Avila Goes 3-1 at 2023 Eagle Duals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Avila women's wrestling team had a great showing at the 2023 Eagle Duals on Friday in Mabee Fieldhouse, defeating schools from three different levels of collegiate wrestling to finish 3-1 over four team duals, giving the Eagles a grand total of five dual victories after the first half of the 2023-24 campaign.
The third annual installment of the Eagle Duals featured a total of eight teams from across three levels of college wrestling, with more than 120 athletes competing in 14 duals over the span of about four hours on Friday. The annual event is always action-packed with plenty of intriguing matchups and results, and this year's showcase was no exception.
The Eagles more than held their own in their home event, and in fact, Avila had one of the best days of any team present: out of the eight competing teams, Avila recorded the second most pins (10), and finished third in team points. And only Grand View, rated the No. 2 team in the NAIA, won more duals than Avila's three.
But much more important than the team stats or even the final dual scores were the individual performances, and Avila certainly had plenty of those. The Eagles began the day facing off against NCAA Division II squad Quincy, an underclassman-heavy team from Illinois. The dual was very close to begin with: both sides exchanged wins over the first five rounds, which left Avila in front 13-10. Then the Hawks picked up back-to-back pins to surge ahead 20-13 before the Eagles rallied to win the final three bouts to secure the dual.
Sara Soureshjani embarked on what became a stellar day by kickstarting the Eagles' rally with a 12-0 tech fall at 155, and Kirsten Bruegel and Shannon Briggs both followed with pinfall victories to give the Eagles a 27-20 victory. Asha Pearson, Markayla Lottie and Jaclyn Riedinger also won matches for the Eagles.
The Eagles' second opponent, Indian Hills, was rated the No. 1 team in the junior college ranks coming into the event, and the Warriors quickly lived up to that billing, winning eight of the ten bouts en route to a 38-10 victory. Soureshjani finally got the Eagles on the board in the dual with a pin at 155, and Aaliyah Ivarra followed suit with a pin at 191 in her first varsity action on her home mat.
Indian Hills was the No. 1 team among junior colleges, and Avila's third opponent, Iowa Central, was No. 3 – and was previously No. 2 before the Warriors defeated the Tritons heads up a couple of weeks ago. The Eagles recovered nicely from their loss to the Warriors and quickly engaged in an early battle similar to their dual against Quincy.
The two teams alternated wins over the first six weights, leaving ICCC with a slim 15-13 lead. Up stepped Soureshjani, who blanked Eavenly Nielsen 11-0 at 143 to put the Eagles in front, and Bruegel followed by earning an impressive pin victory in less than a minute over Olivia Fausnaugh at 155 to pad the lead. The two teams each elected to forfeit the final two weights, leaving Avila the victors, 22-15. Pearson, Lottie and Byanca Cook earned victories in the early stages of the dual.
Finally, Avila took on a familiar foe, their only NAIA opponent of the day, nationally ranked Baker from nearby Baldwin City. The Wildcats were absent a couple of key wrestlers, but that didn't make the contest less exciting. Avila started off strong, getting forfeit wins at the first two weights before Markayla Lottie delivered a resounding pin at 116 to put Avila up 15-0 early. Baker responded by winning the next three weights to get on the board, but Jaclyn Riedinger earned the Eagles a crucial point with a late takedown in a defeat at 130.
Avila's lead was just 16-13 with four rounds to go. A third Baker forfeit gave the Eagles some breathing room, and then Soureshjani delivered the Eagles the win for good by pinning Reagan Wonnell at 155. Baker won the final two weights but the Wildcats couldn't make up the difference – Avila prevailed 26-22 to finish the day with three wins.
Soureshjani stole the show for the Eagles as the only wrestler in the field to win all four of her matches. Pearson and Lottie both won three and Bruegel won two; freshmen Chloe Taylor and Kalli Schuster made their collegiate debuts for the Eagles over the course of the day.
The men will take center stage on the second day of the 2023 Eagle Duals starting at 10 AM on Saturday, December 16. Up next for the Eagle women is a trip to York, Nebraska in mid-January to dual against the Panthers on January 12 and then compete in the York Open on January 13. Details on how to watch and follow along will be posted on our website, avilaathletics.com, when they become available.
