North Michigan News

Three members of the Northern Michigan University women's wrestling team are set to compete in the NCWWC National Championships in Coralville, Iowa. The event will be held at Xtream Arena on March 7-8.

The team will be represented by Yu Sakamoto (117 lbs), Alissa Caltagirone (138 lbs), and Kailyn Garrett (207 lbs). This marks Caltagirone's second consecutive appearance at the national level.

During the NCWWC regional qualifier, Sakamoto advanced through her matches with two technical fall victories. She trailed 1-0 after the first round in the final but secured a win by fall at 3:47 in the second round. Sakamoto is noted as just the second regional champion in the program's four-year history.

Caltagirone earned a bronze medal at 138 lbs, securing four victories, including one by decision for third place. Garrett placed fourth at 207 lbs with three wins, earning her spot at nationals.

The Wildcats finished third among eight Midwest teams at the regional qualifier with 83.5 points. North Central narrowly defeated Grand Valley for first place with scores of 173.0 to 171.5 respectively.

Additional notable performances included Sara Schroder (117 lbs) and Sophia Bassino (160 lbs) both placing fifth, while Clarissa Wangen (180 lbs) also took fifth place. Zhivanna Magdaleno (124 lbs) and Ozioma Ogu (207 lbs) each placed sixth for Northern Michigan.

Updates from the championships can be followed on Instagram via @nmu_wrestling.