CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- On the strength of three wins by falls and another win by a technical fall, The Evergreen State College women's wrestling team registered a 23-21 victory over Missouri Valley College in the first round of the consolation bracket at the NWCA National Duals on Friday, Jan. 9. The tournament is taking place at the UNI Dome and is sponsored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Evergreen improved to 4-1 in dual matches, while Missouri Valley dropped to 2-2 in dual matches this year. The Geoducks entered the tournament ranked #14 in the NAIA Women's Wrestling Top 20 Poll, and Missouri Valley was ranked #12 in the NAIA.

The Geoducks who provided Evergreen with pins during their respective individual matches were Nizhoni Tallman (Sr.) at 110 pounds, Ellabelle Taylor (Jr.) at 124 pounds, and Shannon Workinger (Sr.) at 160 pounds. All three are nationally ranked in the NAIA in their weight classes with Workinger ranked #4, Taylor ranked #9, and Tallman ranked #14.

Against Missouri Valley, Tallman won by fall early in the second period at the 3:19 mark in the 110-pound match. She was already leading 9-5 when she achieved the pin against Raquel Garcia. Taylor needed just 23 seconds to defeat Jasmina Immaeva with a pin at 124 pounds. Workinger prevailed in the match at 160 pounds with a fall versus Mya Willis midway through the first period at 1:38.

Winning for Evergreen with a 10-0 technical fall was Haley Le (So.) in the 138-pound match against Gwendolyn Jewell of Missouri Valley. The match lasted 56 seconds. 

Karen Salas (So.) also claimed a victory for the Geoducks, as she edged out Jay Avila 10-9 at 103 pounds. Avila led 6-4 after one period and held a 9-6 lead with 1:14 remaining in the match. Salas rallied with two points at the 43-second mark and two more points with 14 seconds left to grab the win.

Key winners for the Vikings were Jerzie Estrada with a pin at 131 pounds, plus Zao Estrada at 117 pounds, Sarina Bertram at 145 pounds, and Autumn Perez at 180 pounds -- all with technical falls.

The final match of the day between Evergreen's Ariana Cavero-Santiago (So.) and Hollie Hedgpeth at 207 pounds ended in a 9-9 tie. Hedgpeth was credited with the win by a tie-breaker.

With the win, the Geoducks advanced into the second round of the consolation bracket to take on Cascade Collegiate Conference rival Southern Oregon University. Match time on Friday, Jan. 9 is set for 1 p.m. CST / 11 a.m. PST.