After debuting on the mat last semester, the No. 5 ranked Grand Valley State University women’s wrestling team has shown dominance in their little time as a program. Now, more than halfway through their season, the women’s wrestlers have achieved a top five national ranking, and multiple wrestlers have ranked nationally in their weight class.
GVSU currently has nine ranked wrestlers in their individual weight classes. Five Lakers have placed in the top five nationally, and six have placed in the top 10.
Among these GVSU-ranked wrestlers are junior Rayana Sahagun, ranked fifth in the 103-pound class and junior Sage Mortimer, ranked first in the 110-pound class. Freshman Ava Malovich is ranked 18th in the 117-pound class, freshman Aspen Blasko is ranked fourth in the 124-pound class and junior Hannah Palise is ranked 20th in the 131-pound class. Rankings also include freshman Katerina Lange, ranked second in the 138-pound class, freshman Elleni Johnson, ranked eighth in the 145-pound class, junior Clarissa Agostini, ranked 17th in the 160-pound class and freshman Sabrina Nauss, who’s ranked third in the 180-pound class.
Although the team is made up by a majority of freshmen, most of the team’s upperclassmen come from the previously established GVSU women’s wrestling club. Junior Maria Potrero, competing in the 145-pound class, was one of the wrestlers who switched from the club to the varsity team.
“It has been awesome so far,” Potrero said. “All of the new experiences and opportunities we all have gotten in the few months as a program have just been amazing. With all of the hard work we have put in as a team, it is so awesome seeing how much this program has grown.”
According to Potrero, transitioning to a varsity sport has had more benefits than just recognition.
“Making the switch from club last year to varsity right now has (led to many) interesting changes, but the biggest impact for me has been financially,” said Potrero. “I no longer have to worry about all of the fundraising for my own tournaments or the individual traveling involved, so that has been able to put my mind at ease so I can solely focus on wrestling and getting better.”
Leading the women’s wrestling team in their inaugural season is head coach Jake Short. While this is only Short’s first year coaching at GVSU, he has played a pivotal role in building up his squad. Potrero noted that Short has excelled at keeping wrestlers mentally prepared for each match.
“He is the reason a lot of our elite freshmen wrestlers committed to Grand Valley,” Potrero said. “He and assistant coach Deede have built a program that does everything right for us. Coach Short is awesome in how pushes us every single practice, and he also makes sure that we’re always taking care of our mental health. He uses affirmations, and guides us to correct our mistakes to get better.”
Looking forward, GVSU’s women wrestlers will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 18 in Iowa City for a tri-duel, where they will take on Iowa University and Augustana University. As the Lakers close in on the NCAA Regional Tournament, they look to send multiple wrestlers deep into their competitions.
