Following Day 1 (March 6) of the inaugural edition of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships, McKendree University is leading the points table. Day 1 featured the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds, which witnessed a tough faceoff between McKendree University and Iowa.
The two-day event is slated for March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. 18 individual wrestlers across 10 weight categories from Division I, II, and III, who earned the qualification after finishing in the top three positions in regional rounds, are competing in 103, 110, 117, 124, 131, 138, 145, 160, 180, and 207-pound weight categories.
Multiple elite wrestlers, including Heather Crull, Kylie Welker, Kennedy Blades, Cameron Guerin, and Tristan Kelly, competed on Day 1 in an attempt to become the first national champions in their own categories. Let’s look at the highlights of Day 1.
Heather Crull And Tristan Kelly Dominated Their Quarterfinal Rounds To Help McKendree University Top Points Table After Day 1 of The NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships
Heather Crull and Tristan Kelly competed on Day 1 of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships and led McKendree University to the top of the rankings. They collected 94.0 points on Day 1. However, the Iowa wrestling program is right behind them with 91.5 points. Crull commenced her run at the historic tournament against Alyssa Sedillo and won the faceoff by technical fall with a score of 10-0.
In the quarterfinal round, she faced Alexis Winecker and again clinched a 10-point lead after a technical fall with 15-5. Crull will compete against Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley St. in the semifinal round on March 7. Kelly also contributed to the team’s lead on Day 1 after dominating the first and quarterfinal rounds by technical fall with 10-0 leads against both Lindsay Laws and Maria Aiono.
In the 131lbs category, McKendree University’s Cameron Guerin also dominated her first two rounds. She is set to lock horns with Mount Union’s Abigail Mozden in the semifinal round.
Kennedy Blades of Iowa paved the way for the program to settle in the top three after Day 1 by winning her first two bouts by technical fall with 10-0 leads. The Olympic silver medalist will vie against Stella Steigler of King (TN) in the next round. Her teammate, Kylie Walker, has also advanced to the next round after dominating the quarterfinal.
The top 10 teams after Day 1 of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship are:
- McKendree University – 94.0
- Iowa – 91.5
- North Central (IL) – 73.0
- Grand Valley St. – 67.5
- Presbyterian – 58.0
- King (TN) – 33.5
- Lehigh – 31.0
- Wartburg – 30.5
- Colorado Mesa – 29.5
- East Stroudsburg – 26.5
Read more:
Kylie Welker Reveals Emotional Moment with Kennedy Blades as Women’s Wrestling Debuts at NCAA
Top 5 Most Underrated Coaches in NCAA Women’s College Basketball History
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