JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – It's a new year with several new faces for the Missouri Baptist University women's wrestling program and on Saturday, the Spartans opened their 2019-20 season at the Dr. Bob Kellogg Highlander Tournament. One of those fresh faces – freshman Aliyah Rollins – made her presence known in her collegiate debut winning an individual title at 109 pounds.
 
The freshman, who arrived at Missouri Baptist following a decorated prep career in Los Angeles, Calif., cruised past her competition on Saturday winning by tech fall in all three matches. She defeated Lyon College's Jessienna Burkett-Erice in the quarterfinals, 10-0, Angela LoRusso of Adrian College, 11-0, and McKendree University's Carly Valleroy in the title match, 10-0.
 
MBU had three wrestlers competing at 155 pounds including junior Kaylee Foster, senior Brighton Hutton and freshman Maddie Oellermann. Foster lasted the longest in the bracket finishing sixth overall after going 3-3 on the day. Two of Foster's wins came via a pin, while her other victory came by way of a close 3-2 decision over teammate Brighton Hutton. Hutton went 1-2 on the day with a pin of Starlyn White (Missouri Valley College) in a mere 13 seconds.
 
The Spartans' other finisher at the Dr. Bob Kellogg Highlander Tournament is returning NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Angel Ochoa at 191 pounds. The senior from Baldwin Park, Calif. won her first two matches of event to advance to the first-place match. Ochoa won by tech fall in the quarterfinals and an 8-4 decision in the semifinals.
 
Dymond Guilford, who won gold as a sophomore at both the WCWA National Championships and NAIA National Invitational, will be spending the 2019-20 season training with Team USA in Colorado Springs, Colo. at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.