CORALVILLE, IA – Session three of the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling National Championships saw four Hawkeyes advance to title matches, as well as five others secure a podium spot. Nine of the 10 Iowa wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA wrestling tournament finished as an All-American.

Valarie Solorio (103), Reese Larramendy (145), Kennedy Blades (160), and Kylie Welker (180) all have a chance to be the first-ever NCAA champion of their respective weight classes.

Brianna Gonzalez (117) secured a third place finish following her semifinal losses. Lilly Luft (138) and Katja Osteen (207) finished in fourth place by loss in the third place match, while Nyla Valencia (110) medically forfeited the third place match and settled for fourth. Karlee Brooks (131) earned the seventh place spot.

As for the team race, Iowa is currently in second with 149 points behind McKendree’s 157.5 point total. The Hawkeyes hold a sizable lead over North Central, who sits in third with 117.5.

All title matches will take place later today, Saturday, March 7, at 7 p.m. CT at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.

103 pounds – Valarie Solorio was the first Hawkeye to secure her spot in the championship match with a semifinal victory over Quincy’s Trinity Pendergrass. Solorio racked up four points before pinning her opponent in just 33 seconds of wrestling time, causing all Iowa fans to erupt in the opening seconds of session three.

The Iowa wrestler will go against Rayana Sahagun from Grand Valley State for the 103-poind title.

110 pounds – Nyla Valencia put up a fight for most of her semifinal match against Lehigh’s Audrey Jimenez, though a late surge by Jimenez took down the Hawkeye by tech fall, 13-2. In her first consolation match, however, she beat Teegan Sibble of East Stroughsburg to advance to the third place match.

Valencia found herself facing off against McKendree’s Gabriele Todesco, who she knocked out in the quarterfinals during Friday’s session. But the two never wrestled as Valencia medically forfeited the third place match.

The redshirt junior finished in fourth place in the 103-pound class and is a first-time All-American.

117 pounds – Brianna Gonzalez was no match for MaKendree’s top-ranked Yu Sakamoto, falling in a 17-10 finish by decision. Despite the loss, she won her next two matches, a 3-2 decision over Presbyterian’s Jenna Anderson and a 4-2 decision over Emmanuel’s Karissa Turnwall, to secure the third podium spot.

Just like her teammate Valencia, the 110-pound Hawkeye is a third place finisher and a first-time All-American.

131 pounds – In Iowa’s first consolation match of the day, Karlee Brooks held a 2-1 lead over Emmanuel’s Janida Garcia before she was pushed out of the circle, leading to a two-point swing with eight seconds remaining in Garcia’s favor. The Hawkeye wrestler ended up falling in a 3-2 decision.

Brooks still had an opportunity for the final podium spot against Pitt.-Johnstown’s Makayla Paclib and capitalized on it with a 10-0 tech fall at the start of the second period. It’s a seventh-place finish for Brooks.

138 pounds – Luft’s third session got off to a rocky start with a 4-3 decision loss to Grand Valley State’s Katerina Lange in the semifinal. A 2-0 Luft first period lead turned into a 4-2 deficit after Lange got her on her back and out of the circle, and she never recovered from it.

Luft did earn her way to the third place match with a 12-2 tech fall over Wartburg’s Kylie Ruth in the consolation bracket, though her 5-3 decision loss to Haylie Jaffe of McKendree pushed her into tears.

Luft’s NCAA journey ends with a fourth place finish in the 138-bout and an All-American honor.

145 pounds – Reese Larramendy continued her reign as the top-ranked 145-pounder with a dominant 13-1 tech fall over McKendree’s Alexandra Szkotnicki. The Hawkeye wrestler held a 6-1 lead after the first period and capped the match off with seven unanswered points to secure her spot in the title match.

Larramendy will face North Central’s Bella Mir for the top spot on the 145-pound podium.

160 pounds – Although Kennedy Blades didn’t secure the pin or tech fall that she’s accustomed to, she still moved onto the 160-pound championship match with a 9-1 decision over King (Tennessee)’s Stella Steigler. The 2-1 first period from Kennedy was followed up by a 7-0 second period.

She will take on East Stroudsburg’s Tiffani Baublitz in tonight’s title session.

180 pounds – Kylie Welker had no issues with North Central’s Shenita Lawson with what would’ve been a 10-0 tech fall ended up being a first period pin. Welker was the fourth and final Hawkeye wrestler to qualify for a championship match.

She’ll get plenty of rest before wrestling Destiny Rodriguez from McKendree to become a NCAA champion.

207 pounds – Katja Osteen worked her way through her first two consolation matches today, with a 9-4 decision over Presbyterian’s Maria Alono and a 8-4 decision over North Central’s Caroline Ward. The third place match, however, did not end in her favor as Wartburg’s Rewa Chababo took the 2-1 decision victory.

Osteen secured a fourth place finish and an All-American honor in her first NCAA tournament.