Women's Wrestling Places Third, Produces Two Individual Champions and Eight National Qualifiers at Heart Championship
Oskaloosa, Iowa, (Feb. 28, 2026)- The No. 8 Missouri Valley College women's wrestling team competed at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The Vikings were led by two individual champions, No. 15 Junior Maria Slaughter (Wentzville, Mo.) at 160 pounds, who also won the Co-Tournament Outstanding Wrestler award, and No. 12 Senior Sarina Bertram (Platte City, Mo.) at 145 pounds. Eight individuals earned automatic qualifying into the 2026 Women's Wrestling National Championship, and the team placed third in the standings.
Results:
No. 15 Junior Maria Slaughter (Wentzville, Mo.)- 160 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Defeated Olivia Anderson of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first period (0:37) pin.
Semifinal: Defeated No. 10 Nicole Olson of Grand View (Iowa) in a second period (4:08) pin.
First Place Match: Defeated No. 2 Allyssa Johnson of Central Methodist (Mo.) in a 9-8 decision.
Slaughter is the 160 pounds conference champion, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 12 Senior Sarina Bertram (Platte City, Mo.)- 145 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Defeated Lucia Hernandez of Baker (Kan.) in a 12-1 technical fall.
Semifinal: Defeated No. 8 Madison Diaz of Grand View (Iowa) in an 8-2 decision.
First Place Match: Defeated teammate No. 6 Brooke-Lynn Rush by medical forfeit.
Bertram is the 145 pounds conference champion, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 3 Sophomore Zao Estrada (Bluffton, S.C.)- 117 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Defeated No. 16 Chloe Herrick of Baker (Kan.) in a first period (2:11) pin.
Semifinal: Defeated No. 4 Cailin Campbell of Grand View (Iowa) in an 11-0 technical fall.
First Place Match: Lost to No. 1 Christianah Ogunsanya of William Penn (Iowa) in a 10-0 technical fall.
Estrada placed second at 117 pounds, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 5 Junior Serenity De La Garza (McAllen, Texas)- 138 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Defeated Kaytlin McAnelly of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first period (0:43) pin.
Semifinal: Defeated No. 9 Zoe Fries of Missouri Baptist in a first period (0:19) pin.
First Place Match: Lost to No. 1 Esther Kolawole of William Penn (Iowa) in an 11-0 technical fall.
De La Garza placed second at 138 pounds, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 6 Senior Brooke-Lynn Rush (St. Joseph, Mo.)- 145 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Defeated Alexis Dunwiddle of William Woods (Mo.) in a 10-0 technical fall.
Semifinal: Defeated Eve Herlyn of Central Methodist (Mo.) in a 10-0 technical fall.
First Place Match: Lost to teammate No. 12 Sarina Bertram by medical forfeit.
Rush placed second at 145 pounds, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 7 Senior Autumn Perez (Dodge City, Kan.)- 180 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Defeated No. 17 Kenlee Fish of Missouri Baptist in an 8-6 decision.
Semifinal: Lost to No. 8 Andjela Prijovic of Grand View (Iowa)in a second period (3:44) pin.
Consolation Semifinal: Defeated No. 16 Johanna Carrasco of Baker (Kan.) in a 10-0 technical fall.
Third Place Match: Defeated No. 17 Kenlee Fish of Missouri Baptist in an 11-0 technical fall.
Perez placed third at 180 pounds, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 15 Sophomore Sarah Pineda (Perris, Calif.)- 117 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Lost to No. 4 Cailin Campbell of Grand View (Iowa) in a 13-3 technical fall.
Consolation Second Round: Defeated Amaris Rivera of Graceland (Iowa) in a first period (2:13) pin.
Consolation Third Round: Lost to No. 16 Chloe Herrick of Baker (Kan.) in a 10-8 decision.
Seventh Place Match: Defeated No. 17 Mikayla Jardine of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a second period (3:31) pin.
Pineda placed seventh at 117 pounds, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
No. 14 Sophomore Isla Baeza (Orem, Utah)- 124 pounds:
First Round: Lost to Rei Ogden of Bismarck State (N.D.) in a first period (2:28) pin.
Consolation First Round: Received a bye.
Consolation Second Round: Defeated Jazmine Turner of Dickinson State (Mo.) in a first period (2:19) pin.
Consolation Third Round: Defeated Birta McCaskill of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first period (1:04) pin.
Consolation Semifinal: Lost to No. 6 Maya Davis of Grand View (Iowa) in a 10-5 decision.
Fifth Place Match: Defeated No. 12 Tatiana Paragas of William Penn (Iowa) in a first period (2:57) pin.
Baeza placed fifth at 124 pounds, and earned an automatic qualifying berth into the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship.
Junior Raquel Garcia (Wilmington, Calif.)-110 pounds:
First Round: Lost to No. 1 Mia Palumbo of William Penn (Iowa) in a first period (0:25) pin.
Consolation First Round: Received a bye.
Consolation Second Round: Defeated No. 15 Jenna Gerhardt of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first period (2:10) pin.
Consolation Third Round: Lost to No. 13 Ave Perez of William Penn (Iowa) in a 14-3 technical fall.
Seventh Place Match: Lost to Myriam Riley of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a second period (3:31) pin.
Garcia placed eighth at 110 pounds.
No. 19 Junior Jerzie Estrada (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.)- 131 pounds:
First Round: Defeated Elysah Hernandez-Jimenez of Graceland (Iowa) in a first period (0:35) pin.
Quarterfinal: Lost to No. 11 Bronwyn Brenneman of William Penn (Iowa) in a second period (4:18) pin.
Consolation Second Round: Defeated teammate Gwendolyn Jewell in a 12-2 technical fall.
Consolation Third Round: Defeated Aileya Sath of Baker (Kan.) in an 11-0 technical fall.
Consolation Semifinal: Lost to No. 5 Kendall Bostelman of William Penn (Iowa) in a 10-0 technical fall.
Fifth Place Match: Defeated Audrey Darnell of Baker (Kan.) in a first period (2:31) pin.
Jerzie Estrada placed fifth at 131 pounds.
No. 10 Sophomore Jasmina Immaeva (Tashkent, Uzbekistan)- 124 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Quarterfinal: Lost to No. 11 Catharine Campbell of Grand View (Iowa) by injury default.
Consolation Second Round: Lost to Birta McCaskill of Dickinson State (N.D.) by medical forfeit.
Freshman Gwendolyn Jewell (Orange, Calif.) -131 pounds:
First Round: Lost to Makenzie Shaw of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first period (2:41) pin.
Consolation First Round: Received a bye.
Consolation Second Round: Lost to teammate No. 19 Jerzie Estrada in a 12-2 technical fall.
No. 8 Missouri Valley finished third in the team standings with 161.5 points. No. 4 William Penn (Iowa) won the team title with a total of 215 points. No. 2 Grand View (Iowa) was second with 214 points.
The eight automatic qualifiers will compete at the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championship, set for March 13-14 in Wichita, Kan. Remaining at-large qualifiers will be announced by the NAIA Tuesday.
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Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.