BY: JON MURPHY
CSC Sports Information Director
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- The Chadron State Women's Wrestling team came away with four individual qualifiers and a third place finish as a team at the NCWWC Region V Tournament in Grand Junction, Colorado on Sunday, February 19.
The four qualifiers, Kinsey Smith, Isabell Ortiz, Kayley Garcia and Kamila Montenegro helped the Eagles score 123.5 team points.
CSC's lone champion and first regional champion in school history, Kayley Garcia, defeated three wrestlers on her way to the 143-pound title. After a first-round bye, Garcia, a freshman from Vista, California, earned her lone pin of the day in 2:31 against Diriann Porras from University of the Ozarks.
In the semi-finals, the freshman defeated Celine Cooke of Colorado Mesa 10-0. Another Colorado Mesa opponent in Erica Schroeder met Garcia in the finals. The champion ended her day with another tech fall, this time 11-0.
Smith, a senior from Windsor, Colorado, had a first-round bye which earned herself a spot in the semifinals. The 101-pound champion, Jennesis Martinez of Colorado Mesa, pinned Smith in 2:43.
In the first round of the 101-pound bracket, Isabella Morales of Colorado Mesa defeated Britley Lopez of Chadron State, creating a matchup of Eagles in the loser bracket. Smith defeated her teammate with a 10-0 TF before earning fourth place after being defeated by Odelia Lopez of Schreiner University.
Isabell Ortiz recorded a first-round pin in 1:54 over Carisa Epling of Colorado Mesa. The freshman from Lakin, Kansas earned a matchup with Ivy Threatful from Simon Fraser in the semifinals. Threatful earned a 11-6 decision over Ortiz.
Ortiz answered her lone defeat of the day with back to back falls to receive third place in the 116-pound bracket. She defeated Mercedes Nerios of Texas Women's University in 4:06 before defeating Jaia Ashley of Schreiner in 5:28.
Montenegro received silver in the 170-pound bracket. After a first-round bye, she won a 10-6 decision over Samantha Vasquez from Colorado Mesa. The junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, pinned Aubrey Yauger of Texas Women's University in 4:55 before losing in the championship to Emily Cue.
Four Eagles finished fifth in the tournament, falling one spot short of being a national qualifier.
The four Eagles qualifying for nationals will be back in action March 3-4 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.