Obermark, Kehrli lock up All-America honors at NCAA Championships

CORALVILLE, Iowa – History was made Friday as Simpson's Annelise Obermark and Keeley Kehrli became the first All-Americans in program history on the opening day of the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling National Championships.

Competing in the first official NCAA-sponsored championship for women's wrestling, the Storm duo secured top-eight finishes to guarantee All-American honors. Obermark also became Simpson's first national semifinalist, advancing to the final four at 145 pounds.

No. 6 Obermark opened the tournament with a 13-2 technical fall over No. 8 Margaret Buurma of Grand Valley State, then followed with another technical fall in the quarterfinals, defeating Alexandra Ford of Emmanuel (Ga.) by a 12-1 score.

No. 5 Kehrli also locked up All-American honors at 160 pounds. She started her tournament with a 28-second fall over Lene McCrackin of Simon Fraser University in the opening round. After a quarterfinal loss to No. 1 Kennedy Blades of Iowa, Kehrli responded in the consolation bracket with a 14-6 decision over No. 9 Alexandra Hofrichter of Dubuque to secure her spot on the All-American podium.

Both wrestlers will return to the mat Saturday as the championship concludes in Coralville. Obermark will compete against No. 2 Bella Mir of North Central (Ill.) in the semifinals, while Kehrli continues her run through the consolation bracket with a match against No. 4 May Cuyler of Presbyterian.

Simpson closed day one with 17.5 team points, ranking just outside the top 15.