia Gaetjens Adrian
207:
Gold- #1 Shenita Lawson North Central
Silver- #4 Rewa Chababo Wartburg
Bronze- Niyasia McCampbell Lakeland
Thank you for reading this far, I will leave you with some words from Kennedy Blades,
“Everything I do is through a positive attitude. It makes the work more fun for everyone.”
