Women’s Wrestling Earns Six Top-Six Finishes at Season-Opening Tournament

INDIANOLA, Iowa - No. 13 Baker women's wrestling opened up its 2024-25 season with six wrestlers earning placement honors at the Luther Hill Open on Saturday.

The Wildcats recorded 52 overall wins and had a pair of fourth-place performances from Katherine Heath (117) and Emmale American (235) in the Varsity division, while Aileya Sath (131) took third and Zoey Freeman (124) finished fourth in the Freshman/Sophomore division.

Coming off a third-place finish at Nationals last year, Heath began her season by winning four matches in the 117-pound bracket, including a win over the NAIA's third-ranked wrestler in Flavia Nagatani of Grand View.

Americano, a freshman from Hemet, Calif., went 2-2 at 235 pounds with a pair of pins in her first collegiate tournament. Kylie Robledo totaled four wins and placed fifth in the 124-pound division with two pins and two tech falls. Returner Jannell Avila took sixth in the 180-pound bracket.

Wrestling in the Freshman/Sophomore division, Sath won five of her six matches on the day at 131 pounds with a couple of tech falls. She earned a hard-fought decision in her placement match to come away with third-place honors.

Freeman also tallied five wins in the tournament with two tech falls and a pin to take fourth in the 124-pound bracket.

Up next, Baker will host its first dual of the season with William Penn coming to town for a wrestling doubleheader in the Collins Center on Thursday night. The women's dual will kick things off at 4:30 p.m. with the men's dual to follow.

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