Three Eagles Make Returns to National Rankings
Avila women's wrestling had three wrestlers ranked in the final NAIA ratings of the 2023 calendar year, the association unveiled last month. All three athletes – Markayla Lottie, Sara Soureshjani, and Shannon Briggs – have now appeared in the rankings at least twice this season. The Eagles remain in the receiving votes tier of the national poll.
Junior standout Markayla Lottie is in the midst of another excellent season as one of the Eagles' featured wrestlers. After placing sixth at Doane's Conner/Oppenheim Open on December 2, Lottie closed out 2023 by winning four of her final five matches to improve her overall record to 12-7, best on the team.
The junior from Raytown, Missouri is ranked 15th in the 116-pound weight class, tied with Makenzie Shaw of Dickinson State at that spot.
Sara Soureshjani has had two brilliant weekends this season, and those performances have helped her earn a consistent starting spot this season and, now, a return trip to the national rankings for the second time in her career. Soureshjani stole the show by winning all four of her matches at the 2023 Eagle Duals in mid-December, the only Eagle to do that, and she would have contended for KCAC Wrestler of the Week that week had enough teams in the conference competed to warrant an award.
The sophomore from Overland Park returns to the national rankings at 20th in the 143-pound weight class.
Freshman Shannon Briggs has come on strong over the last two months, giving the Eagles a real force at the heaviest weight on the roster. She held her own against Saint Mary standout Lessly Sandoval in their dual at Mabee Fieldhouse, and helped lead the Eagles to win over Division II foe Quincy at the Eagle Duals by pinning Jayla Jones. Her record stands at 6-6 as the calendar flips to 2024.
The freshman from Englewood, Florida improves her standing by one spot up to 19th in the 191-pound weight class.
The KCAC continues to be well-represented in the national women's wrestling landscape. Nine total teams are featured in the third in-season edition of the poll, including five consecutive teams ranked between 14th and 18th. Avila is one of four schools in the receiving votes tier. The latest poll can be viewed below, and on the NAIA website.
Lottie, Soureshjani, Briggs and the rest of the Eagles will next head to Nebraska to face York in a dual on Friday, January 12 and then compete in the York Open on Saturday, January 13. More details on those competitions will be posted on our website, avilaathletics.com, when they become available.
| Rank | Last Time | Team | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Life (Ga.) | 199 |
| 2 | 3 | Menlo (Calif.) | 183 |
| 3 | 2 | Grand View (Iowa) | 175 |
| 4 | 4 | Providence (Mont.) | 163 |
| 5 | 5 | Southern Oregon | 154 |
| 6 | 6 | Texas Wesleyan | 136 |
| 7 | 7 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 113 |
| 8 | 8 | William Penn (Iowa) | 99 |
| 9 | 10 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 95 |
| 10 | 17 | Missouri Baptist | 89 |
| 10 | 11 | Oklahoma City | 89 |
| 12 | 12 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 83 |
| 13 | 9 | Indiana Tech | 75 |
| 14 | 13 | Hastings (Neb.) | 68 |
| 15 | 16 | Doane (Neb.) | 59 |
| 15 | 14 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 59 |
| 17 | 15 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 58 |
| 18 | RV | Midland (Neb.) | 49 |
| 19 | 19 | Baker (Kan.) | 44 |
| 20 | 18 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 43 |
Dropped from Top 20: Wayland Baptist (Texas)
Receiving Votes: Wayland Baptist (Texas) 40, Missouri Valley 32, Lourdes (Ohio) 29, Friends (Kan.) 28, Waldorf (Iowa) 27, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 20, Siena Heights (Mich.) 20, Eastern Oregon 19, Jarvis Christian (Texas) 15, Dickinson (N.D.) 14, Avila (Mo.) 12, Jamestown (N.D.) 8, York (Neb.) 6, Evergreen (Wash.) 4
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
101 – Erin Hikiji, Providence (Mont.)
109 – Mia Palumbo, William Penn (Iowa)
116 – Avery Ashley, Oklahoma City
123 – Cristelle Rodriguez, Doane (Neb.)
130 – Carolina Moreno, Southern Oregon
136 – Adaugo Nwachukwu, William Penn (Iowa)
143 – Jamilah McBryde, Life (Ga.)
155 – Caitlyn Davis, Southern Oregon
170 – Abby McIntyre, Grand View (Iowa)
191 – Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson, Menlo (Calif.)
