The Carl Albert State College women’s wrestling team officially got their season started on Friday, November 1. The Lady Vikings traveled to Friends University in the Wichita area in Kansas for the Falcon Open. The Lady Vikings had six wrestlers finish the tournament in the top 4 individually, and they placed 3rd overall as a team. The tournament was filled with wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in both the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) polls and was a great way for the team to get a look at where they stand early in the year.
Carl Albert State College (CASC) was represented by top ranked and defending national champion, as well as All Region Cross Country runner, Calli Connally at 103 pounds. After receiving a first round bye, Connally faced some adversity, losing to the eventual tournament champion. However, she faced the loss head on and bounced back in a big way. After receiving a couple of byes in the consolation rounds, Connally went to work and a pair of tech falls and a tight criteria decision victory to make the consi semi finals. Connally made quick work of her semi finals opponent, picking up a pin in just over a minute, and would go on to control her finals match, picking up a 12-7 victory to open her season with a 3rd place finish.
The Lady Vikings had a pair of representatives in the 110 pound weight class. 6th place 2024 NJCAA tournament finisher, Abigail Butts, had a very strong day, making a run all the way to the championship match. Butts, who comes into the season ranked number 4 in the initial NJCAA rankings, opened her season with back to back bonus point victories, with a pinfall followed by a tech fall victory in the first two rounds to make the semi finals. In a matchup between top 5 wrestlers in the NJCAA rankings, Butts topped Northern Oklahoma College (NOC)’s Addison Polk in a tight decision victory. Butts lost in the finals against a top 10 NAIA opponent, but definitely showed that there is a lot to look forward to from her this season. CASC was also represented by Amaya Rubalcado at 110 pounds. Rubalcado enters the season ranked number 6 in the initial NJCAA rankings at 103 pounds. She had a tough start to her season, going 1-2 on the day.
