Prineville, Ore. – The No. 18 Eastern Oregon women's wrestling team battled hard but ultimately fell to No. 5 Southern Oregon, 36-8, in a highly competitive dual on Saturday. Despite a strong technical fall win from
Irma Retano and several closely contested matches, the Mountaineers could not overcome the Raiders' depth.
Southern Oregon took early control of the dual, securing a forfeit win at 103 pounds before Emma Baertlein extended the lead with a 13-2 technical fall over Nia Avelino at 110 pounds. Eastern Oregon responded at 117 pounds when Retano dominated Domonique Lopez, earning a 10-0 technical fall in just 2:49.
The Raiders regained momentum at 124 pounds, as Malia Welch outlasted Kadence Beck in a 10-4 decision. A tightly contested battle at 131 pounds saw Jade Morales edge EOU's Anna Rodriguez in a 4-3 decision. Southern Oregon continued to build its lead with a forfeit win at 138 pounds and a first-period fall by Holland Wieber at 145 pounds.
EOU remained competitive in the upper weights, but the Raiders secured decisions in the final three contested bouts. Quilaztli Miguel-Lapham (160 lbs.) topped Jocelyn Velasco 10-2, Bailey Dennis (180 lbs.) held off Laura Meyers in a 4-0 decision, and Kathryn Hingano closed out the dual with a forfeit win at 207 pounds.
Despite the loss, the Mountaineers showed resilience against one of the top-ranked programs in the nation.
Match Results
- 103: Diamond Lopez (SOU) over (EOU) (For.)
- 110: #4 Emma Baertlein (SOU) over #16 Nia Avelino (EOU) (TF 13-2 5:34)
- 117: #14 Irma Retano (EOU) over Domonique Lopez (SOU) (TF 10-0, 2:49)
- 124: #13 Malia Welch (SOU) over #9 Kadence Beck (EOU) (Dec 10-4)
- 131: Jade Morales (SOU) over Anna Rodriguez (EOU) (Dec 4-3)
- 145: Holland Wieber (SOU) over Savannah Roblin (EOU) (Fall 1:29)
- 160: #3 Quilaztli Miguel-Lapham (SOU) over Jocelyn Velasco (EOU) (Dec 10-2)
- 180: Bailey Dennis (SOU) over Laura Meyers (EOU) (Dec 4-0)
Eastern Oregon will return to the mat on March 2 at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships in Redding, California. The event will take place throughout the day.
