MARSHALL, Mo.- Nov. 18 and 19 (12) MBU women's wrestling faced tough competition at the Missouri Valley Open. 44 schools were represented at the tournament, many of which are ranked NAIA schools including the top three, (1) Southern Oregon, (2) Campbellsville, and (3) Grand View.

Juliana Diaz was the star of the show for the Spartans as she competed in the 116-pound weight class. Diaz made her way to the semifinals by defeating her first two opponents by tech fall. She easily scored point after point, defeating both wrestlers in the first period. In the next few rounds, the Orlando, Fla. native saw some tough competition. She ultimately took down her next two opponents, defeating Ivy Threatful with Simon Fraser by decision 12-12 in round three and Camille Fournier with (7) Texas Wesleyan in the quarterfinals, also by decision 4-2. Diaz unfortunately fell by tech fall in the semifinals but went on to win her next two matches. She defeated Jenna Petryna with Alberta by tech fall 10-0 late into the second period of the consolation semifinals. In the third place match, Diaz was neck and neck with her opponent the whole bout but ultimately won by decision 3-3.

Alyssa Quezaire was the other Spartan wrestler to place in the tournament. She competed in the 101-pound weight class. Quezaire had a bye the first round and faced Sacred Heart wrestler, Aaliyah Payne-Parris in the next. She scored back-to-back points in the first 50 seconds bringing the score 4-0 and another two points two minutes in. She pinned her opponent at 2:19 to make her way to the next round of the championship bracket. After defeating her next two opponents, she fell in her next three matches to earn a sixth place finish.

Many other Spartans went on to have winning records during the tournament although they didn't place. Both Tiyahna Askew and Eunique Davis held a 4-2 record while Josette Partney and Anastasia Hardin had 3-2 records.

Anna Bradshaw and Riley White both came away with 2-2 records. Reese Compton, Taryn Johnson and Dymeria Guillory ended the weekend with 1-2 records.

Women's wrestling will be back in the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC for the second ever Missouri Women's Collegiate State Championships on December 3.