TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

TEAM SCORES – 1. Menlo (Calif.) 157.5, 2. Southern Oregon 148, 3. Providence (Mont.) 111.5, 4. Eastern Oregon 106, 5. Corban 34, 6. Simpson (Calif.) 18, 7. Life Pacific (Calif.) 7.5

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Sienna Ramirez and Macie Stewart captured their first Cascade Conference titles in Sunday's CCC Championships presented by U.S. Bank, headlining Southern Oregon's second-place team finish at the McLaughlin Center.

Third-ranked Menlo (Calif.) and the fifth-ranked Raiders dominated the tournament as expected. The Oaks defended their title – they won the inaugural tournament in 2020 and none was held last year – with 157 ½ points to SOU's 148, producing four champions and winning seven of 12 head-to-head matchups with the Raiders. Host Providence (Mont.) was a distance third in the seven-team tourney with 111 ½ points. Eastern Oregon took fourth but had three individual champions.

Ramirez, the NAIA's top-ranked 155-pounder, and Stewart, the NAIA's No. 13-ranked 109-pounder, both won their finals matches against Menlo opponents. Six more Raiders also advanced title matches: runners-up Emma Baertlein (101 pounds), Tara Othman (116), Carolina Moreno (123), Ramona Jimenez (143), Bailey Dennis (170) and Karrah Smith (191). Emily Se joined them with all-conference status by placing third at 136.

Ramirez, a senior who will attempt to win her second straight NAIA title in two weeks, stayed on the right trajectory with three wins that made her 37-3. After dodging an upset bid by Providence's Sadie Antoque in the quarterfinals, 5-3, she finished with a first-round pin of Corban's Gabrielle Tata-Rodriguez in the semifinals and a second-round pin of Menlo's Alia Abushi in the final.

Stewart was a third-place finisher at last year's NAIA Invitational but hadn't competed since Jan. 7, dropping to No. 13 in the national rankings before the tournament. She responded by dominating the NAIA's fifth- and 18th-ranked wrestlers at 109 – Menlo's Barbara Greenberg in the final and EOU's Stephanie Blankenship in the semis – by technical-fall scores of 14-3 and 12-2, wrapping both up in the second periods.

Baertlein and Othman both won twice before falling in their title tilts. Baertlein, ranked No. 8 at 101, upset second-ranked Ivy Navarro of Providence in the semifinals, 4-0, but then became an upset victim against her sister, 12th-ranked Ira Navarro, in the finals by second-round pin. Othman, ranked No. 5 at 116, lost to Menlo's top-ranked Alleida Martinez by 10-0 tech fall in the finals after defeating EOU's Anjelynn Baron (10-0) and Providence's Ashley Gooman (3-3).

Moreno, Jimenez and Dennis won a match apiece to reach their finals. At 123, second-ranked Moreno lost to 13th-ranked Macy Higa of EOU by 11-0 technical fall. At 143, Jimenez lost to EOU's Morgan Shines in an unranked affair, 12-0. At 170, ninth-ranked Dennis lost to EOU's sixth-ranked Olivia Robinson, 7-1. And in her only match of the day at 191, third-ranked Smith lost by second-round fall to Menlo's seventh-ranked Emily Sandoval.

Se, ranked No. 7 at 136, battled for third with a 3-1 day that included two pins and a technical fall. In the placing match she pinned Menlo's eighth-ranked Louisa Schwab in 1:37.

Carolina Johnson went 2-2 to place fourth at 116, and Desinee Lopez went 1-2 for fourth at 130.

COMPLETE SOU RESULTS
101 – Emma Baertlein (2nd place)
Quarterfinals – Baertlein p. Nayeli Flores, EOU, 3:55
Semifinals – Baertlein dec. Ivy Navarro, Providence, 4-0.
1st-place Match – Ira Navarro, Providence, p. Baertlein, 3:24

109 – Macie Stewart (1st place)
Quarterfinals – Stewart received a bye
Semifinals – Stewart tech. fall Stephanie Blankenship, EOU, 12-2 (5:34)
1st-place Match – Stewart tech. fall Barbara Greenberg, Menlo, 14-3 (4:17)

116 – Tara Othman (2nd place)
Quarterfinals – Othman tech. fall Anjelynn Baron, EOU, 10-0 (1:44)
Semifinals – Othman dec. Ashley Gooman, Providence, 3-3
1st-place Match – Alleida Martinez, Menlo, tech. fall Othman, 10-0 (2:19)

116 – Carolina Johnson (4th place)
Quarterfinals – Johnson dec. Ajayzee Zaballos, Menlo, 10-3
Semifinals – Alleida Martinez, Menlo, p. Johnson, 1:20
Consolation Semifinals – Johnson tech. fall Aphrodite Ayala, Simpson, 12-2 (3:40)
3rd-place Match – Ashley Gooman, Providence, tech. fall Johnson, 10-0 (3:22)

123 – Carolina Moreno (2nd place)
Quarterfinals – Bye
Semifinals – Moreno tech. fall Alana Vivas, Menlo, 11-0 (3:00)
1st-place Match – Macy Higa, EOU, tech. fall Moreno, 11-0 (1:58)

130 – Desinee Lopez (4th place)
Quarterfinals – Nanea Estrella, Menlo, dec. Lopez, 6-2
Consolation Semifinals – Lopez dec. Gabbie Parini, 7-2
3rd-place Match – Cindy Zepeda, Menlo, tech. fall Lopez, 14-4 (4:32)

130 – Julissa Taitano
Quarterfinals – Gabbie Parini, Providence, dec. Taitano, 7-2
Consolation R1 – Cindy Zepeda, Menlo, tech. fall Taitano, 13-3 (4:06)

136 – Emily Se (3rd place)
Quarterfinals – Se p. Krystal Fabricante, EOU, 0:48
Semifinals – Gracie Figueroa, Menlo, dec. Se, 4-0
Consolation Semifinals – Se tech. fall Samantha Barragan, LPU, 10-0 (1:31)
3rd-place Match – Se p. Louisa Schwab, Menlo, 1:37

143 – Ramona Jimenez (2nd place)
Quarterfinals – Bye
Semifinals – Jimenez dec. Nayeli Maston, EOU, 6-0
1st-place Match – Morgan Shines, EOU, tech. fall Jimenez, 12-0 (3:34)

155 – Sienna Ramirez (1st place)
Quarterfinals – Ramirez dec. Sadie Antoque, Providence, 5-3
Semifinals – Ramirez p. Gabrielle Tata-Rodrigues, Corban, 0:52
1st-place Match – Ramirez p. Alia Abushi, Menlo, 2:12

170 – Bailey Dennis (2nd place)
Quarterfinals – Bye
Semifinals – Dennis p. Jolette Miner-Ho, Providence, 3:00
1st-place Match – Olivia Robinson, EOU, dec. Dennis, 7-1

191 – Karrah Smith
Quarterfinals – Bye
Semifinals – Bye
1st-place Match – Emily Sandoval, Menlo, p. Smith, 2:42