Four women wrestlers find success in York

Four CSC women wrestlers traveled to compete in the York College Open Saturday, two of which finished in a top-eight spot.

“York was probably the toughest tournament that we’ve wrestled at this year,” Alijah Jeffery, head women’s wrestling coach, said. “We knew we were going to run into some really tough competition, but we got some good wins and I thought everyone went out there and performed and put themselves in good positions.”

Ryleigh Dye, freshman of Queen Creek, Arizona, started off the open with a pin in two minutes and 21 seconds before taking her second match with a technical fall and making it into the 136-pound quarterfinal.

Dye tussled Colorado Mesa University wrestler Jolynn Harris, redshirt sophomore of Des Moines, Iowa, taking her first loss with a technical fall, 12-1.

Her final matches ended with technical falls, Dye won against York College’s Sydney Boyle, freshman of WaKeeney, Kansas, 10-0, before taking her second loss against No. 14 Rebekah Garcia, senior of Lyon College, 12-1.

“Overall, I am pretty satisfied with that outcome, and I learned a lot from the girls I wrestled this weekend,” Dye said. “I got five tough matches in and though I didn’t place, I got a lot of mat time.”

After being pinned by No. 3 Gracie Figueroa of Menlo in her first match, Karstin Hollen, freshman of Mesa, Arizona, returned to the mat in the 143-weight class and pinned University of Jamestown’s Kaylee Narlock, sophomore of Devils Lake, North Dakota, in 27 seconds.

Hollen finished her day with another loss, taking a technical fall, 10-0, but being the second Eagle to win a match.

Maddison Christiansen, freshman of Oshkosh, and Jeslyn Jindra, junior of Box Elder, South Dakota, joined on the road as well. Christiansen took on NAIA’s No. 1 Oklahoma City University’s Destiny Lyng, senior of La Mesa, California, and was pinned by the top-ranked wrestler.

Jindra was also pinned in her 155-pound matches taking on Menlo College’s Alia Abushi, sophomore of San Leandro, California, in her opening match.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun being on an all-girls team so far,” Dye said. “I’ve never been on a girl’s wrestling team before, so it is definitely different, but also really comforting.”

Jeffery said the team is focusing on amplifying strengths and getting rid of little mistakes that are causing some troubles on the mat.

The women’s wrestling team is currently scheduled to travel to dual against Colorado Mesa University Friday in Grand Junction.

“This dual against Colorado Mesa is a big deal for us because this is going to be the first time that two RMAC schools with women’s wrestling have had competed in a dual against each other,” Jeffery said. “Hopefully this will spark some ideas and get some of these other RMAC schools interested and get on board with women’s wrestling.”