In front of a packed crowd at the Fieldhouse Arena, the Grand Valley State University women’s wrestling team debuted their inaugural dual against Northern Michigan University, dominating their way to a win, 42-6.
Kicking things off for the Lakers was 160-pound junior Clarissa Agostini. She quickly scored her first points with a takedown over Sophia Bassino from NMU. Agostini maintained her early lead into the second period, where she scored four points from a takedown that resulted in her opponent being controlled on their back. Another quick takedown put Agostini up by 10 points, giving her the win by technical fall, 14-4.
Following GVSU scoring their first official points, 180-pound freshman Sabrina Nauss used her overpowering strength to quickly pin her opponent in only one minute and 40 seconds.
Off to a good start, 207-pound freshman Aaliyah Grandberry took the mat next for the Lakers. A strong first period put Grandberry up 7-0, but a quick pin by her opponent gave the Wildcats their only points of the duel. 103-pound junior Rayana Sahagun received an easy, automatic win for GVSU, as Northern Michigan then forfeited the match.
Taking the mat next was 110-pound junior Sage Mortimer. As a gold medal recipient in the Under-23 World Championships and having placed in the top three of her weight class in the U.S. Olympic Trials, Mortimer demonstrated her speed and strength for GVSU, winning her match with a grand amplitude throw into a pin. Halfway through the duel, the Lakers held a strong lead, 18-6.
Opening the second half was 114-pound freshman Ana Malovich. With a quick swipe of her opponent’s feet, Malovich gained the lead with a takedown. Dominantly, Malovich swiftly pinned her opponent for the win.
The winning streak continued with 124-pound freshman Aspen Blasko, who pinned her opponent early. This allowed GVSU to pull away in points, leading 28-6.
A shoving match ensued with 131-junior Hannah Palise, but a solid takedown gave her the lead. A slow and steady match followed, lasting into the final seconds of the match, but a quick burst of energy by Palise ended the match with another grand amplitude throw for the win.
Freshman Katerina Lange, at 136 pounds, quickly racked up points with takedowns, giving her the win by technical fall, 10-0.
Closing out this milestone victory for the Lakers was 145-pound freshman Elleni Johnson. She wrapped her match up quickly with an automatic win, as NMU forfeited.
Although the duel had concluded, three exhibition matches followed. Sahagun and Johnson both got to show their talent in these matches, with Sahagun winning with a pin and Johnson scoring a fast technical fall, 11-0. Nauss closed out the exhibition rounds by taking part in her second match of the night. She won this match, ending with a pin.
“Having this big of a turnout here for our first match (was) crazy,” said Nauss. “We want to show everyone how hard we have been working, and it’s been a great experience with this team.”
The women’s wrestling program, which is newly established this semester, is led by head coach Jake Short. Previously, Short coached the women’s wrestling squad at Augsburg University, where he led the school’s team to a fifth-place finish in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Tournament.
While at Augsburg, Short coached nine wrestlers to NWCA All-American honors, including three individual national champions. Although Short found success before coming to Allendale, coaching at GVSU presented a new start that was too intriguing for him to pass up.
“There were a lot of moving parts in my decision to come here, but it was destined to be,” said Short. “I took a look at the institution (GVSU) and the resources that they had, and I felt this was an opportunity to see what we could do.”
Having to build a program from the ground up, Short went into the process of establishing a roster.
“I was fortunate enough to get some athletes out of the transfer portal, and I had an awesome recruiting class,” Short said. “These girls don’t act like your typical freshmen. They want to come out here (to) dominate and win matches. With recruiting, I was real and told recruits how I coach and operate.”
Short added that there have been few challenges with this group, and he believes it’s a result of the culture they’ve worked to create.
“I didn’t know if it would be a struggle,” said Short. “It does help to have a few juniors and sophomores with seniority, but the freshmen act as if they have been in my program for years. It’s the players that have created this strong culture.”
