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McBryde sisters All-American as Life University Secures Back-to-Back NAIA National Championships

NEWS

By: Nick Pope: Sports Information Director

WICHITA, Kan. — The Life University women's wrestling team once again finished atop the national stage, capturing the NAIA team title at the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championships in Wichita.


The Running Eagles powered their way through the tournament with a deep lineup, producing eight All-American performances and a national champion in Jamilah McBryde, whose run at 145 pounds highlighted another strong showing for Life on the national stage.


Ranked No. 2 nationally entering the tournament, McBryde opened with a first-round bye before recording back-to-back technical falls over No. 7 Maggie Ortmann (Missouri Baptist) and No. 12 Sarina Bertram (Missouri Valley). She then earned a narrow 4-3 decision over No. 17 Holland Wieber (Southern Oregon) in the semifinals before defeating No. 1 Jordan Suarez (Wayland Baptist) 9-6 in the championship match. The victory secured McBryde's second career NAIA national championship at 145 pounds.

Life placed three additional wrestlers in the national finals.


At 117 pounds, No. 2 Salyna Shotwell advanced to the championship match with a dominant run through the bracket. Shotwell recorded four consecutive falls, pinning No. 17 Mikayla Jardine (Dickinson State), No. 19 Gloria Diaz (Eastern Oregon), No. 7 Joely Slyter (Providence) and No. 3 Zao Estrada (Missouri Valley) to reach the finals. She finished as the national runner-up after falling to No. 1 Christianah Ogunsanya (William Penn).

At 131 pounds, No. 4 Olivia Mottley battled through a deep bracket to earn a spot in the championship match. Mottley opened with a technical fall over No. 18 Jill High (York) before adding an 8-0 decision over No. 11 Bronwyn Brenneman (William Penn) and a technical fall against No. 6 Larissa Kaz (Hastings) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Mottley defeated teammate and No. 1-ranked Sarah Savidge 7-2 to advance to the finals, where she finished second in the nation after falling to No. 3 Jumoke Adekoye (Dickinson State).

At 138 pounds, No. 2 Zaynah McBryde also reached the championship match with a dominant performance, recording four consecutive technical falls. McBryde defeated No. 15 Ruth Jimenez (Cumberlands), No. 9 Zoe Fries (Missouri Baptist), No. 4 Reagen Gallaway (Hastings) and No. 3 Samantha Barragan (Texas Wesleyan) before finishing as the national runner-up after a loss to No. 1 Esther Kolawole (William Penn).

Life added two third-place finishes during the tournament.

At 160 pounds, No. 1 Latifah McBryde opened with a technical fall over Quilaztli Miguel-Lapham (Southern Oregon) before recording a fall against No. 20 Berlyn Davis (Westcliff) and a 9-0 decision over No. 7 Darby Weidl (Ottawa) in the quarterfinals. After a narrow semifinal loss to No. 3 Mercy Adekuoroye (Wayland Baptist), McBryde rebounded in the consolation bracket with a technical fall over No. 11 Hailey Sutton (Providence) and secured third place with a fall over No. 8 Vida Boskovic (Southern Oregon).

At 180 pounds, No. 1 Reka Busa also placed third. After receiving a first-round bye, Busa recorded falls over No. 19 Payton Sholander (Wayland Baptist) and No. 3 Saiheron Preciado-Meza (Cumberlands) to reach the semifinals. She later secured third place with a 6-0 decision over No. 2 Kathryn Hingano (Southern Oregon) in the placement match.

At 131 pounds, No. 1 Sarah Savidge added another podium finish for Life, placing fourth overall. Savidge opened the tournament with a technical fall over No. 10 Elizabeth Duvall (Texas Wesleyan) and a fall over No. 16 Jade Morales (Southern Oregon) before earning a 6-2 decision over No. 7 Jeila Ramos (Lindsey Wilson) in the quarterfinals.

Rounding out Life's All-Americans, No. 6 Madeline Welch placed sixth at 207 pounds. Welch recorded a fall over Faith Wooley (Wayland Baptist) in the championship bracket and added consolation victories over No. 10 Phoebe Burt (William Penn) and No. 7 Hayeni Costa (Lindsey Wilson) to secure her place on the podium.

Additional team points came from No. 7 Diana Gonzalez (110), No. 3 Anna Krejsa (124), No. 8 Christina Jaen (138) and No. 3 Amelia Fawcett (145), each of whom recorded victories during the tournament to contribute to Life's championship total.

Behind McBryde's national title and a lineup that featured multiple nationally ranked wrestlers throughout the bracket, Life University once again demonstrated its depth and strength on the national stage at the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championships.

McBryde sisters All-American as Life University Secures Back-to-Back NAIA National Championships

NEWS

By: Nick Pope: Sports Information Director

WICHITA, Kan. — The Life University women's wrestling team once again finished atop the national stage, capturing the NAIA team title at the 2026 NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championships in Wichita.


The Running Eagles powered their way through the tournament with a deep lineup, producing eight All-American performances and a national champion in Jamilah McBryde, whose run at 145 pounds highlighted another strong showing for Life on the national stage.


Ranked No. 2 nationally entering the tournament, McBryde opened with a first-round bye before recording back-to-back technical falls over No. 7 Maggie Ortmann (Missouri Baptist) and No. 12 Sarina Bertram (Missouri Valley). She then earned a narrow 4-3 decision over No. 17 Holland Wieber (Southern Oregon) in the semifinals before defeating No. 1 Jordan Suarez (Wayland Baptist) 9-6 in the championship match. The victory secured McBryde's second career NAIA national championship at 145 pounds.

Life placed three additional wrestlers in the national finals.


At 117 pounds, No. 2 Salyna Shotwell advanced to the championship match with a dominant run through the bracket. Shotwell recorded four consecutive falls, pinning No. 17 Mikayla Jardine (Dickinson State), No. 19 Gloria Diaz (Eastern Oregon), No. 7 Joely Slyter (Providence) and No. 3 Zao Estrada (Missouri Valley) to reach the finals. She finished as the national runner-up after falling to No. 1 Christianah Ogunsanya (William Penn).

At 131 pounds, No. 4 Olivia Mottley battled through a deep bracket to earn a spot in the championship match. Mottley opened with a technical fall over No. 18 Jill High (York) before adding an 8-0 decision over No. 11 Bronwyn Brenneman (William Penn) and a technical fall against No. 6 Larissa Kaz (Hastings) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Mottley defeated teammate and No. 1-ranked Sarah Savidge 7-2 to advance to the finals, where she finished second in the nation after falling to No. 3 Jumoke Adekoye (Dickinson State).

At 138 pounds, No. 2 Zaynah McBryde also reached the championship match with a dominant performance, recording four consecutive technical falls. McBryde defeated No. 15 Ruth Jimenez (Cumberlands), No. 9 Zoe Fries (Missouri Baptist), No. 4 Reagen Gallaway (Hastings) and No. 3 Samantha Barragan (Texas Wesleyan) before finishing as the national runner-up after a loss to No. 1 Esther Kolawole (William Penn).

Life added two third-place finishes during the tournament.

At 160 pounds, No. 1 Latifah McBryde opened with a technical fall over Quilaztli Miguel-Lapham (Southern Oregon) before recording a fall against No. 20 Berlyn Davis (Westcliff) and a 9-0 decision over No. 7 Darby Weidl (Ottawa) in the quarterfinals. After a narrow semifinal loss to No. 3 Mercy Adekuoroye (Wayland Baptist), McBryde rebounded in the consolation bracket with a technical fall over No. 11 Hailey Sutton (Providence) and secured third place with a fall over No. 8 Vida Boskovic (Southern Oregon).

At 180 pounds, No. 1 Reka Busa also placed third. After receiving a first-round bye, Busa recorded falls over No. 19 Payton Sholander (Wayland Baptist) and No. 3 Saiheron Preciado-Meza (Cumberlands) to reach the semifinals. She later secured third place with a 6-0 decision over No. 2 Kathryn Hingano (Southern Oregon) in the placement match.

At 131 pounds, No. 1 Sarah Savidge added another podium finish for Life, placing fourth overall. Savidge opened the tournament with a technical fall over No. 10 Elizabeth Duvall (Texas Wesleyan) and a fall over No. 16 Jade Morales (Southern Oregon) before earning a 6-2 decision over No. 7 Jeila Ramos (Lindsey Wilson) in the quarterfinals.

Rounding out Life's All-Americans, No. 6 Madeline Welch placed sixth at 207 pounds. Welch recorded a fall over Faith Wooley (Wayland Baptist) in the championship bracket and added consolation victories over No. 10 Phoebe Burt (William Penn) and No. 7 Hayeni Costa (Lindsey Wilson) to secure her place on the podium.

Additional team points came from No. 7 Diana Gonzalez (110), No. 3 Anna Krejsa (124), No. 8 Christina Jaen (138) and No. 3 Amelia Fawcett (145), each of whom recorded victories during the tournament to contribute to Life's championship total.

Behind McBryde's national title and a lineup that featured multiple nationally ranked wrestlers throughout the bracket, Life University once again demonstrated its depth and strength on the national stage at the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championships.

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