Women's Wrestling Earns Narrow Win over Midland; 2 Broncos Collect Runner-Up at Midland Open

(Fremont, NE) – The #16 Hastings Broncos picked up a win at Midland, who received votes in the most recent NAIA poll, winning 23-22 on Friday night. They then wrestled at the Midland Warrior Open on Saturday.

Midland won the first match of the day at 103 by tech fall, then freshman Chloe Brewis won a 10-0 tech fall at 110 to tie it at four. Midland got a pin at 117, but Hastings responded with a 10-0 tech win by freshman Jessica Farmer 124, needing just 1:17 to do so, and a pin by senior Larissa Kaz in the 131 weight class at the 1:18 mark to put Hastings up 13-9.

The Warriors got a tech fall win at 138 to tie it up again, then senior Reagen Gallaway needed only 64 seconds to pin Midland at 145. Midland got a tech fall win at 160 and a win by fall at 180, but Hastings secured the 23-22 win with a forfeit win at 207 by senior Taylor Rickley.

In the Warrior Open, Kaz received a first round bye at 131 and moved on to the round of 16 with a 12-1 tech fall victory over Southeast CC. She advanced to the semifinals with a 16-9 decision win over Dru Turner, where she earned a pin at the 1:18 mark over Tyler Swanigan from William Penn. In the final against #6 Kendall Bostelman of William Penn, Bosselman took an 8-2 lead after the first period and got the 13-6 decision, as Kaz finished in second place.

Gallaway pinned Dakota Wesleyan 57 seconds in at 138 and reached the quarterfinal with a win by fall over #7 Lexi Ritchie of Lindsey Wilson. In the quarterfinals she defeated Grand View's Adrienna Turner in a 10-0 tech fall, then needed just 47 seconds to pin #8 Isabelle Hawley of William Penn. Facing off against William Penn's Ester Kolawole, who is ranked first at 145, in the final, Kolawole earned a 10-0 tech fall win in the first period, as Gallaway came away with second place.

Brewis opened with a pin over Grand View in less than a minute at 110 and advanced to the semifinals with an 18-8 tech fall win over #19 Deyton Young of Missouri Baptist. She lost a tight 14-12 decision to #15 Kylie Robledo from Baker in the semifinals, then took just 20 seconds to pin Lindsey Wilson's Rodiat Adeduntan. Brewis was to face freshman teammate Raelynn O'Connor in the third place match and the Broncos elected to have it forfeited.

O'Connor won her first match after a first round bye, pinning Lindsey Wilson's Payton Agnell at the 1:29 mark in the quarterfinals. She lost in a 12-0 tech fall to Lindsey Wilson's Reagan Thomas, but responded with a pin at the 2:05 mark against Missouri Baptist's Young to set up the third place match with Brewis.

Rickley lost her first match by tech fall to Lindsey Wilson at 207. After a 4-0 decision win over freshman teammate Alexis Llamas, she earned a 10-0 tech fall win over Kara Pope of Baker. A pin 75 seconds into her match versus Taylor Schiesser of Lindsey Wilson put her in the consolation final, where she led 1-0 after the first period, but ended up with a 5-1 decision loss to Audre Herron of Iowa Western CC to take fourth.

At 103, freshman Miranda LaJevic reached the semifinals following a bye and a pin over Trinity Warner of Grand View. She dropped a 12-2 tech fall to Lillian Zapata, then lost by tech fall to Almarwa Alkhalil. In the fifth place match against Indian Hills' Jamiyah Blount-Taylor, LaJevic trailed 7-5 after the first period and was down 9-5 in the second, when she earned fifth place with a pin.

At 145, sophomore Emma Stice picked up a 12-2 tech fall win against William Penn, then got a 6-2 decision win over Ann Meiman of Jamestown to reach the semifinals. She was pinned by Grand View's Madison Diaz just over a minute in, then was unable to compete in her final two matches to finish in sixth place.

Freshman Annie Lopez lost her first match by fall to Jamestown at 207, but got a 12-2 tech fall win in her first consolation match against William Penn. She won her next match by forfeit, before falling to Hailey Conley of Fort Hays State by tech fall.

Hoeflich also competed at 138 and after a loss by fall to Midland, she pinned Baker and won a 6-4 decision over Grand View in her first two consolation matches. In her next bout, she lost a 10-1 decision to Sioux Falls.

Sophomore Mandy Perez picked up a late pin at 180 over Grand View, then after a loss by fall to William Penn, she was pinned by Grand View. Farmer wrestled at 124, winning an 11-0 tech fall over Grand View's Huda Anglo, then losing by tech fall to Baker and by fall Lindsey Wilson in her next two matches. 

At 117, freshman Sarah Spataro dropped her first match to Grand View by tech fall, then won a 14-3 tech fall match over Fort Hays State. She ended her day with a tech fall loss to Iowa Western CC. Freshman Jayla Ford picked up an 11-3 decision win over Baker at 160, then was pinned by Sioux Falls and Southeast CC in her last two bouts. 

Llamas won a 6-1 decision against Indian Hills at 207 to start her day. She was pinned by Lindsey Wilson in the next round and ended her day with a loss to Rickley. At 124, freshman Cherish Faircloth was pinned in her first match against Chelsey Robinson, then picked up a 9-1 decision win over Grand View before getting pinned in her next match.

Up next, Hastings will wrestle at the Grand View Open on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 9am in preparation for the GPAC Duals the following weekend.