WOMEN’S WRESTLING FRESHMEN COME UP BIG AT JIMMY MAY OPEN

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – In the first-ever Jimmy May Open at Baker University, Avila women's wrestling were led by big performances from the freshman class, showcasing why the future is bright for the young program.

In the 131-pound class, Nicole Redmond went 4-2 and finished in fourth place. She had multiple wins over KCAC opponents, but lost to No 18 Destiny Campbell of Oklahoma City University.

"Nicole is cementing herself as a force to be reckoned with since joining the team at the start of the semester," said head coach Sara Hilliard after the competition.

Another freshman, Audrina Houston, had a tough draw in her opening match, facing the top-ranked wrestler in the NAIA and Nigerian Olympian, Christianah Ogunsanya of William Penn. Houston did not back down from the challenge and put up a tough match against the Olympian before losing via tech fall.

Houston did not let her opening match deter her effort the rest of the day. The Jefferson City native came up with an upset win over No. 17 Victoria Nunez of Central Methodist with a pin in just over two minutes. Houston finished her day 3-2.

One of Houston's victories came over her teammate, Rihanna Ricks. Ricks' second loss of the day came in another tough matchup, losing to No. 2 Camille Foster from Texas Wesleyan.

Sophomore Chloe Taylor notched another Avila win, going 1-2 in the competition. Taylor beat Kayla Nguyen of Texas Wesleyan via 20-9 tech fall.

A winner of the KCAC's Women's Wrestler of the Week Award in January, Alexis Hatfield went 1-1 in the competition before injury defaulting her final two matches.

Avila will have two weeks of practice before hosting the KCAC Championships at Mabee Fieldhouse on March 1.

A full list of results from the Jimmy May Open can be found here.