William Penn Places Fourth at NWCA National Duals

Cedar Falls-- The William Penn women's wrestling team competed at the NWCA National Duals, hosted by Northern Iowa University inside the UNI-Dome. The two-day tournament featured more than 100 teams competing across 36 mats.

William Penn (4-2, 2-0 Heart) finished the weekend with a 2-2 record. After opening the tournament 2-0 on Friday, the Statesmen faced top-ranked Life University, Saturday in the semifinals. WPU dropped the match to Life and advanced to the third-place bout against Grand View. William Penn fell to its conference foe, concluding the tournament with a fourth-place finish.

Round One vs. Campbellsville (WPU 41, CU 5)

The Statesmen opened the tournament in dominant fashion, surrendering just one loss in the dual. Kendall Bostelman (Sr., Napoleon, Ohio, Exercise Science), Espie Almazan (So., Council Bluffs, Iowa, Political Science), Diara Pomares (Fr., Hemet, Calif., Fine Arts and Business Management), and Phoebe Burt (Sr., Coralville, Iowa, Sociology, Psychology and Human Services) each earned victories by pinfall. Mia Palumbo (Grad., Oak Lawn, Ill.) and Piper Fowler (Fr., Cleveland, Tenn., Psychology) added wins by technical fall.

Round Two vs. Lindsey Wilson (WPU 22, LWC 20) 

In a dual where WPU recorded just four victories, the Statesmen still found a way to come out on top. After dropping the opening two matches and trailing the Blue Raiders 6-2, Palumbo put William Penn on the board with a pinfall at the 1:02 mark. 

William Penn fell behind once again, 9-8, but Bostelman responded for WPU with an 11-7 decision victory to regain the lead at 11-10.

Lindsey Wilson captured the next two bouts to take a 17-11 advantage. Fowler and Pomares then combined for five points, each earning pinfall victories, as the Statesmen surged ahead and secured a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

Semifinals vs. Life University (WPU 18, LU 24) 

Facing the tournament's No. 1 seed and the top-ranked team in the nation, WPU pushed the match down to the wire. Despite recording just one technical victory, the Statesmen totaled 18 points in the dual. 

Victoria Baez Dilone (Grad., Madrid, Spain, Master's of Sports Management) accounted for 10 consecutive points on her way to a technical fall victory, cutting the deficit to 10-6.

Despite trailing on the scoreboard, Almazan earned a victory via disqualification after her opponent was penalized for an illegal slam, narrowing the score to 14-11.

The Running Eagles had already clinched the dual heading into the 207-pound bout, but Burt received a forfeit to close the gap to 25-18.

3rd Place Match vs. Grand View (WPU 19, GVU 22)

William Penn dropped the first two matches of the placement round, but Palumbo got the Statesmen on the board with a quick technical fall at 124-pounds, tying the dual at 6-6. 

WPU went on to win three consecutive matches: 124-pounder Baez Dilone picked up a 9-1 decision, 131-pounder Bostelman earned a 3-2 decision, and 138-pounder Almazan claimed a 5-3 decision, pushing the Statesmen ahead 15-9.

Grand View closed the gap with a 145-pound victory, cutting the score to 16-12 in favor of WPU, but Fowler extended the Statesmen's lead with a 9-2 decision at 160-pounds, making the score 19-13.

Grand View went on to win the 180-pound and 207-pound bouts by technical fall and pinfall, securing a 22-19 victory.

Up Next: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa to host Graceland in Heart action on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

WPU 41, Campbellsville 5

103--Lily Zapata (W) won by forfeit (5-0)
110--Makennah Craft (C) won by decision over Avy Perez, 6-2 (6-3) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
117--Mia Palumbo (W) won by technical fall over Addison Rudolph, 10-0 (10-3)
124--Victoria Baez Dilone (W) won by technical fall over Addison Messerly, 10-0 (14-3)
131--Kendall Bostelman (W) over Olivia Messerly, 3:39 (19-3)
138--Esperanza Almazan (W) won by fall over Rita Carey, 3:55 (24-3)
145--Naida Abdijanovic (W) won by decision over Gabriella Perez, 9-3 (27-4) (UC earned a team point for scoring in the match)
160--Piper Fowler (W) won by technical fall over Kylee Tait, 12-2 (31-5) (UC earned a team point for scoring in the match)
180--Diara Pomares (W) won by fall over Desi Lee, 1:40 (36-5)
207--Phoebe Burt (W) won by fall over Brianna Staebler, 5:24 (41-5)

WPU 22, Lindsey Wilson 20

103--Havana Hampl (L) won by decision over Lily Zapata, 10-9 (1-3) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
110--Reagan Thomas (L) won by decision over Avy Perez,10-9 (2-6) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
117--Mia Palumbo (W) won by fall over Callie Payton, 1:02 (7-6)
124--Kamilah Brooks (L) won by decision over Victoria Baez Dilone, 3-2 (8-9) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
131--Kendall Bostelman (W) won by decision over Jeila Ramos,11-7 (11-10) (LWU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
138--Lexi Ritchie (L) won by decision over Ana Vilar, 8-0 (11-13)
145--Kori Campbell (L) won by technical fall over Maeley Elsbury, 10-0 (11-17)
160--Piper Fowler (W) won by fall over Sofia Toledo, 0:32 (16-17)
180--Diara Pomares (W) won by fall over Katelyn Lewis, 0:51 (21-17)
207--Hayeni Costa (L) won by decision over Phoebe Burt, 5-4 (22-20) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)

Life 24, WPU 18

103--Alyssa Quezaire (L) won by technical fall over Olivia Atkins, 11-0 (0-4)
110--Ariana Martinez (L) won by decision over Avy Perez, 7-3 (1-7) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
117--Salyna Shotwell (L) won by decision over Mia Palumbo, 8-1 (2-10) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
124--Victoria Baez Dilone (W) won by technical fall over Kennedy Russell, 10-0 (6-10)
131--Olivia Mottley (L) won by technical fall over Kendall Bostelman, 12-0 (6-14)
138--Esperanza Almazan (W) won by disqualification over Zaynah Mcbryde (11-14)
145--Jamilah Mcbryde (L) won by technical fall over Naida Abdijanovic, 14-4 (12-18) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
160--Latifah Mcbryde (L) won by technical fall over Piper Fowler (William Penn), 11-0 (12-22)
180--Reka Busa (L) won by decision over Diara Pomares, 10-2 (13-25) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
207--Phoebe Burt (W) won by forfeit (18-25)
*Life was deducted a team point

Grand View 22, WPU 19

103--Isabelle Apple (G) won by decision over Lily Zapata,10-6 (1-3) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
110--Tristan Nitta (G) won by decision over Avy Perez, 2-1 (2-6) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
117--Mia Palumbo (W) won by technical fall over Mayangelie Colon, 11-0 (6-6)
124--Victoria Baez Dilone (W) won by decision over Maya Davis, 9-1 (9-7) (GVU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
131--Kendall Bostelman (W) won by decision over Jasmine Serrano, 3-2 (12-8) (GVU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
138--Esperanza Almazan (W) won by decision over Denalie Dauphin, 5-3 (15-9) (GVU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
145--Madison Diaz (G) won by decision over Naida Abdijanovic, 6-2 (16-12) (WPU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
160--Piper Fowler (W) won by decision over Kami Senlycki, 9-2 (19-13) (GVU earned a team point for scoring in the match)
180--Andjela Prijovic (G) won by technical fall over Diara Pomares, 11-0 (19-17)
207--Selena Mares (G) won by fall over Phoebe Burt, 0:49 (19-22)