LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Thrusted right into the thick of the 2023 NWCA National Duals' toughest battles, the seventh-ranked Presbyterian College women's wrestling team once again shined when the lights were on bright Friday afternoon, downing a pair of fellow nationally-ranked schools in a tournament setting beside 14 total victories. While dropping a 29-14 decision to #3 Colorado Mesa at the midway point of the bracket's first day, PC bookended that tough loss with a 27-22 triumph over #12 Adrian College and a 27-18 final against #18 Lock Haven, earning head coach Zach Shaeffer and co. arguably their two biggest dual W's of the program's fourth year.
 
NOTABLES
- Exactly one week after picking up three podium placements at the Midlands Championships in Chicago, Presbyterian (unchanged in the latest NWCA top ten unveiling on Monday) crafted another example of perseverance in some of the most intense environments seen by the squad since the season's dawn over two months back. 116-pounder Ainslie Lane and 123-pounder Catherine "CG" Bertrand ended the National Duals' first half as the most dominant PC tandem on offer, going a combined 6-0 between them on four pins and another TF for added impact.

- Bertrand, a sophomore from Dunwoody, Ga., applied a trademark pin in lightning-quick motion to beat her AC counterpart in only 24 seconds, transitioning to a 10-0 technical fall during the team loss to Colorado Mesa. Another shutout – this one by a 6-0 clip – over LHU's Victoria Smith improved the second-year rising star's record to 14-6 at the finish line of Louisville's day one.

- Just one weight class below her, Lane mimed her underclassman teammate with three powerful victories of her own, blasting both her Adrian and CMU opponents with back-to-back pins in four minutes and some change before saving her best for last versus Lock Haven. The Oklahoma native published a pin trifecta for her Friday finale, needing only 36 seconds to solidify her 15^th W of the campaign – a mark that four Blue Hose members have met already.

- Separated by only five rungs in the NWCA's country-wide poll, PC implied that the gap was much larger by rocketing to a 20-0 advantage over Adrian to open the tournament with a bang, securing four straight wins (all by pinfall) and another from Sierra Marie Miller that snowballed the lead all the way to 26-4. Presbyterian was allowed to coast from that point and turn their attention to the 3^rd-ranked team in the U.S., Colorado Mesa, who had just wrapped up a 30-16 triumph over Lindenwood in round one of the ultra-competitive bracket.

- The match against the Mavericks proved to live up to the excitement one would expect between two of the nation's top 10 units, finding two ties and three lead changes in the early going before CMU ultimately pulled through. A technical fall victory by freshman wonder Paige Wehrmeister pushed the score to 15-14 with only three duals remaining, although that final stretch lingered towards the other side to saddle Presbyterian to the opposite end of the bracket and another test immediately thereafter.

- Defiantly answering the tough loss with their second 27-point collection of the afternoon, the Blue Hose reached a 14-point cushion after seven matches against the Bald Eagles to boost their spirits, certain of the victory thanks to Lane, Bertrand, Miller, and Wehrmeister all having their hands raised yet again (split evenly between standard decisions and pins).

- While a great deal of work still remains throughout the loaded bracket in Louisville to resume tomorrow, Presbyterian can rest well behind their two ranked wins that helped push the squad's total win count on the season into triple digits at 106. Sacred Heart stands as PC's next opponent in the morning hours of Saturday, a group that vanquished Emmanuel and Wisconsin-Stevens Point today by scattering 73 points in those outings.
 
RESULTS
 
#7 Presbyterian def. #12 Adrian, 27-22
101 – Samantha Miller (PC) won by Forfeit – 5-0 PC
109 – Cassandra Lopez (PC) def. Emily Mendez (AC) by Fall, 1:01 – 10-0 PC
116 – Ainslie Lane (PC) def. Carleigh Czerneski (AC) by Fall, 3:27 – 15-0 PC
123 – Catherine "CG" Bertrand (PC) def. Angela LoRusso (AC) by Fall, 0:24 – 20-0 PC
130 – Mackenzie Tayerle (AC) def. Olivia Waller (PC) by TF, 11-1 – 21-4 PC
136 – Sierra Marie Miller (PC) def. Shawna Oesterling (AC) by Fall, 2:22 – 26-4 PC
143 – Clarissa Agostini (AC) def. Paige Wehrmeister (PC) by Dec., 10-6 – 27-7 PC
155 – Megan Vondrasek (AC) def. Isabella Badon (PC) by Fall, 1:43 – 27-12 PC
170 – Kayley Rada (AC) won by Forfeit – 27-17 PC
191 – Sienna Lejeune (AC) won by Forfeit – 27-22 PC
 
#3 Colorado Mesa def. #7 Presbyterian, 29-14
101 – Jennesis Martinez (CMU) def. Samantha Miller (PC) by Dec., 4-0 – 3-0 CMU
109 – Isabella Morales (CMU) def. Cassandra Lopez (PC) by Dec., 7-5 – 6-1 CMU
116 – Ainslie Lane (PC) def. Carisa Epling (CMU) by Fall, 1:08 – 6-6 Tie
123 – Catherine "CG" Bertrand (PC) def. Hania Halverson (CMU) by TF, 10-0 – 10-6 PC
130 – Hailey Chapman (CMU) def. Olivia Waller (PC) by TF, 10-0 – 10-10 Tie
136 – Holly Beaudoin (CMU) def. Sierra Marie Miller (PC) by Fall, 1:39 – 15-10 CMU
143 – Paige Wehrmeister (PC) def. Erica Schroeder (CMU) by TF, 10-0 – 15-14 CMU
155 – Dalia Garibay (CMU) def. Isabella Badon (PC) by TF, 10-0 – 19-14 CMU
170 – Melena Jones (CMU) won by Forfeit – 24-14 CMU
191 – Jayleen Sekona (CMU) won by Forfeit – 29-14 CMU
 
#7 Presbyterian def. #18 Lock Haven, 27-18
101 – Samantha Miller (PC) won by Forfeit – 5-0 PC
109 – Kaelani Shufeldt (LHU) def. Cassandra Lopez (PC) by Dec., 10-1 – 6-3 PC
116 – Ainslie Lane (PC) def. Madison Packer (LHU) by Fall, 0:36 – 11-3 PC
123 – Catherine "CG" Bertrand (PC) def. Victoria Smith (LHU) by Dec., 6-0 – 14-3 PC
130 – Lillian Sherer (LHU) def. Sierra Marie Miller (PC) by TF, 10-0 – 14-7 PC
136 – Sierra Marie Miller (PC) def. Madison Matta (LHU) by Fall, 0:45 – 19-7 PC
143 – Paige Wehrmeister (PC) def. Grace Stem (LHU) by Dec., 13-4 – 22-8 PC
155 – Isabella Badon (PC) won by Forfeit – 27-8 PC
170 – Jessica Johnson (LHU) won by Forfeit – 27-13 PC
191 – Trinity Monaghan (LHU) won by Forfeit – 27-18 PC
 
UP NEXT:
Coach Shaeffer's club may have produced some sizable gains on Friday, although the sky-high difficulty of the NWCA National Duals won't subside during part II of the bracket on Saturday, when Presbyterian must face #14 Sacred Heart at 9:00 a.m.

Should the Blue Hose cement their third top-20 triumph in less than 24 hours tomorrow and get the better of the Pioneers, they'll have to steel themselves again and take on either #5 Augsburg or #8 Gannon in the ensuing round, making for a second-straight day of high-profile duals in the Bluegrass State.