Women's wrestling gets first dual win against no. 17 Augsburg

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A season of firsts for the Morningside women's wrestling team continued this afternoon as the Mustangs squared off with Augsburg University and the University of Sioux Falls, with the Augsburg dual marking Morningside's first dual in program history. Less than an hour later Mside had recorded another first, collecting the first dual win in program history, 24-13.

The Mustangs got on the board first as Alyssa Petersen was awarded a tech fall by a 14-4 margin at the 109-pound weight class.

Adilene Delgadillo followed suit with a 10-0 first-period tech fall, finishing the 123-pound match in just over two minutes.

At 130, Madeline Black gave Morningside its first fall of the day, with the referee hitting the mat after 1:01.

In the 136-pound match, Brooklin Kuester set a new school record for the fastest fall, besting Black's previous mark of 38 seconds with a 13-second pin of her own.

Taking advantage of an open Augsburg, Elizabeth Rubio recorded another five points for the Mustangs, and Nevaeh Hast concluded the team scoring as she picked up a point for scoring during her six-minute match.

"I think today was the result of all the hard work that we've been putting in throughout the season, and it feels so good to watch the little things come together," reacted team co-captain Delgadillo. "It feels good to be making history and setting the tone for Morningside Women's Wrestling, but it's almost like you can't even grasp that, because you're just trying to get better and better."

"This shows all the hard work that we're putting in, cutting weight, coming to practices, especially the ones you don't want to wake up for, but when you get out there and get your hand raised, that when it's like 'Wow, it's all paying off.'"

"It's not even just getting your own hand raised," added Black, the team's other captain. "It's watching your teammate get her hand raised, too. You'll see us on the sidelines and we're all so hyped for each other. It's the bond that we've created from the weight cutting and hard practices that has brought us together more than anything else."

On the other side of Morningside's first triangular, the Mustangs were tripped up by Division II Sioux Falls, falling 40-5 as Black submitted another bid for fastest fall, falling short of Kuester's new benchmark as it took 32 seconds for her to pin her opponent. 

"The win today was huge for us as a program," reflected head coach Jordan Cliff. "We work really hard on a consistent basis and when we're able to see the work that we're putting in payoff, it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the kids." 

"Coming in and beating a nationally ranked team, whether it's at the Division III level or not, is massive for us and the girls are excited about it, they're amped up, and we're going to continue building off of this and take the momentum into next semester with us."

Morningside, with the dual that was scheduled to take place at Buena Vista this week postponed, now heads into winter break looking ahead to 2024.