Eight All-Americans for Jimmies

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Jamestown College women’s wrestling coach Cisco Cole did not know what to expect from his team at the NAIA National meet on Saturday.

After leaving Marshall, Mo., with 8 All-Americans and a fifth-place team finish, Cole could not have been happier.

“I really can’t express enough how proud I was of the effort our girls put out there because we had some pretty low valleys this year and to respond like they did is a great testament to the character of our team and their desire to compete at a high level,” he said.

The Jimmies were riddled with injuries all season, leaving Cole with an even younger team than he started the season with. Still, the 8 All-Americans were 2 more than they brought home last season.

“Really, with where we were at, we couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Cole said. “Overall, it was a great performance. Our team represented our institution well.”

Tiffany Sluik went 5-1 on the day to finish third at 55 kilograms, the top finish for any Jimmie. The sophomore from Mason City, Iowa, lost a tight match in the semifinals due to a “questionable” call. But she bounced back to finish with 2 more wins.

“She had a great day. She wrestled really well,” Cole said.

The Jimmies had three others in third-place matches, but settled for fourth.

Freshman Nichole Yarrington made it to the semis at 44 kg and put up a strong fight in a 3-2 loss to an Oklahoma City wrestler, who had pinned Yarrington earlier in the season.

“Nichole had an amazing tournament,” Cole said.

Michele Quiles came on strong late in the season and finished it off with a fourth-place finish at 67, beating the No. 3 seed in the early goings.

“Michele had been one of our better wrestlers the last few weeks. She finishes strong,” Cole said.

Freshman Jamie Moore also placed fourth, 1 of 2 Jimmies at 82 kg to place.

Leya-Justina Luafalemana also placed at 82, coming in sixth.

Amanda Athon won her final match to place fifth at 95.

Christina Ordonez advanced to the semis at 62, upsetting the No. 3 seed along the way. She faced the returning national champion in the consolation title match and came up short.

Kayla Volin, another freshman, also earned All-American honors by coming in eighth at 72.

Cole said fast starts were the key to his team’s weekend success.

“We definitely came out and punched a lot of people in the mouth,” he said. “We were aggressive in the early rounds and really carried that over for most of the day.

“It was just a really positive experience for our team and a good stepping stone for the program going into the future.”

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at daves@jamestownsun.com

Tags: all american, sports, jimmies, wrestling, college, women, nationals