Fourth-year coach delivers NCAA’s first women’s wrestling title to McKendree
The NCAA crowned its inaugural national champion in women’s wrestling, and that historic first belongs to a team from Lebanon, Illinois.
McKendree University took 10 wrestlers to the NCAA championship tournament in Coralville, Iowa, March 7 to complete a season-long goal.
McKendree won the meet with 171 points, edging second-place Iowa with 166.
“We wrestled really consistently the last six weeks, and I think that’s the thing that separated us from everybody else,” Bearcats coach Alexio Garcia said. “When the season got down to the last six weeks, these ladies left no stone unturned.”
Garcia is in his fourth season leading the McKendree program. He ran a successful wrestling club in Washington state and had led the A.C. Davis High School team in Yakima when he decided to move his family to Illinois to build a champion at McKendree.
“Like I’ve told people, it’s like a dream come true,” Garcia said. “So, the family and I moved here originally from Washington state, where I had finished coaching a high school team that had just won a high school championship. We made the move knowing we could try to build something like that here and bring the best kids in the world here to McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois.”
Three Bearcats grapplers brought home individual titles. Yu Sakamoto won the 117-pound class, followed by 131-pound champion Cameron Guerin and 207-pound champion Tristan Kelly.
Guerin, who Garcia recruited from Yakima, defeated Abigail Mozden of Mount Union College by technical fall in the semifinals, then beat Alexis Janiak of Aurora University by technical fall in the championship match to capture the 131-pound title.
It was a full-circle moment for Guerin, who won her fifth national title and went 4-0 in the tournament a year after sitting out a season because of injuries.
“There were a lot of things that went full circle, and it was the highlight of my career for me,” she said. “I can easily say it was one of the funnest weekends of my life. I was laughing and smiling during matches and really enjoyed the whole experience.”
Shelby Moore (124 pounds and a three-time All-American) finished second, and Destiny Rodriguez (180 pounds and a first-time All-American) also placed second, giving the Bearcats five finalists.
Nine of McKendree’s wrestlers advanced to the semifinals.
Guerin said strong focus and attention to detail helped drive the Bearcats’ success in the tournament.
“I think everybody did a good job of focusing on their matches and not worrying about everybody too much,” Guerin said. “Everybody did their job, and going out there, knowing we had five teammates get into the finals was great.” All 10 weight classes did their job.
Garcia said strong competition at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Duals meet in Allendale, Michigan, in January helped prepare for the NCAA championships.
“We were perfect there and won every single match. Then we won 10 out of 10 weight classes at the regional tournament,” the coach said. “Our wrestlers continue to do the right thing on and off the mat. Do the right things and good stuff’s gonna happen.”
Women’s wrestling has been part of the sports lineup at McKendree since 2013. The national championship is a byproduct of 13 years of steady success and achievement, said McKendree athletic director Anthony Francis.
“McKendree recognized early the opportunity women’s wrestling presented — not only to support the growth of the sport, but to create new opportunities for student-athletes,” Francis said. “To see that long-term commitment result in the first NCAA women’s wrestling national championship is incredibly meaningful for our university. This team represents the standard we strive for in athletics — competitive excellence, strong leadership, and the ability to rise to the moment on the biggest stage.”
Garcia was named National Tournament Coach of the Year.
McKendree loses only three seniors and only one from the lineup that went to the national tournament. Garcia believes next year’s team will also be formidable.
“That’s the plan, and the goal is not to win but to put a gap between the rest of America,” Garcia said.
There will be a campus celebration Tuesday at McKendree University at 12:30 p.m. to celebrate the Bearcats’ inaugural women’s wrestling title run.