LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Mountaineers Women's Wrestling team kicked off the 2022 season with their annual Mountaineer Open on Sunday. With three first place finishers and 12 wrestlers in the top five, EOU started the season off on the right foot.
 
Leading the way for the Mounties was Stephanie Blankenship winning the 116-pound weight class, Morgan Shines winning the 136-pound weight class, and Erin Redford winning the 143-pound weight class. The trio combined for a total of 60 team points.
 
Blankenship went 5-0 on the day highlighted by two falls and two tech falls. Her first tech fall came over teammate Sierra Gonzales. She then went back-to-back pinning Southwestern Oregon Community College's Analee Razo and Kadence Beck (wrestling unattached). To clinch the first-place finish, the junior took a 11-0 tech victory over Washington State's Annika Arriola.
 
Shines had a dominant day seeing live competition for the first time in 2022. She won every match via pin or tech fall. In her first match she beat Washington State's Julie Wilson with a 11-0 tech fall. Two minutes and thirteen seconds into her second match Shines pinned Southwestern Oregon's Kadence James. A match later, Shines picked up a third victory with a tech fall over Factory Wrestling Club's Alioz Mason. The senior then pinned Umpqua CC's Zainab Ibrahim in 4:10. To wrap up the day and claim the first-place finish Shines picked up another tech fall victory over Averie Stueve 11-0.
 
Eastern's third and final first place winner, Erin Redford, had a great day in the 143-pound weight class going 4-0. She picked up her first win via tech over Big Bend CC's Sitlaly Macias, 12-0. Redford pinned her next two opponents, Kayli Acosta (Umpqua CC) and Anya Schooler (EOU). The pin on Acosta took an impressive 16 seconds. In her final match of the day Redford took a victory by decision over teammate Liv Wieber, 7-2.
 
The Mountaineers had five grapplers finish either second or third as well. Nayeli Flores Roque took third going 3-1 on the day with a pin and two wins by decision in the 109-pound weight class.
 
At 116 pounds, Irma Retano went 3-2 on the day picking up two victories on tech falls and one on a pin.
 
Paige Chafin finished second at 123 pounds going 3-1 on the day with every win coming via pin.
 
Brooke Cicierski took third in the 130-pound weight class. She pinned her first opponent then dropped her second match, but responded well with two tech victories in the fourth and fifth rounds.
 
At 143 pounds, Liv Wieber took second with her only loss coming to teammate Erin Redford who won the tournament. Going 2-1 on the day, Wieber's wins all came on falls.
 
Also finishing in the top five for the Mountaineers was Veronica Arroyo (109 pounds, fifth place), Sierra Gonzalez (116 pounds, fifth place), and Anna McDougal (170 pounds, fifth place).
 
The Eastern Oregon Women's Wrestling Team returns to action a week from today when they head to Forrest Grove, Ore. for the Mike Clock Open.