CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The first-year Minot State women's wrestling team has become accustomed to making history at this point.
First match. First home dual. First individual win. First dual win.
Now, three of the Beavers freshmen class are ready to make history one more time as they head out onto the mats at the NCWWC National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this Friday and Saturday, becoming the program's first national qualifiers.
What other historic feats
Jazmin Gorder,
Annika Gotlieb, and
Nina Sandoval achieve this weekend is yet to be determined.
Sandoval earned her spot at nationals by winning the consolation-bracket championship at 155 pounds at the NCWWC Region V Tournament hosted by Colorado Mesa on Feb. 19. After a quarterfinal setback, Sandoval won three straight matches, two by pin, to finish 3
rd at the regional.
As for Gorder and Gotlieb, they each advanced to their respective consolation-bracket championship match as well but settled for 4
th-place finishes, still good enough to earn themselves a berth to nationals.
Gotlieb picked up a pair of wins in the 130-pound weight class, advancing to the championship semifinals before her first loss.
As for Gorder, she picked up back-to-back wins in the consolation bracket at 123 pounds to earn a spot in the consolation championship before seeing her run end.
Gorder opens nationals with a first-round match against Morgan Bethea of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Bethea finished third in the 123-pound weight class at the Region III tournament and is making her second trip to nationals, advancing to the 2019-20 tournament, as well.
Gotlieb gets a first-round bye and opens the tournament against Lillian Sherer from Lock Haven (Pa.) in the second round. Sherer won the Region I Championship in the 130-pound weight class and is making her second trip to nationals.
As for Sandoval, she also is in action in the first round as she wrestles Skylah Chakouian from Elmira College (N.Y.). Chakouian finished second at 155 pounds at the Region I tournament and will be making her second trip to nationals.
