Des Moines, IA – The Indian Hills Women's Wrestling squad wrapped up the Grand View Open with eight place-winners on Saturday, led by freshman Nevaeh Hayden's (Tulsa, OK/Union) first-place finish in the 180lb Silver Open Bracket.
With more than 50 teams competing at Grand View University, including multiple National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) programs, the Warriors boasted a strong showing with six individuals placing in the top-four of their respective bracket.
Hayden's dominant freshman campaign continued on Saturday, going 4-0 on the day with all four victories by way of fall. Hayden did not see a match go longer than 1:27 on the day. Hayden opened up the tournament with a first round pin in 1:27 before scoring a fall in 1:02. Hayden used a pin in 48 seconds in the quarterfinal round before closing out the day with a 20 second fall in the championship bout.
Hayden, the No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the nation, has now secured 13 pins in 14 matches on the year and has not seen a match go further than the first round. Hayden's 13 pins are second-most in a single season in school history.
Hayden was joined by teammate Paola Rodriguez (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Rosalina C. Martinez) in the 180lb bracket who placed third overall. Rodriguez finished the day with four tech falls, outscoring her opponents 48-3 in four matches, including an 11-1 tech fall in the third-place match.
Freshman Chasey Karabell (Aurora, CO/Eaglecrest), ranked No. 2 in the latest NJCAA 103lb rankings, placed second overall in the 103lb Silver Open bracket after picking up three wins on the day. Karabell scored back-to-back falls, including a 39 second pin in the quarterfinal round before earning a 10-0 tech fall in the semifinals.
Freshman Kennedi Johnson-Washington (Greenwood, SC/Greenwood), the No. 7 ranked wrestler in the nation at 207lbs, secured a third-place finish in the 235lb Gold Open bracket by going 2-1 on the day. After a semifinal defeat, Johnson-Washington bounced back with a 5-0 decision and a 10-0 tech fall in the third-place match.
Sophomore All-American Amaria Ridgner (Richton Park, IL/Rich Township) earned a fourth-place finish in the 131lb Silver Open bracket with six victories on the day. In the six victories, Ridgner picked up three tech falls and outscored her opponents 59-5, including five matches without allowing a point.
Freshman Ileen Castrejon (Beach Park, IL/Zion-Benton Township), ranked No. 6 in the nation at 207lbs, took home a fourth-place finish in the 207lb Silver Open bracket with three wins against four-year opponents, including two falls on the day. Castrejon picked up a 22 second pin in the consolation semifinal match.
Indian Hills also earned a pair of sixth-place finishes from freshman Alycia Perez (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard West) in the 103lb Silver Open bracket and sophomore Hinda Doucoure (Bronx, NY/Medical Sciences) in the 110lb Silver Open bracket.
The Warriors have added a final regular season tournament to its schedule with the Midland Warrior Open in Fremont, NE on February 8 before opening up postseason competition with the NJCAA Central District Championship on February 15 in Council Bluffs, IA.
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills Men's & Women's Wrestling home and postseason matches. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
- GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
- Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device: Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER