ASHLAND, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon (RV) women's wrestling team capped the conference slate with a strong third-place finish, scoring 120 points at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament on Sunday. Nine of the 12 Mountaineers placed in the Top 6, with three wrestlers securing automatic bids to the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.

Automatic berths were awarded in each weight class based on regular-season conference ratings, with additional spots allocated according to the number of nationally ranked wrestlers per class.

At 131 pounds, Makenna Duran battled back after a semifinal loss to secure third place and All-Conference honors. Duran opened with a 6-4 decision over Eliza Goodwin (SOU), then rebounded from a technical fall setback with dominant wins over Yaretzi Lopez (ACU) and teammate Lexie Garza, by falls of 1:09 and 1:50. Her third-place finish clinched an automatic national berth.

At 145 pounds, Veil Foreman put together an impressive run to the finals. She pinned Grace Cooper (TESC) in 35 seconds and added a 3-1 decision over Holland Wieber (SOU) before falling in the championship match. Foreman's runner-up finish earned All-Conference recognition and an automatic bid to nationals.

At 207 pounds, Kiona Michel secured third place and All-Conference honors, highlighted by a pair of bonus-point victories. After dropping her semifinal, Michel pinned Ruthanne Chvostovsky (ACU) and posted a technical fall over Isabella Heaney (SU-CA) to place third. She then won a true placement match, which did not affect final places or team scores, with a 3-1 decision over Fernanda Canedo (WU) to claim the conference's second automatic national berth at 207.

Six additional Mountaineers finished in the Top 6 and await potential at-large selections:

Nia Avelino battled through a challenging bracket at 110 pounds to earn a sixth-place finish. After advancing past two byes, Avelino dropped into the consolation side but responded with a pin over Briseis Serrano (SOU) in 1:38 to stay alive. She ultimately placed sixth after a tough final stretch of matches. 

Telsarina Walter put together a strong run to fifth place at 110 pounds. She opened with a fall over Barbara Greenberg (WU) and added dominant technical fall victories against Jacqueline Placencia (SU-CA) and Leah Wallway (TESC). Walter capped her tournament with a technical fall over teammate Nia Avelino to secure fifth. 

Gloria Diaz delivered an impressive performance en route to a runner-up finish and All-Conference honors at 117 pounds. Diaz recorded back-to-back falls over Mia Rivas (ACU) and teammate Isabella Coronado before advancing to the championship bout, and keeping herself in the conversation for a potential at-large bid. 

After falling in the semifinals to teammate Gloria Diaz, Isabella Coronado battled back on the consolation side to claim third place and All-Conference recognition. Coronado responded with a pair of dominant victories, including a first-period fall over Isabella Salgado–Aguilar (Simpson) and a technical fall against Zeta Lee (TESC), finishing the tournament on a high note.

Lexie Garza turned in a gritty performance at 131 pounds to earn a fourth-place finish. She opened with a quick fall over Abby Mendoza (WU) and later added a 6-1 decision over Eliza Goodwin (SOU) in the consolation bracket. Garza ultimately placed fourth after facing a tough field that included teammate Makenna Duran in the medal rounds.

Jocelyn Velasco secured a fourth-place finish at 145 pounds after battling through a competitive bracket. Following a semifinal setback, Velasco responded with a decisive fall in the consolation round to keep herself in medal contention. She closed the tournament in fourth place, adding valuable team points for the Mountaineers as they earned a third-place team finish.

Following conference championships nationwide, a 10-member committee will determine the remaining at-large selections until the 210-wrestler national field is finalized. The full list of qualifiers will be announced Tuesday, March 3 by 5 p.m. (CST), with seeds and preliminary brackets released Friday, March 6 on NAIA.org.

Qualifiers from this weekend will compete at the fourth annual NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship, set for March 13-14 at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kansas, hosted by Visit Wichita.

To view results: Individuals | Team Scores