GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Minot State's history-making women's wrestling team isn't done yet.
Three Beavers earned their place at nationals on Saturday as
Nina Sandoval was third, and teammates
Jazmin Gorder and
Annika Gotlieb placed fourth at the NCWWC Region 5 Tournament hosted by Colorado Mesa.
The Beavers team of four wrestlers ended up sixth in the nine-team event, but with a berth in the consolation finals each for Sandoval, Gorder, and Gotlieb, they also earned a spot at the NCWWC National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 3-4.
"What a day," Minot State coach
Brittney Mitchem said. "We showed up today with a goal in mind and that was to just wrestle with everything we have in us. I told them to take the label off the tournament, that it was just another chance to wrestle; rankings didn't matter, it was a clean slate. We only get this experience one time as all true freshmen. I told them to enjoy it, there's no repeats in life. This is the moment we have worked so hard for; but the road doesn't stop here, we stay hungry for a national placer."
Sandoval led the way at 155 pounds as she battled her way through the consolation bracket after a quarterfinal loss, getting a win by pin over Zanya Walker of Texas Women's University, a 6-2 decision over Sheanareial Miller of Texas Women's, then a pin over Jordan Johnston of Scheiner University in the consolation final to place third.
Gorder earned her spot at nationals by also advancing to the consolation championship at 123 pounds as she won back-to-back consolation matches by pin, over Cristal De Santiago of Schreiner and Anna Rojas Zamora of Chadron State, before a setback in the third-place match left her fourth in the tournament.
As for Gotlieb, who wrestled at 130 pounds, she won her quarterfinal match by technical fall, 16-5, over Josephine Wearmouth of Chadron State, before a setback in the championship semifinals. She responded with a pin off Chanya Tipmanee of Texas Women's to advance to the consolation final where she placed fourth.
Also competing at the Region V Tournament and earning a win was
Madison Parson at 191 pounds. Parsons finished eighth in her bracket.
