Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ) won its first national title in women’s wrestling on March 11, paced by individual champions at the first three weight classes.
OUAZ scored 120 points to win the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Championships, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
OUAZ already held a commanding lead heading into the final day of competition, then cemented its win with titles in the first three weight classes. All three matches ended by fall as freshman Jennifer Alcott (101 pounds), junior Hermelinda Mendoza (109) and sophomore LyQualah Kinsey (116) scored quick pins in the first or second periods.
Julia Mata added another title at 155 pounds to cap Ottawa’s scoring. Taliyah Armstrong (130) and Cheyenne Williams (170) placed second.
Head Coach Edward Cruz earned NCWA Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row. OUAZ placed second a year ago.
Mendoza became OUAZ’s first national champion last year when she won the 101 weight class. Mendoza’s win this year makes her the school’s first two-time national champion and ties her for fifth on the NCWA’s career championship list.
OUAZ’s eight All-Americans give the Spirit 26 in program history and move it into second place in NCWA history and first among teams currently competing.
The NCWA was the first association to recognize women’s collegiate wrestling and now the first to bring it to Puerto Rico. The association created a new Puerto Rico Conference with seven member schools on the island and held its championships this year in San Juan in recognition of multiple efforts by wrestling leaders here to grow the sport locally.