Lady Flames severely challenged in home quad meet with NAIA, NCAA Division III opponents

Reganne-Kennedy-116-pounds — Lady Flames junior Reganne Kennedy fought for three periods before losing her 116-pound match by technical fall to Brewton-Parker College's TaShayla West.

Liberty University's women's wrestling team got a taste of the thrill of victory, but experienced more of the agony of defeat in Saturday's quad meet at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center.

The Lady Flames (1-3, who compete in the NCWA) sandwiched a 34-10 loss to Emory & Henry (Va.) College and 35-11 setback against NAIA Brewton-Parker (Ga.) College around a 25-4 triumph over Utica (N.Y.) University, which forfeited the majority of its matches. Liberty had lost to the Wasps, an NCAA Division III program, by a 34-13 margin in its Nov. 2 season opener in Emory, Va.

Allysa-Drummond-Liberty-wrestler — Head Coach Charisse McIlhenny and Cendall Murphy counsel Allysa Drummond during a break.

"We did struggle with coming off a hard week of sickness, but we still showed up today," Liberty Head Coach Charisse (Manley) McIlhenny said. "We definitely have some work we need to do, obviously. This was only our second matchup this year, but I was proud of our girls for what we accomplished today. They were going out there and giving their all."

Liberty 130-pound sophomore Allysa Drummond, a first-year wrestler, won her second match against Emory & Henry in two weeks and 136-pound sophomore Madison Alcon prevailed in her match against Utica.

"Allysa is a first-year wrestler and she wrestled tough and (freshman) Anna-Mari Servin won (Saturday), so I'm excited for our first-year wrestlers coming out strong," McIlhenny said.

Sophomore 155-pound wrestler Mackenzie Yates was the only Lady Flames wrestler to win an official match against Brewton-Parker, while others prevailed in exhibition bouts that followed.

"She did great," McIlhenny said of Yates. "That was an awesome win for us."

The quad meet was a homecoming of sorts for former Flames men's wrestler Josh Sturgill ('15), who is in his first season as head coach for BPC, a Baptist school in Mount Vernon, Ga. Sturgill coached the Lady Barons to a 3-0 record in their first dual matches of the season.

Josh-Sturgill-Mackenzie-winner — BPC Head Coach Josh Sturgill ('15) greets LU's Mackenzie Yates after her win at 155.

"We've got a couple All-Americans returning this year, and a lot of freshmen and sophomores stepping up and really taking ownership … and enjoying what they're doing," said Sturgill, who previously coached the men's and women's programs at the University of Texas-Arlington. "The girls are buying in and making it a family culture. It's a blessing for sure."

Liberty was a bit more competitive in its late-season match against BPC last year, when then-junior captains Maile Ka'ahanui and Claudia Keanini, who missed Saturday's matches due to sickness, were in the lineup.

"It did change our dynamics," said McIlhenny, who believes her team will give the Lady Barons a better match when they meet again in a tournament in January. "In general, we've got some skills we can be sharpening and getting better, becoming more confident in our wrestling and our style."

Liberty won't face any NCWA competition until it hosts the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championships on Feb. 24, when the Lady Flames can qualify for the March 14-16 NCWA Grand National Championships in Shreveport, La., with a top-four finish.

McIlhenny hopes to qualify 10-12 wrestlers for nationals, as Liberty's women did for the trip to Puerto Rico for the NCWA tournament last spring.

"Every competition we do gets us prepared for nationals," said McIlhenny, an NCWA Grand National champion and runner-up in her two years spent on the team as a graduate student while her younger sister, now Assistant Coach Cendall Manley, won the last two of her four national titles. "That's ultimately where we want to peak. Every match that we wrestle is just sharpening our skills so that we're ready for the national tournament."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Rebekah-Bucur-Liberty-155 — Lady Flames freshman 155-pound wrestler Rebekah Bucur is taken down from behind in her match against Brewton-Parker College.

Lady Flames severely challenged in home quad meet with NAIA, NCAA Division III opponents

Players Mentioned

Madison Alcon

Maile Ka'ahanui

Claudia Keanini

Anna-Mari Servin

Mackenzie Yates

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