CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa | Alliant Energy PowerHouse - No.3 McKendree University women's wrestling claimed three individual national titles during its run to third place at the 2023 National Collegiate Womens Wrestling Championship as senior 109 Emily Shilson, senior 191 Sydnee Kimber, and junior 130 Cameron Guerin each defended their individual championships. McKendree grabbed seven All-American finishes in the tournament with eight individuals contributing to the team's 147.5 total points. The eight All-Americans for the Bearcats were Shilson, Guerin, Kimber, 101 junior Lizette Bernardo, 116 redshirt senior Payton Stroud, 123 freshman Jennifer Soto, 109 senior Pauline Granados, and 170 junior Alexandra Castillo. 

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
109 Class | Emily Shilson
Shilson joined the Bearcats this season seeking another outstanding finish and she found just that. The Maple Grove, Minnesota-native captured a fourth-straight individual national title with two tech falls, a decision and a pin fall victory (3:46) in the title bout against King's Sage Mortimer. Shilson scored 25.0 team points in the tournament.

130 Class | Cameron Guerin
The two-time reigning 130-pound champion sought to defend her title and help her team to a top finish for a fourth-straight season. Guerin, a Yakima, Washington-native, collected the Most Outstanding Wrestler award last season and held the top spot in her class for the majority of the year. She ranked as No.2 in the tournament behind Aurora's Alexis Janiak, who owned a 2-1 record on the year over Guerin. The junior 130-lb Guerin reclaimed her top-spot and held the national title with a 9-0 decision. The junior recorded two falls, one tech fall, and the decision in the tournament to own 25.5 team points.

191 Class | Sydnee Kimber
The Sitka, Alaska-native went for her fourth individual national championship in a row and achieved that feat. Kimber went the past two seasons without being scored on in a single match and kept her winning streak alive through this season. The streak ended in controversial fashion during the NCWWC Region IV Tournament on February 19 where Kimber dropped the title match via multi-tiebreaker criteria to North Central's Traeh Haynes. Kimber avenged the loss with a pin in the national title bout over Haynes while securing her name in the history books as a four-time national champion. Kimber owned two techs and two falls at the conclusion of the tournament for 27.0 team points. She recorded three of her four individual titles via pin fall while one came via technical superiority. 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
101 | Lizette Bernardo | 4-1, 3rd - 20.0 Points
109 | Emily Shilson | 4-0, 1st - 25.0 Points / 4x NCAA-NCWWC National Champion, 2020 WCWA National Champion
109 | Pauline Granados | 4-3, 8th / 3x All-American
116 | Payton Stroud | 3-2, 5th - 14.5 Points / 3x All-American
123 | Jennifer Soto | 4-2, 4th - 15.5 Points / First All-American honor
123 | Alisha Narvaez | 3-2 / First-time National Qualifier
130 | Cameron Guerin | 4-0, 1st - 25.5 Points / 3x NCAA-NCWWC National Champion
136 | Abigail Varady | 1-2 / First-time National Qualifier
170 | Alexandra Castillo | 4-2, 5th - 16.0 Points / 3x All-American
191 | Sydnee Kimber | 4-0, 27.0 Points / 4x NCAA-NCWWC National Champion

TEAM RESULTS
1st - North Central | 198.0
2nd - King | 163.0
3rd - McKendree | 147.5
4th - Colorado Mesa | 108.0
5th - Augsburg | 87.5
6th - Simon Fraser | 86.5
7th - Sacred Heart | 57.0
8th - East Stroudsburg | 50.0
9th - Presbyterian | 44.5
10th - Gannon | 39.0
 

---