FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The No. 17-ranked Corban University women's wrestling team competed at the Mike Clock Open on Sunday, a premier event hosted by Pacific University. Facing off against top grapplers from across the Northwest, the Warriors saw six placers at the tournament, highlighted by a first-place finish from No. 7 Ivy Kraght at 143 pounds.
"The amount of improvement we saw from last week was amazing," said head coach Stryder Davis. "Our team is full of very coachable and respectful student-athletes; we had fun competing today."
Kraght started her day in the 143-pound bracket with a dominant performance against Umpqua Community College's Madeline Riboli, who she pinned just 33 seconds into the match. She then earned two more pins against Southwestern Oregon Community College's Leandra Rodriguez (0:55) and Grays Harbor College's Jocelyn Fierro (1:53) to advance to the 143-pound championship.
In the title match, she squared off with the NAIA's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 143 pounds, Erin Redford of Eastern Oregon University. Unfazed, Kraght upset Redford (Inj. 3:37) to take home the individual championship.
Meanwhile, No. 16 Kendall Martin (3rd) and No. 22 Tess Barnett (5th) each placed in the 116-pound bracket on Sunday.
Martin pinned her first two opponents—Haley Vann (2:37) and Southern Oregon University's Marissa Kurtz (2:41)—before falling to the NAIA's No. 6-ranked Tara Othman in the semifinals (technical fall, 12-2). She then downed SOU's Liv Villanueva by way of fall (1:10) in the consolation semifinals. Martin finished her day with another victory over Vann, this time pinning her in under a minute (0:52).
Barnett also came across Villanueva on Sunday, pinning her in her first match of the day (2:37) before doing the same to Umpqua Community College's Itzel Medina (fall, 4:29). Southern Oregon's Carolina Johnson—ranked fourth in the NAIA at 116 pounds—topped Barnett in the following match (technical fall, 10-0), however, forcing her to the consolation bracket, where she would eventually be defeated by Vann (fall, 1:10).
Competing in the fifth-place match, Barnett was reunited with Villanueva and pinned her once again, this time in just a minute and 23 seconds.
At 136 pounds, Cheyann Rendon showcased her persistence and tenacity, bouncing back from an early loss to place 6th overall. After losing in her first contest, Rendon rattled off three-straight pins—defeating Big Bend Community College's Kayla Trujillo (2:11), Cassandra Hernandez (2:33), and Southwestern Oregon Community College's Leah Nastri (0:39)—eventually leading to a sixth-place finish.
No 11-ranked Gabrielle Tata-Rodrigues began her day in the 155-pound bracket with an impressive showing against Umpqua Community College's Tiyanna Leal (fall, 2:19). But that was only the beginning for the standout freshman, who then defeated No. 16-ranked Tenley Swope of Eastern Oregon (technical fall, 10-0) in a battle of two top-ranked grapplers. She was unable to recreate that magic against Simon Fraser's Alyvia Fiske, however, losing via fall at the 1:47 mark in the semifinals.
Tata-Rodrigues earned a fifth-place finish in the consolation bracket, closing her day by edging Lilliann Restrepo (Umpqua CC) in a thrilling decision (11-10).
No. 8 Alexys Zepeda placed third in the 170-pound grouping, triumphing over Big Bend Community College's Avery Ackerman (fall, 3:20) prior to being edged out by No. 12 Olivia Robinson (Eastern Oregon) in a gritty semifinal clash (decision, 2-1).
After being forced into the consolation side of the grouping, Zepeda rebounded with two-straight routs, pinning Big Bend's Adele Moulton (0:27) and upsetting Southern Oregon's Dennis Bailey—ranked sixth in the NAIA—in the third-place match via technical fall (10-0).
Corban will now return to the comforts of the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center for its first-ever home dual on Thursday, hosting Simpson University at 7 p.m.
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