NWCA Announces January Winners of the NCAA Women’s Region Wrestler of the Month Awards

MANHEIM, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced their third women’s wrestling Region Wrestlers of the Month awards today. Kaelani Shufeldt of Lock Haven University, Viktorya Torres of King University, Nyla Burgess of Adrian College, Jaslynn Gallegos of North Central College, and there were co-wrestlers of the month in Region V. Rewa Chabao of the University of the Ozarks, and Holly Beaudoin of Colorado Mesa both earned recognition.

Region I

Shufeldt went 7-0 at 109 pounds for the Bald Eagles, taking four wins by technical fall. At the NWCA National Duals, Shufeldt went 5-0, starting with a 7-1 victory over eighth-ranked Pauline Granados of McKendree University before topping Presbyterian College’s Cassy Lopez 7-1. On the second day, she posted a pair of 10-0 technical fall victories to help the Bald Eagles to a ninth-place finish. Shufeldt then won the 109-pound class at the Pennsylvania Women’s Collegiate State Championships. She earned a 10-0 technical fall in the championship bout. She is the second Bald Eagle to earn NWCA Region I Wrestler of the Month, joining Lily Sherer, who took the award in November.

Region II

Torres wins her first NWCA Region II Wrestler of the Month award after going 7-0 in January. She was instrumental in King’s NWCA National Duals championship as she went 4-0 at the event, including three pins, two over ranked opponents. The first pin came over eighth-ranked Lana Perez of Gannon University in 3:31 before Torres flipped the championship dual with a 5:26 pin of second-ranked Yele Aycock of North Central College. Her other pin at the event came over McKendree’s Jennifer Soto in 2:04 in the semifinals. That pin gave King momentum as the Tornado went on to take the championship 23-21. She then won the Tornado open, going 3-0 with a pair of technical fall wins and a pin in 44 seconds.

Region III

Burgess wrestled at 170 pounds and finished the month with a 4-2 record. She went 2-1 against ranked foes and posted two wins by technical fall. She finished runner-up to second-ranked Chey Bowman of King at the Tornado Open. She became the first Bulldog this season to earn the award and second in program history, joining Zoe Nowicki last season.

Region IV

Gallegos went 5-0 in January at 116 pounds for North Central. At the NWCA National Duals, Gallegos earned a pin over top-ranked Samara Chavez of King. She also won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships. In January, she pinned all five of her opponents in the first period. This is the first NWCA Region IV Wrestler of the Month award.

Region V

there are co-wrestlers of the month as Chababo becomes the first Ozarks wrestler to garner NWCA Wrestler of the Month honors, while Beaudoin earns her first career wrestler of the month honor.

Chababo went 5-0 in January with four pins. She won the Tornado Open, winning all three matches, including a 2-1 decision over fifth-ranked Cristina Santoyo of Emmanuel College.

Beaudoin went 3-0 at the NWCA National Duals, helping the Mavericks to a fourth-place finish and wins over two nationally-ranked foes. All three of her wins came by pin, including a victory over eighth-ranked Kelly Escamilla of Lindenwood University.

All six region winners are now eligible for NWCA National Wrestler of the Month, which is scheduled to be released on Monday.