The Illinois Wesleyan University women’s wrestling team kicked off their season last weekend at the Pointer Open hosted by University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point. With 19 new members, this young team set the bar high during their debut tournament.
“There was a lot of effort,” sophomore Sifa Feruzi said, “There was no point in the tournament where I was thinking someone needed to pick it up–they were always trying.”
It’s safe to say their efforts paid off as first-years Beyonce Espinosa, Kennedy Murray and Angel Hill all took first place in their weight classes with four other freshmen placing as well.
The first collegiate wrestling match can be an intimidating feat, especially when the Pointer Open had such a wide variety of competition, featuring 14 schools including North Central College, Augustana College and Lakeland University.
“The most challenging part was not allowing the name of the schools or their number of ranked girls to intimidate me,” first-year Kennedy Murray said. Murray certainly delivered on that challenge, pinning three girls before taking first place in a 3-2 decision.
With a freshmen-heavy team, it’s reassuring to see such a strong start to the season. “A young team isn’t new or special to us,” said Feruzi, “Wrestling is a growing sport. It’s so new I feel like we’re not really at a disadvantage.”
Now in their second season, the women’s wrestling team has just three returners. With 18 first-years and one sophomore transfer, these girls get to pave their own way forward.
“We’re the ones who have to set those expectations for the future. We have to figure out what success looks like,”
– Angel Hill
“We don’t have any expectations to look up to,” said first-year Angel Hill, “We’re the ones who have to set those expectations for the future. We have to figure out what success looks like.” For Hill, success looks like a bye in the first round of the tournament, followed by two pins and a first place win after a 10-9 decision.
One adjustment for the team is the long day spent waiting during the tournament. “When we had to wait a long time between matches, it made us lose morale,” Feruzi said.
“If you win your match, your wait time is longer and you can lose momentum,” McNeal said, “if you lose, you have a short time to set your mind straight before your next match.”
Going forward, the team has a long season ahead to keep improving. “We all push really hard in practice,” first-year Hayley McNeal said, “We’re trying to get the most amount of reps possible, but also take it slow to make sure we are getting all the information and technique we need to win matches.” This strategy paid off for McNeal who had a third place finish in her weight class Saturday.
Ripping the bandaid off of collegiate competition will surely help the team going forward too. “Since this was just a starting point, dipping our toes in, I think the girls will feel a lot more comfortable going into the Lakeland Quad that we’ve got on Sunday,” Feruzi said.
Hosted by Lakeland University, the Lakeland Quad will take place Sunday, November 9, at 10 a.m., in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Featuring Illinois Wesleyan University, Lakeland University, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Elmhurst University, the Lakeland Quad is a much smaller team matchup, which makes for even tighter competition.
