DES MOINES, Iowa –The No. 8-ranked Missouri Baptist University women's wrestling team got another taste of top-notch competition this weekend at the Grand View University Open. In total, the Spartans had four placers at the invitational, which was split into two separate divisions – gold and silver.
At the top of the lineup, sophomores Alyssa Quezaire and Juliana Diaz pushed for gold-medal status but came up short in their first-place matches. No. 4-ranked 101-pounder Alyssa Quezaire defeated three straight ranked opponents in the form of an 8-0 decision over No. 17 Zoe Omura (Midland) and back-to-back pins of No. 20 Teya Garner (William Penn) and No. 6 Audalie Cruz (Wayland Baptist). In the finals, Quezaire scored first and was also awarded a four-point takedown to go ahead 5-2 in the opening period but couldn't hold off No. 8 Kayla Mckinley-Johnson (Menlo) in the end.
Wrestling at 116, Diaz received a first-round bye and was well-rested for the tough draws ahead. She won 10-0 via tech fall in 47 seconds against Addison Saporito (Ottawa) and then delivered one of her biggest wins of the season. Tied after one period, Diaz kicked it into overdrive in the second to defeat No. 2-ranked Camille Fournier of Texas Wesleyan, 11-7. Diaz's only tournament loss came in the first-place match to NCAA No. 3 Felicity Taylor of Iowa.
For the second tournament in a row, Anastasia Hardin suffered an early setback but rebounded quickly, going 5-2 on the weekend. After dropping her first match 6-3 to No. 9 Mahealani Ramirez (Grand View), Hardin won four straight matches, including pins of No. 19 Ariana Pereira (Cumberlands), Angella Van Valkenburg (Snow) and a pin of Ramirez to avenge the earlier loss. Hardin ended on a high note following a narrow 7-6 loss to teammate Josette Partney in the consolation semifinals, defeating No. 16 Leilani Hernandez of Texas Wesleyan to capture fifth place overall.
Two-time Sooner Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week Josette Partney went 4-2 on the weekend with an 8-4 win over No. 19 Ariana Pereira in Round 2. The junior got stopped up in the semifinals by pin by No. 3-ranked Shannon Workinger of Menlo, then beat Hardin and dropped a 7-2 decision in the third-place match to No. 12 Liv Wieber of Eastern Oregon.
130-pound freshman Chloe Herrick and 136-pound senior Tiyahna Askew each logged a win in their first Gold division matches to advance to their quarterfinals. Other Spartans wrestling in the Gold division included Riley White (123) and Emma Schreiber (191).
In the Silver division, three Spartans earned at least one win. Sophomore Abby Mattson led the way with a 3-2 record at 130 pounds (1 pin, 1 tech fall, 1 win by injury default). Freshman 116-pounder Andrea Karagiannis recorded two straight pins to open the tournament and went 2-2 on the day. At 143, Dymeria Guillory notched a pin in her second match, defeating Ottawa's Mikinlee Smith in 1:44.
The Spartans will now gear up for postseason competition with the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships set for Saturday, Feb. 24.
