KANSAS CITY - Texas Wesleyan climbed into the top 10 of the NAIA women's wrestling coaches' poll, landing at No. 9 in the third Top 20 rating released Wednesday ahead of the holiday break.
Ashley Lekas of Texas Wesleyan remained the nation's top-ranked individual at 180 pounds.
Life University in Georgia held steady at No. 1 with 203 points, followed by Providence in Montana at No. 2 and Grand View in Iowa at No. 3.
Most teams shuffled positions in the poll, with Providence rising two spots and Baker in Kansas entering at No. 19 after previously receiving votes.
Southern Oregon's Lillian Gradillas-Flores moved to No. 1 at 207 pounds, the only change among top-ranked individuals.
Life led all programs with the most wrestlers ranked in the top three across weight classes.
| TREND |
RANK |
LAST TIME |
INSTITUTION |
POINTS |
| ● |
1 |
1 |
Life (Ga.) |
203 |
| ▲ |
2 |
4 |
Providence (Mont.) |
190 |
| ▼ |
3 |
2 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
184 |
| ▼ |
4 |
3 |
William Penn (Iowa) |
156 |
| ▲ |
5 |
9 |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
137 |
| ▲ |
5 |
6 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
137 |
| ▼ |
7 |
5 |
Indiana Tech |
111 |
| ▼ |
8 |
7 |
Doane (Neb.) |
107 |
| ▲ |
9 |
10 |
Texas Wesleyan |
103 |
| ▼ |
10 |
8 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
98 |
| ● |
11 |
11 |
Southern Oregon |
87 |
| ▲ |
12 |
13 |
Oklahoma City |
78 |
| ● |
13 |
13 |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
77 |
| ▲ |
14 |
18 |
Missouri Valley |
74 |
| ● |
15 |
15 |
Evergreen State (Wash.) |
73 |
| ▼ |
16 |
12 |
Central Methodist (Mo.) |
61 |
| ● |
16 |
16 |
Hastings (Neb.) |
61 |
| ▲ |
18 |
20 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
59 |
| ▲ |
19 |
RV |
Baker (Kan.) |
56 |
| ▼ |
20 |
19 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
48 |
| Dropped from Top 20: Saint Mary (Kan.) |
| Receiving Votes: Missouri Baptist 35; Saint Mary (Kan.) 33; Eastern Oregon 27; Montreat (N.C.) 23; Midland (Neb.) 23; Friends (Kan.) 20; Avila (Mo.) 18; Westcliff (Calif.) 17; York (Neb.) 11; Arizona Christian 5; Waldorf (Iowa) 4; Midway (Ky.) 4 |
| Top-Ranked Individuals |
| 103 |
Providence (Mont.) |
Erin Hikiji |
| 110 |
Life (Ga.) |
Ariana Martinez |
| 117 |
William Penn (Iowa) |
Christianah Ogunsanya |
| 124 |
Doane (Neb.) |
Cristelle Rodriguez |
| 131 |
Providence (Mont.) |
Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp |
| 138 |
Life (Ga.) |
Zaynah McBryde |
| 145 |
William Penn (Iowa) |
Esther Kolawole |
| 160 |
Life (Ga.) |
Latifah McBryde |
| 180 |
Texas Wesleyan |
Ashley Lekas |
| 207 |
Southern Oregon |
Lillian Gradillas-Flores |
| Full Individual Rankings by weight class |
Key:
RV - Receiving Votes | NR - Not Ranked | Climbed -▲ | Dropped -▼ | Steady - ●
