7 p.m. Friday – No. 8 Menlo (Calif.) at No. 1 SOU
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ASHLAND – Two NAIA women's wrestling powerhouses will go head-to-head Friday night as top-ranked Southern Oregon takes on No. 8 Menlo (Calif.) in a 7 p.m. dual at Bob Riehm Arena.

The Raiders, home for the first time, hope the matchup encapsulates a changing of the guard in the Cascade Conference. They've been runners-up to the Oaks in both CCC Championship tournaments and were picked to finish the same way in this year's preseason poll, but stole bragging rights by finishing a spot of ahead of them in second at last season's NAIA Invitational and currently sit atop the national rankings. The dual will be the first as head coach for SOU's Gabrielle Weyhrich, whose Raiders have been off since opening on Nov. 13 at the Mike Clock Open and travelling to the Missouri Valley Open a week later.

NAIA RANKINGS: For the second time in as many regular season polls, SOU claimed the top spot in Thursday's latest edition of the NAIA Top 20. They accumulated 188 points – which are calculated based on individual rankings – which was seven more than No. 2 Grand View (Iowa). Led by top-ranked defending champion Carolina Moreno at 123 pounds, they boasted five top-five individuals and seven more who were among the top-20 in their respective weight classes. Of note, Emily Se climbed seven spots to No. 2 at 143, Grace Kristoff moved up six spots to No. 6 at 191, and Esthela Trevino made a three-spot jump to No. 3 at 101. The complete list of SOU's ranked individuals follows:
No. 1 – Carolina Moreno (123)
No. 2 – Emily Se (143)
No. 3 – Esthela Trevino (101), Emma Baertlein (109), Joye Levendusky (170)
No. 5 – Natalie Reyna (116)
No. 6 – Macie Stewart (109), Grace Kristoff (191)
No. 8 – Bella Amaro (136)
No. 9 – Glory Konecny (116)
No. 11 – Bailey Dennis (170)
No. 19 – Desinee Lopez (136)

SOU vs. MENLO: The Raiders and Oaks are hooking up for the 12th time, and SOU didn't get its first and only win in the series until last Nov. 11 in Ashland – a 29-11 decision behind pins by Emma Baertlein and Emily Se. The Oaks won the next meeting, 25-15 in Atherton, to split the season series. They've been a national heavyweight for years and aren't far removed from winning both the NAIA and WCWA titles in 2019. Going by rankings, however, they'll only be favored in one match this time around: at 191, where No. 3 Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson meets No. 6 Grace Kristoff.

SOU PROBABLE LINEUP:
C – Cascade Conference ranking; N – NAIA ranking
101 – 3C/3N Esthela Trevino
109 – 2C/5N (116) Natalie Reyna
116 – 3C/9N Glory Konecny
123 – 1C/1N Carolina Moreno
130 – Kelsey Bicoy-Juario
136 – 3C/8N Bella Amaro
143 – 1C/2N Emily Se
155 – 3C/11N (170) Bailey Dennis
170 – 2C/3N Joye Levendusky
191 – 2C/6N Grace Kristoff

LINEUP NOTES:
101 – Esthela Trevino: Enters the dual with an 8-2 record after winning the Mike Clock Open and placing seventh at the Missouri Valley Open … Was an All-American in 2021 after placing third at the NAIA Invitational but missed the second half of last season.
109 – Natalie Reyna: Debuted for the Raiders with an eighth-place showing at Missouri Valley … Before joining SOU this season, was a three-time All-American at McKendree (Ill.).
116 – Glory Konecny: Placed second at the Mike Clock Open and went 2-2 at Missouri Valley … Redshirted last season, and prior to that earned NAIA All-America honorable mention in 2021 for the second time by placing seventh at 123 pounds.
123 – Carolina Moreno: Owns a 10-1 record after winning the Mike Clock Open and going 6-1 with four pins for third place at Missouri Valley … Following up on a dominant freshman campaign, in which she became SOU's second NAIA champion and went 31-5 overall.
130 – Kelsey Bicoy-Juario: Made her SOU debut at the Mike Clock Open, going 0-2.
136 – Bella Amaro: Has impressed early after finishing her prep career with back-to-back state titles at Oregon City … Won the Mike Clock Open with four consecutive wins and went 2-2 at Missouri Valley.
143 – Emily Se: Stands at 9-1 with six pins after winning the Mike Clock Open and placing third with a pair of top-four wins at Missouri Valley … Following up on a debut season in which she pinned 27 opponents and placed third at the NAIA Invitational for All-America status.
155 – Bailey Dennis: Went 3-0 at Mike Clock before forfeiting the final … Captured sixth place at last season's NAIA Invitational to become a 170-pound All-American.
170 – Joye Levendusky: Started her SOU career with a 4-0 showing at Mike Clock and went on to become the CCC Athlete of the Week by placing third with a 6-1 record at Missouri Valley … Was a four-time All-American at McKendree (Ill.) before joining the Raiders.
191 – Grace Kristoff: Owns a 10-2 record with six wins by fall, having placed first at Mike Clock and fifth at Missouri Valley … Placed third and fourth at the NCAA level with McKendree (Ill.) prior to transferring.

MENLO PROBABLE LINEUP:
C – Cascade Conference ranking; N – NAIA ranking
101 – 4C/11N Tianna Fernandez
109 – 3C/7N Barbara Greenberg
116 – 5C/17N Ajayzee Zaballos
123 – Haley Narahara
130 – Kaelyn Siason
136 – 5C/15N Louisa Schwab
143 – 4C/20N Desiree Jones
155 – 2C/11N Shannon Workinger
170 – Nikita Dhaliwal
191 – 1C/3N Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson