BOWLING GREEN, KY – Lady Tigers began championship season, finishing second at the Mid-South Conference Championships Friday afternoon.
Campbellsville was led by
Emma Walker, who claimed the conference title at 143 lbs. Walker pinned all three of her opponents on the day. She did not see a match last longer than two minutes on the afternoon. She faced off against Jamilah McBryde in the championship match, where she pinned her 1:56 into the bout.
Liliana Vergara earned the Mid-South Conference runner-up by a medical forfeit in the championship match. Vergara earned 13.5 team points at 170 lbs. with an early tech fall on bonus points for the team in her opening-round matchup against Brewton Parkers Katelyn Lewis. In the semifinal match, she squared off against Jessie Lee of Life, where she won in an 8-5 decision.
Angie Vitiritti earned runner-up in the 130 lbs. weight class for Campbellsville. Vitiritti cruised to the finals, where she won by decision in the semifinal matchup on a (2-1) decision over Life University's Zaynah McBryde. She fell to Sarah Savidge of Life in the final match by tech fall.
Brelane Huber wrestled to a bronze medal finish on the afternoon at 143 lbs. Huber won her first matchup by a (10-5) decision over Hailey Budney of Cumberlands. Huber fell in the semifinal match by McBryde, which pushed her into the consolation round. Huber worked her way back to the third-place bout, where she pinned Maia Crumb of Indiana Tech in :51.
Shea Reisel and
Kelsey Bilz were the next pair to earn bronze medal finishes. Bilz had to work to back from the bottom of the consolation rounds after falling in her opening round matchup. She was able to win her next three matches, which led to a pin over Valeria Ahumada of Siena Heights in the third-place bout. Reisel's lone loss came in the semifinal matchup against Emma Jones of Indiana Tech by tech fall. Reisel won her match in the consolation semifinals to move onto the third-place bout and win her final bout in a (6-3) decision over Alesandra Burgos of Brewtown Parker.
Jacqueline Ghent gave the Tigers 15 points in the 123 lbs. weight class on Friday. Ghent won her first two matchups comfortably by pin and tech fall. She fell in the semifinal of the 123 lbs. division to Olivia Mottley of Life University in a (9-5) decision. Ghent went on to win her next matchup, pinning Tonya Flourory of St. Andrews. Jacqueline fell in the third-place match and earned fourth in the tournament.
Taylor Howell joined Ghent in earning 15 points for the team. Howell made her way into the semifinal matchup with a tech fall and a pin in the early rounds. She met Ieidaly Rivera of Brewton Parker in the semifinal match, where she fell by pin. Howell won her consolation semifinal matchup by pinning Madisyn Blackburn of Brewton Parker. Howell placed fourth in the tournament at 136 lbs.
Kendra Thompson was the final fourth-place finisher for the team on Friday. Thompson fell was able to finish her day with a record of 4-2. She earned a tech fall in the opening round of 11-0 over Zoe Hussar of Siena Heights. Two of her next three wins were by decisions of (12-4) against Ariana Perez and (3-0) against teammate
Sierra Chavez.
Chavez placed fifth overall at this year's conference championships. She was able to win her quarterfinal matchup by a (5-2) decision against Payton Curley of Lourdes. Her final victory of the day came in the fifth place bout, where she also won by decision against Grace Doering of Indiana Tech in a score of (3-2).
Gabrielle Medeiros was the final Campbellsville athlete to earn top-five placement. Medeiros gave the team 10.5 points at 101 lbs. She finished her day 4-2 overall with two key wins. Her first came in the consolation rounds by earning a tech fall against Sydney Kutzke of Indiana Tech and was able to pin Elora Waterman in the fifth-place matchup with 30 seconds left to go.
Campbellsville will now head to the NAIA National Championships March 10-11 in Jamestown, ND.
