NAPERVILLE, Ill.-  Cara Cheng and Makayla Murray led the Missouri Baptist women's wrestling team, both claiming sixth place in the North Central College Open hosted by North Central College. 

Cheng finished sixth in the B bracket at 138 pounds and claimed three falls. The Corona, Calif., native started the day hot, picking up two of her falls, propelling her into the quarterfinals. After a tough quarterfinal bout, Cheng fell to the consolation quarterfinal bracket, which meant she could do no worse than the top eight. Cheng picked up a fall in the bracket to finish sixth. 

Makayla Murray also finished sixth in the B bracket at 117 pounds, where she captured two technical falls on the day. Murray picked up a win that put her in the quarterfinals and fell in a tight 5-2 decision to place her in the quarterfinal consolation bracket. The freshman from St. Louis, Mo., won via technical fall on the backside and finished sixth after another close 8-4 decision in her fifth-place bout. 

Other notable performances for the Spartans included a three-win day by Josette Partney, picking up a fall, and only dropping two close decisions. Chloe Herrick and Abby Chandler also picked up two wins on the day. 

The Spartans will kick off the new year at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, from Jan. 9-11, 2025.