TIFFIN, Ohio -- The Adrian College women's wrestling team turned in a strong showing at the NCAA Regional Championship, placing sixth out of 18 teams with 69.5 points.
Adrian was powered by four top-five finishes, highlighted by a runner-up performance at 117 pounds from Carleigh Czerneski. Entering the weekend with a 36-6 record, Czerneski opened with a quarterfinal decision over Kiely Tabaldo (Grand Valley State), 3-0, before dominating Zhivanna Magdaleno (Northern Michigan) with an 8-0 decision in the semifinals. She advanced to the championship bout before falling to Riley Rayome (North Central College) by technical fall to secure a second-place finish and 13 team points.
At 180 pounds, Mia Gaetjens earned a third-place finish and a team-high 19.5 points. Gaetjens began her run with back-to-back falls over opponents from Davenport and Otterbein in the opening rounds. After a semifinal setback, she responded with two more falls in the consolation bracket, including a victory in the third-place match over Anneliese Tavira (Aurora), to close out an impressive tournament.
Mason Harsch also reached the podium at 131 pounds, placing fifth and contributing 16 team points. Harsch recorded four falls on the day, including wins over wrestlers from Heidelberg, Alma, Otterbein, and Manchester. After battling through the consolation bracket, Harsch capped the tournament with a fall in the fifth-place match.
Zionah Gardner added another fifth-place finish at 145 pounds, scoring 10.5 team points. Gardner rebounded from an early quarterfinal loss with a fall and a technical fall in the consolation rounds before earning a 6-0 decision over Jada Weiss (Otterbein) in the fifth-place match.
Raven Aldridge (207) contributed 5.5 team points with a pair of falls in the championship and consolation rounds, while Taylor Cutler (160) added three points after opening her tournament with a fall. Sophia Renteria (124) earned two team points with a technical fall victory in the consolation bracket.
Alexis Baumgartner (103) and Angelica Steffy (138) also competed for the Bulldogs.
Czerneski and Gaetjens just secured their ticket to the first ever NCAA Women's National Championship, making history for the Bulldogs in being the first to ever qualify for the official NCAA championship as they secured championship status this last year.
With multiple podium finishes and bonus-point victories throughout the lineup, Adrian secured a sixth-place team finish against a deep regional field and will now turn its attention to the national collegiate women's wrestling championship on March 6-7 in Coralville, Iowa.