STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- The No. 17-ranked Wartburg College women's wrestling team recorded eight podium finishes Saturday, at the Pointer Open, hosted by UW-Stevens Point, led by
Aniyah Kelly's runner-up finish in the 145-pound Gold Division.
Kelly led the way at 145 pounds, advancing to the championship match with a series of bonus-point victories. After receiving a first-round bye, she pinned opponents from Cornell College in 4:02 and North Central in 2:34 before earning an 11-1 technical fall in the semifinals. Kelly finished second after falling in the championship bout.
Wartburg secured two podium finishes at 138 pounds, led by
Kylie Birchman's third-place performance. Birchman opened with consecutive technical falls, defeating a North Central opponent 11-1 and an unattached wrestler 12-1 to reach the semifinals. After a semifinal setback, she responded with a 12-2 technical fall before edging an unattached opponent 3-2 in the third-place match.
Cailyn Whittier added a fifth-place finish, advancing through the consolation bracket with a 14-1 technical fall and a 10-6 decision before earning an 11-6 victory in the fifth-place match.
The Knights also placed two wrestlers in the top six at both 117 and 160 pounds. At 117,
Ava Gardner finished fifth, while
Jasmine Luedtke placed sixth. Gardner recorded a pair of pins to advance through the championship bracket, while Luedtke opened with a 10-0 technical fall and followed with a 3-2 decision. Both wrestlers advanced to the placement rounds, with Gardner securing fifth by forfeit.
At 160 pounds,
May Prado placed fourth and
Kami Senlycki finished sixth. Senlycki reached the semifinals with a 10-0 technical fall and a 7-0 decision. Prado worked through the consolation bracket with a 4:16 pin over teammate
Haidyn Snyder and a 6-2 decision over Senlycki before falling 5-4 in the third-place match.
Kylee Kurszewski rounded out Wartburg's podium finishers with a fourth-place showing at 131 pounds. She opened the tournament with a 13-3 technical fall, then worked through the consolation bracket with a 1:44 pin and an 11-7 decision to advance to the third-place match.
UP NEXT
Wartburg will stay busy at the Luther Open next Saturday, Nov. 14 in Decorah, Iowa.
