Snow College women's wrestling competed at the first ever Region 18 Tournament in Roseburg, Oregon February 7th-9th. The Badgers captured the team title, producing six individual champions, two second-place finishers, and three third-place finishers.
First-Place Finishers: Six wrestlers earned individual titles for Snow College, including Maeli Howard, Isabelle Morgan, Inaily Samaniego, Chloe Colvin, Brighton Wise, and Kaylee Young.
Howard, participating in the 180 pound weight class, opened the tournament with a technical fall victory 10–0, in 35 seconds and followed with a fall victory in 2:42.
Morgan began competition against teammate Abbigail Reeves in the 145-pound division, earning a technical fall victory 12–2 in 3:36. Morgan continued her dominant performance with a technical fall victory 10–0 in 1:08, and another win via technical fall 12–2 in 2:00 in the fourth round. In the fifth round, Morgan secured a 6–6 decision victory to claim first place in a five-person bracket.
Samaniego advanced through the 138-pound division with a technical fall victory 12–1 in 1:56 during the quarterfinals and a victory via fall in 1:41 in the semifinals. In the championship match, Samaniego secured first place earning a technical fall win 10–0 in 48 seconds.
Colvin, participating in the 207 weight class, earned a 5–4 decision win over teammate Emma Smith in the opening round and later secured a victory via fall in 1:04 in the final round. Wise in the 235-pound division defeated the same opponent from Umpqua Community College twice, recording a fall in 2:14 in round one and another fall in 4:55 in round two.
Young secured a fall victory in 28 seconds in the semifinal round and capped the tournament with a technical fall victory 17–6 in 4:21 in the championship match. Her bracket consisted of seven additional competitors, in the 117-pound division.
Second-Place Finishers: Two Snow College wrestlers earned runner-up finishes. In the 103 weight division Alicia Hansen claimed second place after winning her third-round match via fall in 35 seconds. Participating in the 207-weight class, Smith also placed second, recording a fall in 2:18 during the second round after dropping her opening match.
Third-Place Finishers: Three Badgers secured third-place finishes. Samantha Reynolds won the consolation semifinal via fall in 58 seconds and followed with another fall in 37 seconds during the third-place match in the eight-person, 138-pound bracket.
Reeves earned third place in the 145-pound bracket with a 10–8 decision in the third round and a fall in 2:42 in the fifth round, despite losses in rounds one and four. Kathryn Christensen started off earning a win via technical fall 10–0 in 52 seconds and added a win via fall in 2:11 in her second match before falling in rounds four and five of the 110-pound bracket.
The Badgers will next compete Friday, March 6th at the NJCAA National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Additional information can be found at snowbadgers.com.
