ST.LOUIS, MO- The Missouri Baptist University women's wrestling squad hosted the MBU Open this Friday and hosted top programs from around the country in the Carl and Deloris Petty SRC. Zoe Fries led the squad with a third-place finish at 138 pounds, and four Spartans placed top-six at their respective weights.

Fries received a bye in the first round and kicked off her run with a decisive 10-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals. Fries battled tough, but unfortunately dropped her semifinal bout to the eventual champion of the weight. Fries bounced back quickly with a tight 12-7 decision win over her opponent from the Oklahoma City RTC.  The Idaho native wrestled a close bout in the third-place match. Fries led at the break 2-0, and despite her opponent's best efforts, Fries found a final takedown in the final 14 seconds, and grabbed the fall as time expired to capture bronze. 

Cara Cheng also shone for MBU and finished fourth at 160. In Cheng's first match of the day, she trailed 8-0 on the verge of losing via technical fall, but found it within herself to find four points ahead of the fall at the 4:45 mark. Cheng dominated 10-0 in her round of 16 match. In her quarterfinal bout, her opponent grabbed the first four points, but Cheng rallied to fourteen unanswered points of her own and grabbed the fall to send herself to the semifinals. Cheng dropped a heartbreaking match in the semis to send her to the consolation side of the bracket. In her consolation semifinal match, her opponent scored early, but Cheng stayed consistent to win 6-2 and make the third-place match. Despite several offensive attacks, she fell in her last match of the day to finish fourth at 160. 

Other highlights include Maggie Ortmann, who finished sixth at 145 with three falls on the day, and Kenlee Fish at 180 with a fall. 

The Spartans host William Penn (Iowa) on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Petty SRC.