EAGLE WOMEN’S WRESTLING HAS THREE NAIA NATIONAL QUALIFIERS AFTER KCAC CHAMPIONSHIP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After not having a single wrestler in the finals a year ago, Avila women's wrestling had four second-place finishers in the 2025 KCAC Championships on Saturday at Mabee Fieldhouse: Alexis Hatfield, Audrina Houston, Nicole Redmond and Jaclyn Riedinger.
With their second-place finishes, Hatfield, Riedinger and Redmond automatically qualify for the NAIA National Championships on March 14 and 15.
"We had a really good day and people are starting to take notice," said Avila first-year head coach Sara Hilliard, one of a small number of female wrestling coaches in the country.
In the 103-pound class, Hatfield went 2-1 on the afternoon, losing in the first-place match to Eyvori Jacquez of Saint Mary. Hatfield's win in the semifinal came via 4:00 fall.
Avila's second second-place finisher was Audrina Houston in the 117-pound division. Houston went 1-1 on her home mat, picking up a win via 2:20 fall.
In the 131-pound class, freshman Nicole Redmond stood on the second-place podium after going 2-1 on the day, notching wins via tech fall in the quarterfinal and 1:11 fall in the semifinal before losing to NAIA No. 17 Emma Truex in the first-place match.
Finally, Jaclyn Riedinger won her opening match of the day via fall in just 52 seconds over 12th-ranked and No. 1-seeded Araya Boday of Saint Mary and lost to No. 18 Livia Swift in the first-place match of the 138-pound class.
"I'm so proud of them. To be able to host and wrestle our hearts out in front of so many family and friends, it's amazing," noted Hilliard.
Avila's three guaranteed qualifiers this season have set a program record, with the Eagles collecting just two in each of the past two seasons.
Hilliard and her majority-female staff have been building to this moment throughout the season with a young roster: "We're taking a different approach. They showed up in a big way. I keep saying that they get better every single match, but they genuinely do."
Not only was Avila's performance today impressive, but the Eagles were led by a youth movement and have plenty to look forward to. Both Hatfield and Redmond are in their first season of collegiate wrestling while Riedinger is just a sophomore.
"This is a historic day," Hilliard noted. "We're starting to put ourselves on the map."
Hilliard's women's wrestling program continues to rise and she and her staff will use today as a building block to continue to grow the program.
Hatfield, Redmond and Riedinger will head to Park City, Kan., on March 14 and 15 for the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
"I've been preaching to them that we want to peak at the right time. We are on track to peak at the exact right time. We have made history and shown how dominant we can be. The sky is the limit."
(Photo credit: Ali Nassir).
