WEST LIBERTY,W.V. — Eastern University Women's Wrestling continued their amazing 'year zero' run with a third place finish at the NCAA Region 2 Championships.
Savannah Witt won a championship at 124 pounds to lead five national qualifiers.
The Eagles opened the day with seven wrestlers still going.
Paige Jackson and Ana Morales both worked through the consolation bracket to reach the consolation semifinals, but the duo each dropped decisions in that round before rallying to claim fifth-place points with wins to end their seasons. Both wrestlers went 4-2 on the weekend.
With a win by decision in the semifinals,
Josey Wehr became the first Eastern wrestler to qualify for NCAA Nationals. She fell in the finals to a wrestler from Lehigh. This year and next year, the NCAA Tournament for Women's Wrestling is a single class affair. There will be a Division III Championship in 2028.
In her semifinal, Witt picked up her first win by decision this year. With her win by technical fall in the final, the first-year improved to 28-1 and has not lost to an NCAA wrestler this year.
Zoey Haines picked up a pin in the semifinals and led 13-9 midway through the second round of her championship match, but her 10-match winning streak was snapped with a late pin after second-seeded Cloe Charlesworth escaped from a dangerous spot to flip the script of the match. Nine of those ten wins for Haines had been by fall.
Olivia Kinder started her day with a tough loss in the semifinals and needed to win twice to make it through. Eastern's lone senior made it to the third-place match with a first-round pin over an opponent from Lehigh. She started the match down six before ending it in an instant with a four-point move and a quick finish. In the match with the most pressure, Kinder went the full six minutes against a home-town opponent from West Liberty. When the two met yesterday, Kinder won on a decision by criteria. She led 6-5 late before sealing the deal with her second four-point move of the match for a 10-5 win.
Jesenia Camargo faced a similar journey at 103. After a loss in her semifinal, the junior lightweight reached the third-place match with a first-round pin. She earned a trip to the National Tournament with pin over an opponent from Lehigh late in the first round.
When Eastern announced wrestling, the plan was to start in the 26-27 school year. Then, as things progressed early on, the objectives shifted toward doing some limited competition this year, that quickly shifted to doing a full schedule without any home matches. The year-zero group has exceeded all expectations.
"This weekend was special" Head Coach
Andrew Taylor said, "As a first year program, entering the first ever NCAA Regional Tournament our women competed and their highest level. It was an affirmation of the groundwork they laid all season and off-season. I couldn't be prouder of this group. We don't chase results, but when things go your way it feels pretty good. We're excited to head to Iowa with an army for the first ever NCAA Championships. "
Lehigh, Eastern and East Stroudsburg each had five wrestlers make it out. West Liberty, the hosts, finished two points ahead of the Eagles in the standings and will take four wrestlers to Iowa. Lehigh won the Region with four champions and place-winners in nine weight classes.
