OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Evergreen State College women's wrestling team, ranked #15 in the NAIA, won matches against Big Bend Community College, 23-20, and Linfield University, 38-5, on Saturday, Nov. 29 during the Native American Heritage Duals at the Costantino Recreation Center. Native American Heritage Day was celebrated prior to the first match, including powwow dancing by Evergreen wrestlers
Nizhoni Tallman (Sr.) and
Ruby Clark (Fr.).
Evergreen is 2-0 on the season. Linfield fell to 0-3.
After the powwow dancing, Evergreen took on Big Bend CC in the opening match. Later, the Geoducks competed against Linfield. Two Geoducks,
Flor Parker Borrero (Sr.) and
Ariana Cavero-Santiago (So.), each won two matches by pinning their opponents.
Haley Le (So.) won with a pin and a technical fall.
Erica Grant (Jr.) earned two wins by technical fall.
Evergreen will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 6 against Southern Oregon University at the CRC. Southern Oregon is ranked #11 in the NAIA. Match time for the Cascade Collegiate Conference match is set for 3 p.m PST.
Evergreen Edges Out Vikings
The Geoducks outscored Big Bend CC by a 23-20 margin. Evergreen won five matches, including three falls and two technical falls.
Big Bend surged out to a 10-0 lead in the team scores when Alexis Clements won for the Vikings with a fall at 110 pounds against
Leah Wallway (Fr.) and Aris Fry added a fall at 117 pounds against
Zeta Lee (So.). Evergreen responded by winning four consecutive matches.
In the 124-pound weight class,
Ellabelle Taylor (Jr.) won 11-0 with a technical fall 1:47 into her match with Jayde Coleman. Grant also won on an 11-0 technical fall while taking on Anna Rodriguez of Big Bend just 35 seconds into the match at 131 pounds.
Le of Evergreen earned a fall at 2:28 against Isabella Crave at 138 pounds. The win moved the Geoducks into a 13-10 lead overall. Parker Borrero, who recorded 22 of her 23 victories last season by falls, added a pin of Za'Lane Hulitt 51 seconds into the 145-pound match. After Elizabeth Kovacs of Big Bend pinned
Grace Cooper (So.) at 160, Evergreen held an 18-15 lead.
Cavero-Santiago clinched the team win for Evergreen with a pin late in the first period at 2:45 against Tenacious Villase from Big Bend in the 180-pound weight class. The Geoducks were in front 23-15. Katherine Nelson of the Vikings won by forfeit at 207 pounds as Evergreen did not compete in that weight class.
Geoducks Roll Past Linfield
Evergreen earned points in eight weight classes while defeating Linfield 38-5 in the second match of the day. The Geoducks won two matches by pins, added two victories by technical falls, and won four matches due to three forfeits and an injury forfeit.
The only points for Linfield were gained in the 103-pound weight class, where Jessica Cottings won by forfeit after Evergreen did not compete at that weight.
Three forfeits followed at 110 pounds, 117 pounds, and 124 pounds, as Wallway, Lee, and Taylor, respectively, were credited with the wins. Lee's win was by injury forfeit because Tori Debold was unable to wrestle for the Wildcats. Evergreen also won by forfeit at 145 pounds, as Cooper did not enter the weight class.
At 131 pounds, Grant won for Evergreen with an 11-0 technical fall for the second time on Saturday. Against Linfield, she outscored Cadence Fineran, with the match ending less than 40 seconds into the second period. Le added a 10-0 technical fall for a win at 138 pounds against Cassidy Jones-Mowen of the Wildcats.
Parker Borrero, competing in the 160-pound weight class, downed Karina Yoder of Linfield by fall at 1:03. Cavero-Santiago added a pin at 2:56 against Abisua Perez-Diaz at 180 pounds. Neither team entered a wrestler at 207 pounds.
