9 New England Natives Compete at Women's NCAA's
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Nine New England–based female wrestlers competed in the first-ever NCAA Women’s National Championship, which took place March 7–8 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Wrestlers needed to place in the top three at one of the six regional championships to qualify for the tournament.
Every New England state was represented except Vermont (CT – 3, MA – 2, RI – 1, ME – 2, NH – 1). There was at least one wrestler qualified in seven of the 10 collegiate weight classes (110 – 1, 117 – 1, 124 – 1, 131 – 1, 138 – 3, 145 – 1, 207 – 1).
Congratulations to these wrestlers, who made history by competing in the NCAA’s first national championship for the sport.
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No. 16 Victoria Orender (Sr.) – Western New England University
Byfield, MA – Triton Regional
High School Accolades:
MA All-State Champion (2022)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
3rd, Region I (NQ)
Orender placed third at the Region I Championship and entered the national tournament with an 18-8 record. At nationals, she unfortunately went 0-2, falling to the eventual third- and seventh-place finishers. She finishes the season as the No. 16 ranked wrestler in the country.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree) won by tech fall over Victoria Orender (Western New Eng.) (TF 16-5)
Cons. Round 1 - Avery Kibelbek (King) won by tech fall over Victoria Orender (Western New Eng.) (TF 14-3)
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No. 9 Maddie Ripley (Fr.) – Western New England University
Owls Head, ME – Wyoming Seminary/Oceanside
High School Accolades:
ME Co-ed State Champion (2024)
3x ME Girls State Champion (2022, 2023, 2024)
CNESSPA New England Champion (2024)
Prep National All-American (2nd, 2025)
NHSCA All-American (2nd, 2023)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
1st, Region I (NQ)
Ripley had an excellent freshman season for the Golden Bears. She won the Region I Championship and rolled into nationals with a 22-2 record. At the national tournament, she had a strong showing, going 2-2 and dropping a close match in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Yu Sakamoto of McKendree. She finishes as the No. 9 wrestler in the country and will certainly be a force over the next three seasons.
Full Results:
Prelim - Maddie Ripley (Western New Eng.) won by fall over Gable Hemann (Wartburg) (Fall 1:08)
Champ. Round 1 - Maddie Ripley (Western New Eng.) won by fall over Leiannah Landreth (Fort Hays St.) (Fall 3:47)
Quarterfinal - Yu Sakamoto (McKendree) won by decision over Maddie Ripley (Western New Eng.) (Dec 11-7)
Cons. Round 2 - Carleigh Czerneski (Adrian) won by decision over Maddie Ripley (Western New Eng.) (Dec 6-0)
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No. 14 Linda Holeman (Jr.) – Western New England University
Preston, CT – Ledyard
High School Accolades:
2x CT Open Champion (2020, 2023)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
2nd, Region I (NQ)
Holeman was an NCWWC national qualifier as a sophomore and finished second in Region I to qualify for the NCAA National Championship this season. She entered the tournament with a 27-4 record but unfortunately went 0-2, finishing the season as the No. 14 ranked wrestler in the country. She will look for redemption in her senior season.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley St.) won by tech fall over Linda Holeman (Western New Eng.) (TF 11-0)
Prelim Round 2 - Sophie Bowers (Wartburg) won by tech fall over Linda Holeman (Western New Eng.) (TF 10-0)
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No. 14 Lindsey Rywolt (So.) – University of Bridgeport
Stratford, CT – Stratford
High School Accolades:
CT Open Champion (2024)
CNESSPA New England Champion (2024)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
3rd, Region I (NQ)
Rywolt competed for much of the season at 124 pounds but ultimately made the move up to 131 for the postseason. She finished third at the Region I Championship and entered the national tournament with a 5-1 record at 131 pounds and an overall record of 24-5.
At nationals, Rywolt went 1-2, coming up just short of the podium. She finishes the season as the No. 14 wrestler in the country, and the future looks bright with two more years of eligibility remaining.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Lindsey Rywolt (Bridgeport) won by fall over Yele Aycock (North Central) (Fall 0:49)
Quarterfinal - Alexis Janiak (Aurora) won by tec fall over Lindsey Rywolt (Bridgeport) (TF 10-0)
Cons. Round 2 - Makayla Paclib (Pitt.-Johnstown) won by decision over Lindsey Rywolt (Bridgeport) (Dec 9-2)
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No. 17 Lina Rodriguez (Fr.) – Felician University
Norwalk, CT – Norwalk
High School Accolades:
CT Open Champion (2025)
2x CNESSPA New England Placer (3rd, 2024; 4th, 2025)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
3rd, Region I (NQ)
Rodriguez claimed third place at the Region I Championships to qualify for the NCAA tournament as a freshman. She entered the tournament with an overall record of 22-6 and a mark of 16-5 at 138 pounds. Unfortunately, she went 0-2, getting eliminated by fellow New England native Jaclyn Dehney of New England College. She finishes a strong first season as the No. 17 wrestler in the country.
Full Results:
Prelim Round 1 - Aine Moffit (Augustana) won by fall over Lina Rodriguez (Felician) (Fall 2:27)
Prelim Round 2 - Jaclyn Dehney (New England Col.) won by fall over Lina Rodriguez (Felician) (Fall 1:25)
No. 11 Kryssceah Ravenelle (So.) – Lehigh UniversityScituate, RI – Wyoming Seminary
High School Accolades:
Fargo All-American (6th, 2022)
Prep National Champion (2023)
2x Prep National All-American (1st, 2023; 2nd, 2024)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
1st, Region II (NQ)
Ravenelle won the Region II title and entered the national tournament with a 21-7 record. At nationals, she went 1-2, finishing one round short of the podium. Her two losses came to the eventual third- and sixth-place finishers.
She finishes the season as the No. 11 ranked wrestler in the country.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Haylie Jaffe (McKendree) won by decision over Kryssceah Ravenelle (Lehigh) (Dec 5-0)
Cons. Round 1 - Kryssceah Ravenelle (Lehigh) won by fall over Jaclyn Dehney (New England Col.) (Fall 2:51)
Cons. Round 2 - Jacinda Espinosa (Lindenwood) won by decision over Kryssceah Ravenelle (Lehigh) (Dec 12-4)
No. 12 Jaclyn Dehney (So.) – New England College
Pelham, NH – Central Catholic
High School Accolades:
2x MA All-State Champion (2022, 2023)
Fargo National Champion (2023)
Super 32 Champion (2021)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
1st, Region I (NQ)
Dehney was an NCWWC All-American as a freshman, placing seventh at 131 pounds. This season she qualified for the NCAA National Championship by recording three pins en route to the Region I crown. She entered the tournament 12-0 on the season but hit some roadblocks, going 1-2 and getting eliminated by fellow New Englander Kryssceah Ravenelle of Lehigh. She finishes as the No. 12 wrestler in the country and will look to regain her spot on the podium next season.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Sophia Ball (Aurora) won by fall over Jaclyn Dehney (New England Col.) (Fall 4:05)
Prelim Round 2 - Jaclyn Dehney (New England Col.) won by fall over Lina Rodriguez (Felician) (Fall 1:25)
Cons. Round 1 - Kryssceah Ravenelle (Lehigh) won by fall over Jaclyn Dehney (New England Col.) (Fall 2:51)
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No. 10 Alissa Caltagirone (Jr.) – Northern Michigan University
York, ME – York
High School Accolades:
ME State Champion (2023)
Fargo All-American (4th, 2023)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
2nd, Region IV (NQ)
Caltagirone was an NCWWC All-American as a sophomore, placing eighth at 138 pounds. This year she again qualified for the national tournament by placing second in Region IV.
She entered NCAAs with a 29-5 record and went 1-2 at the tournament, losing a heartbreaking decision on criteria in the blood round. She finishes the year as the No. 10 wrestler in the country and has one more season to find the podium.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Alissa Caltagirone (Northern Mich.) won by tech fall over Selina Moore (East Stroudsburg) (TF 12-0)
Quarterfinal - Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree) won by tech fall over Alissa Caltagirone (Northern Mich.) (TF 10-0)
Cons. Round 2 - Margaret Buurma (Grand Valley St.) won by decision over Alissa Caltagirone
(Northern Mich.) (Dec 4-4)
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No. 12 Lindsay Laws (Jr.) – Lock Haven University
Halifax, MA – Silver Lake
High School Accolades:
2x MA All-State Champion (2022, 2023)
NHSCA All-American (7th, 2023)
NCAA Accolades:
2026:
1st, Region II (NQ)
Laws was an NWCA national qualifier last season. This year she added a Region II title and qualified for the inaugural NCAA National Championship. Her regional crown came by way of three pins, giving her a 20-8 record heading into NCAAs. At nationals, she went 1-2, missing out on the podium by one match. She finishes the season as the No. 12 ranked wrestler in the country and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Full Results:
Champ. Round 1 - Tristan Kelly (McKendree) won by tech fall over Lindsay Laws (Lock Haven) (TF 10-0)
Cons. Round 1 - Lindsay Laws (Lock Haven) won by decision over Alivia Davey (Ill. Wesleyan) (Dec 8-0)
Cons. Round 2 - Josephine Larson (Sacred Heart) won by tech fall over Lindsay Laws (Lock Haven) (TF 11-0)
All rankings provided by The Open Mat.
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