Women's Wrestling Makes It BACK-to-BACK-to-BACK National Titles
ADRIAN, Mich. - The afternoon of March 5 for No.2 McKendree University women's wrestling marked BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
National Championships after a pair of Bearcats claimed crowns on the second and final
day of action. McKendree (158.0) entered the day with a 25.5 point lead over the championship-favorite,
King University (132.5), and then pushed through for a third-straight national title
by finishing with 188 team points and 12 top-5 All-Americans (top-8 finish at nationals).
The two individual national champions for McKendree were sophomore 130lb Cameron Guerin (Yakima, Washington) and senior 191lb Sydnee Kimber (Sitka, Alaska). Guerin was also awarded the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in the
tournament.
The Bearcats entered the national championship tournament as the second-ranked team
and was chosen to finish as the national runner-up behind No.1-ranked King University.
At the end of day one of competition, McKendree boasted a 25.5-point lead over King
with seven wrestlers in first-place matches over six weight classes. The Bearcats
totaled 188.0 points at the end of the second day of wrestling, pushing five more
wrestlers into top-5 placement.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
No.2 McKendree recorded a pair of champions behind Guerin, who defended her 2021 crown,
and Kimber, who added her third-straight national title.
Cameron Guerin | 130lb | So. | Yakima, Washington
The sophomore ranked second in her weight class entering the weekend but quickly showed
why she spent most of the year at #1 in the 130 class. Guerin, who went 4-0 at the
NCWWC, opened the tournament with a victory by fall at the 2:47 mark over Isabela
Ruiz of Greensboro College before adding three tech fall wins to round out her first-place
finish. In the quarterfinal and semifinal, Guerin defeated Gannon's Anya Knappenberger with
a 10-0 tech in 2:22 and followed it with another 10-0 tech over Solana Mottola of
Tiffin, which punched her ticket into the finals. In the finals, the 130lb sophomore
faced off against Niya Teresita-Gaines of North Central. Guerin got her shots in early
and often to rack up points in the first two minutes of the bout, taking the victory
by tech fall at the 1:49 mark. Guerin earned a 4-0 record and 26.5 team points on
the weekend, winning the 130lb crown and the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler
award.
Sydnee Kimber | 191lb | Sr. | Sitka, Alaska
The Mt. Edgecumbe-product handled business in the 2022 tournament, scoring 27.0 team
points and a 4-0 record with two pinfalls and two technical falls. With the conclusion
of the season Kimber kicked off the national tournament with a fall at the 43-second
mark against Shola Cascen of East Stroudsburg. The quarterfinal and semifinal both
were taken by tech falls for Kimber, defeating New Jersey City's Sandra Gurrero on
a 10-0 count at the 2:29 mark and then beat Emmanuel's Cristina Santoyo in the same
fashion at the on an 11-0 count (4:28). In the 191 championship match, Kimber took
on fellow Bearcat in freshman Jaycee Foeller. The bout lasted 1:18 and concluded with a pinfall for Kimber, marking her third
national title.
RUNNER-UPs
Felicity Taylor | 116lb | Sr. | Spillville, Iowa
Taylor went 3-1 in the national tournament and collected three tech fall wins to earn
a spot in the national final bout. The senior beat Gannon's Nikoly Dos Santos (10-0,
1:21), Emmanuel's Kasey Baynon (10-0, 1:42), and Presbyterian's Jaslynn Gallegos (10-0,
3:15) in her three victories and pit her against Simon Fraser's Karla Godinez-Gonzalez
in the title matchup. Taylor dropped the match on 3-1 decision to finish second overall
in her class with 20.5 team points scored.
Alara Boyd | 143lb | Jr. | Muncie, Indiana
Boyd scored 20.5 team points enroute to her 3-1, second place finish. The junior joined
Taylor in going for three tech fall victories during the tournament. The three victories
for her came against Limestone's Mika Walters (10-0, 1:46), Sacred Heart's Madison
Sandquist (10-0, 2:13), and North Central's Riley Aamold (10-0, 3:21). The championship
bout placed Boyd against King's Ashlynn Ortega, which Boyd dropped on a 3-0 decision
to finish as the national runner-up.
Kayla Marano | 155lb | Jr. | Jefferson, Georgia
Marano, who joined the Bearcats for the 2021-22 season, earned the runner-up finish
at the national tournament with a 3-1 overall slate with 19.5 team points. The senior
won by fall to begin the outing over Shelsy Renous of Limestone (1:45), then beat
Tiffin's Taylor Hites via tech fall (10-0, 4:42) in the quarters, and made it into
the title match with a win over Tiera Jimerson of NCC (4-1 decision) in the semis.
The national title matchup came against Alyvia Fiskeof Simon Fraser, who defeated
Marano by 3-2 decision.
Joye Levendusky | 170lb | Sr. | Avon, New York
Levendusky earned the second-place finish behind a 3-1 overall record. The senior
began the weekend with a tech fall win over Jacklyn Smith of Sacred Heart (10-0, 2:08),
then collected a pair of decisions to move into the finals. Her two decisions came
against Jade Herzer (Stevens Point) on a 3-2 count and over King's Cheyenne Bowman
on a 6-4 score. The championship matchup put Levendusky against Yelena Makoyed of
NCC, which Levendusky dropped by tech fall (11-0, 3:34).
Jaycee Foeller | 191lb | Fr. | De Soto, Missouri
The freshman took second behind her teammate, Kimber, with a 3-1 record with a fall,
tech fall, and decision win. Foeller started with a fall over Emory and Henry's Andreia
Langley (0:52), then earned a tech against Limestone's Journe Land, while her third
win was versus Colorado Mesa's Jayleen Sekona. Foeller lost the title bout against
Kimber on a fall at 1:18.
