The National Wrestling Coaches Association issued its preseason national rankings for collegiate women’s wrestling on Thursday, placing Chadron State College in a tie for 21st in the nation, among all NCAA divisions.
In addition, sophomore 101-pounder Taylor Lindstrom received a preseason ranking of No. 8 individually. She led the team at its national championships appearance in 2022 by going 1-2 and coming one win short of claiming All-America honors. She also pinned the No. 1 and No. 7 junior college wrestlers during the regular season.
Chadron State returns seven who wrestled in 2021-22, including Lindstrom and the three other national qualifiers – 101-pound Kinsey Smith, 136-pound Ryleigh Dye, and 170-pound Kamila Montenegro. The other returners are Maddison Christiansen at 136 pounds, Karstin Hollen at 143, and Jeslyn Jindra at 155.
Twenty new wrestlers will bolster the Eagles’ roster in 2022-23 and likely allow CSC to field a full dual lineup.
Two in particular should make an immediate impact. They are junior college national champs Heaven-Leigh Jackson, at 116 pounds, and Sofia Rubio, at 191. The pair both fill a hole in last year’s lineup and provide veteran leadership in the mat room.
The other 18 are all true freshmen and will compete for the remaining spots in the lineup.
Not only did head coach Alijah Jeffery add a bunch of talented student-athletes, he also brought in a coaching assistant for the first time. Originally from Sacramento, California, new coaching assistant Kylie Titus wrestled at Carthage College, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is tied with CSC in the preseason poll.
Leading the team rankings is preseason favorite North Central College of Illinois. The Cardinals finished 2021-22 in fourth at the national championships. The returning runner-up, King University, is once again slated at No. 2. Colorado Mesa, CSC’s first opponent of the year, Colorado Mesa, is No. 3 and reigning national champ McKendree rounds out the top four.
CSC opens at Colorado Mesa on November 4.