BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser Red Leafs are in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the fourth annual National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, which run Friday and Saturday at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse.

SFU goes into the annual national meet for NCAA women's programs as the No. 6-ranked team. Nine wrestlers qualified through their performances two weeks ago at the NCWWC Region 5 Championship in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Red Leafs won four of 10 weight classes, and placed nine wrestlers in their respective weight-class finals. In the team standings, SFU was second behind only host and fourth-ranked Colorado Mesa.

"The Alliant Energy Powerhouse is a great venue and our athletes are in great spirits," said Red Leafs head coach Justin Abdou after arriving in Iowa. "They have wrestled really well in our last two competitions and we are hoping to ride that momentum into an excellent national tourney. Our leaders are Emily Cue and Victoria Seal, who have had tremendous years, but all nine of these young women are legitimate All-American candidates. They have worked hard and the coaching staff is excited to watch them compete the next two days."

A half-dozen SFU wrestlers enter the meet ranked in the top eight of their weight classes.

Sophomore Maddie MacKenzie (Calgary) and junior Golrokh Nouri (Coquitlam, B.C.) will wrestle in the 109-pound weight class at the NCWWC after the meeting in the regional final, which the No. 8-ranked MacKenzie won. At the 2022 NCWWC, MacKenzie was sixth as a 101-pound competitor.
 

Victoria Seal (sophomore, Mission, B.C.) is the top-ranked athlete nationally at 116 pounds. She won the all-Red Leaf final at the regional meet over No. 7 Ivy Threatful, a sophomore from Maple Ridge, B.C.

No. 7. Marquesis Haintz (sophomore, Maple Ridge, B.C.) earned her place at the NCWWC by reaching the 130-pound regional title bout. Haintz made her NCWWC debut last season with SFU.

Abbotsford, B.C., sophomore Jade Trolland (136 pounds) wrestled to a second-place result at regionals to book her place in Iowa, as did sophomore Paige Maher of Port Alberni, B.C., in the 155 division.

Senior Emily Cue (Parker, Colorado) won third at 170 pounds at last year's championship meet and comes into this year's edition as the third seed. She pinned all three of her regional opponents two weeks ago to clinch the title.
 

Sophomore Katja Osteen (Simi Valley, California) is the fourth-rated 191-pound wrestler in the national rankings after sweeping through the competition at the regional. She makes her NCWWC return after placing sixth last year.

Maher, Nouri, Seal, Threatful, and Trolland will make their national championship debuts this week in Iowa.
 

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SFU LINEUP
109 pounds
No. 8 Maddie MacKenzie (sophomore, Calgary)
Golrokh Nouri (junior, Coquitlam, B.C.)

116
No. 1 Victoria Seal (sophomore, Mission, B.C.) 
No. 7 Ivy Threatful (sophomore, Maple Ridge, B.C.)

130
No. 7. Marquesis Haintz (sophomore, Maple Ridge, B.C.) 

136
Jade Trolland (sophomore, Abbotsford, B.C.)

155
Paige Maher (sophomore, Port Alberni, B.C.)

170
No. 3 Emily Cue (senior, Parker, Colorado)

191
No. 4 Katja Osteen (sophomore, Simi Valley, California)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (all times Central)
FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2023
SESSION I
9 a.m. - Doors Open
10:35 a.m.  - Opening Ceremonies
11 a.m.  - Preliminary Round; First Round (Four mats)

SESSION II
3 p.m. - Doors Open
4 p.m. - Championships Quarterfinals (Mats 2 & 3)
Consolation First Round (Mats 1 & 4)
Consolation Second and Quarterfinals (Mats 1, 2, 3 & 4)

SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2023 
SESSION III
9:30 a.m. - Doors Open
11 a.m. - Championships Semifinals (Mats 1 & 2)
Consolation Semifinals (Mat 3), once Championship Semifinals are complete will go to all three mats
Consolation matches for 3rd, 5th and 7th places (Three mats)

SESSION IV
5:30 p.m. - Doors Open
6:15 p.m. - Lineup of All-Americans, Exhibit Hall C warm-up area
6:30 p.m. - Parade of All-Americans, Alliant Energy Powerhouse
7 p.m. - Finals (One Mat)
 
- With files from USA Wrestling 

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit https://athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

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