Simpson to host NCWWC Region VII Championship on Saturday

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Simpson College is set to host the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Region VII Championship on Saturday inside Cowles Fieldhouse. Action will get underway at 10 a.m., with the top four wrestlers at each weight class punching a ticket to nationals.

NCWWC REGION VII CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hosted by Simpson College
Saturday, Feb. 22 | 10 a.m.
Cowles Fieldhouse | Indianola, Iowa
Live Video | Live Stats

TOURNAMENT FIELD
The tournament field consists of 10 teams, including four ranked programs. Iowa is the highest-ranked team making its way to Indianola, coming in at No. 1 in the latest NCAA Women's Coaches Tournament Rankings. No. 11 Wartburg, No. 20 Dubuque and No. 24 Simpson will also be present as well as Augsburg, Augustana, Buena Vista, Central, Cornell, and Sioux Falls.

WHAT'S AT STAKE
In each weight class, the top four wrestlers will secure their places in the 2025 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships scheduled for March 7-8 at the prestigious Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. A wrestle-off will be conducted to determine a true fourth-place finisher if the fourth and fifth-place wrestlers did not have the opportunity to compete against each other during the tournament. In the rare scenario that they faced off twice, the outcome of their last match will determine the rightful fourth-place finisher.

LAST YEAR AT REGIONALS
Simpson hosted the Region V Championships and placed fourth as a team behind No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 McKendree and No. 22 Lindenwood. Simpson was the top Division III team, beating out two other ranked teams in No. 11 William Jewell (63.5) and No. 16 Wartburg (61.0). Individually, Emme Hicks finished fourth at 101 pounds to qualify for the national tournament.

SIMPSON OUTLOOK
The Storm have 15 wrestlers set to compete, including No. 9 Annelise Obermark (145) and No. 10 Keeley Kehrli (160). Obermark carries a 16 match win streak into the meet, while Kehrli is one of two Simpson wrestlers with 30+ wins this season. Paige Gershmel (138) joins Obermark and Kehrli in the tournament field having won a team-high 35 matches thus far, including her last 11. Simpson's remaining wrestlers include Gracie Waage (103), Sarah Zimmerman (110), Layla Phillips (110), Ella Weber (117), Ashley Cannon (124), Lainie Burkhart (124), Dionni Garcia-Vasquez (131), Noa Arnold (145), Breanna Wier (160), Jenna Joseph (180), Savannah Sistad (207), and Morgan Miller (207).