Friday, March 4
Adrian, Mich.
11:00 AM
Sacred Heart
vs
NCWWC National Championship
Four Pioneers Set for NCWWC Nationals
3/3/2022 1:02:00 PM | Women's Wrestling
National tournament begins Friday at Adrian College.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Four members of the Sacred Heart University women's wrestling team have the opportunity this weekend to claim the top individual prize when they compete at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship. The Pioneers take the mat at Adrian College starting Friday.
Representing Sacred Heart will be Ashley Reed (191 pounds), Madison Sandquist (143 pounds), Jacklyn Smith (170 pounds) and Temi Sanusi (143 pounds). Reed comes into the double-elimination tournament as the number sixth seed, while Sandquist is seeded eighth. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class earn All-America honors.
"As a brand new program, I approached this year without any expectations as how it needed to look," head coach Paulina Biega said. "We had to establish a team culture, who we want to be and there were no upperclassmen to guide the team. It was challenging, but also rewarding and full of growth. The only expectation I had for us was to keep getting better and to give each other a chance and that expectation was met!"
Reed started the year off with a bang, winning her first collegiate tournament at the ESU open. She earned her way into nationals by winning the 191-pound title at the Northeast Regional. The Southington, Conn. native has a 13-3 record this year with eight pins.
For the second-straight meet, she'll start her run against Elmira's Tayana Labady. Reed opened the regional tournament by beating Labady with a 10-0 tech fall. A win would set Reed up against Colorado Mesa's Jayleen Sekona with a potential bout against the number three seed, Nia Crosdale from King.
Sandquist has already had one successful trip to Adrian as she won the crown at the Adrian Open in November. A native of Humble, Texas, she punched her ticket for nationals by advancing to the regional finals. Sandquist also won the Lindenwood Open and was second at the ESU Open. Her 23 victories are tops on the team to go along with 10 pins and six tech falls.
Also opening with a rematch is Sandquist as she'll take on Emmanuel College's Gianna Anaya. Sandquist beat Anaya, 10-0, during the Lady Saints Open in February. Awaiting the winner of that match is Simon Fraser's Clara Scaglioni with the top seed Alara Boyd from McKendree down the line.
Also making it the regional finals to earn her spot in the national tournament was Smith. The Bridgeport native was third at the Lindenwood Open and competed at the Adrian Open as well. She comes into nationals with a 12-8 mark with over half of her victories coming from pins.
Smith will open against the number eight seed, Joye Levendusky from McKendree. Either East Stroudsburg's Brianna Simsic or Jade Herzer from Wisconsin-Stevens Point would be her next opponent if she gets by Levendusky.
Sacred Heart will have a pair of wrestlers at 143 pounds as Sanusi worked her way through the consolation bracket to earn her spot with a fifth-place finish. A native of Houston, Texas, she won all four of her matches during the dual meet portion of the schedule for an overall record of 13-8.
Sanusi will have to wait to find out who she will wrestle first as she received an opening round bye. She'll take on the winner of the number seven seed, Nia Miranda from Tiffin, and Lindenwood's Julianna Moreno.
"The team has made a lot of progress," Biega added. "Everyone has gotten better in one way or another. For some of the progress is more visible than in others, but no doubt everyone has gotten better. They have become not only better wrestlers, but also better teammates."
Representing Sacred Heart will be Ashley Reed (191 pounds), Madison Sandquist (143 pounds), Jacklyn Smith (170 pounds) and Temi Sanusi (143 pounds). Reed comes into the double-elimination tournament as the number sixth seed, while Sandquist is seeded eighth. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class earn All-America honors.
"As a brand new program, I approached this year without any expectations as how it needed to look," head coach Paulina Biega said. "We had to establish a team culture, who we want to be and there were no upperclassmen to guide the team. It was challenging, but also rewarding and full of growth. The only expectation I had for us was to keep getting better and to give each other a chance and that expectation was met!"
Reed started the year off with a bang, winning her first collegiate tournament at the ESU open. She earned her way into nationals by winning the 191-pound title at the Northeast Regional. The Southington, Conn. native has a 13-3 record this year with eight pins.
For the second-straight meet, she'll start her run against Elmira's Tayana Labady. Reed opened the regional tournament by beating Labady with a 10-0 tech fall. A win would set Reed up against Colorado Mesa's Jayleen Sekona with a potential bout against the number three seed, Nia Crosdale from King.
Sandquist has already had one successful trip to Adrian as she won the crown at the Adrian Open in November. A native of Humble, Texas, she punched her ticket for nationals by advancing to the regional finals. Sandquist also won the Lindenwood Open and was second at the ESU Open. Her 23 victories are tops on the team to go along with 10 pins and six tech falls.
Also opening with a rematch is Sandquist as she'll take on Emmanuel College's Gianna Anaya. Sandquist beat Anaya, 10-0, during the Lady Saints Open in February. Awaiting the winner of that match is Simon Fraser's Clara Scaglioni with the top seed Alara Boyd from McKendree down the line.
Also making it the regional finals to earn her spot in the national tournament was Smith. The Bridgeport native was third at the Lindenwood Open and competed at the Adrian Open as well. She comes into nationals with a 12-8 mark with over half of her victories coming from pins.
Smith will open against the number eight seed, Joye Levendusky from McKendree. Either East Stroudsburg's Brianna Simsic or Jade Herzer from Wisconsin-Stevens Point would be her next opponent if she gets by Levendusky.
Sacred Heart will have a pair of wrestlers at 143 pounds as Sanusi worked her way through the consolation bracket to earn her spot with a fifth-place finish. A native of Houston, Texas, she won all four of her matches during the dual meet portion of the schedule for an overall record of 13-8.
Sanusi will have to wait to find out who she will wrestle first as she received an opening round bye. She'll take on the winner of the number seven seed, Nia Miranda from Tiffin, and Lindenwood's Julianna Moreno.
"The team has made a lot of progress," Biega added. "Everyone has gotten better in one way or another. For some of the progress is more visible than in others, but no doubt everyone has gotten better. They have become not only better wrestlers, but also better teammates."
Players Mentioned
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