North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan University women's wrestling team is preparing for a weekend of competitions in the Lower Peninsula. The Wildcats will start their matches on Friday against Alma and Davenport at 5 p.m. in Alma. On Saturday, they will compete in duals at Adrian beginning at 11 a.m., followed by the Adrian Invite on Sunday, also starting at 11 a.m.

Fans can stay updated by following @nmu_wrestling on Instagram for event-related updates.

In their previous outing, NMU participated in the Simpson College Luther Hill Invitational where four team members placed within the top five of their respective weight classes, accumulating a total of 73.5 points. Kailyn Garrett notably secured second place in her class with three consecutive wins before losing in the championship match. Alissa Caltagirone and Sophia Bassino both finished fourth in their weight classes, while Clarissa Wangen rounded out the top-five finishes for NMU.

Key figures include Yu Sakamoto, who holds a national rank of fourth pound-for-pound and first in her weight class according to The Open Mat rankings. She recently achieved world champion status at the U23 World Championships held in Albania. Other ranked wrestlers from NMU include Zhivanna Magdaleno and Alissa Caltagirone, who are ranked tenth and sixteenth respectively.

Northern Michigan's wrestling program is currently ranked twelfth nationally in tournament standings and eighteenth for team dual rankings as they enter their fourth season. Over its brief history, the program has produced two All-Americans and twelve Scholar All-Americans.

Tony DeAnda was recognized as Regional Coach of the Year last year due to his contributions to NMU's wrestling success.