ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University women's wrestling team took on rival North Central College for the first time in program history, opening the inagural Battle of the Birds with a 27-11 loss to the visitors Thursday (Jan. 16) evening.

Despite Elmhurst's strong start with back-to-back wins in the lighter weight classes, North Central rallied with dominance in the middle and upper weights, capitalizing on forfeits and showcasing their skill in key matches.

The match began with Elmhurst taking the lead at 103 pounds when Evalinda Castrejon claimed a forfeit victory, putting Elmhurst up 5-0. Veronica Cosio extended the lead at 110 pounds by pinning North Central's Amber Turner in just 1:18, making it 10-0. With no contest at 117 pounds, Elmhurst held their lead.

However, North Central surged ahead starting at 124 pounds, where Aroma Marrufo claimed a forfeit to narrow the gap to 10-5. Gracie Guarino (131 pounds), Taylor Miess (138 pounds), and Clare Waite (145 pounds) followed with forfeit wins, giving North Central a 20-10 advantage.

At 160 pounds, Alondra Morales downed Yareli Ortega with a 15-0 technical fall in just 56 seconds, extending North Central's lead to 24-10. Sadie Hill secured the final victory for North Central at 180 pounds with a hard-fought 9-2 decision over Clara Rice. With no contest at 207 pounds, the match concluded 27-11 in favor of North Central.

FULL RESULTS

Weight	Matchup	Score
103	Evalinda Castrejon (ELM) over (NCC) (For.)	ELM 5, NCC 0
110	Veronica Cosio (ELM) over Amber Turner (NCC) (Fall 1:18)	ELM 10, NCC 0
117	No Contest	ELM 10, NCC 0
124	Aroma Marrufo (NCC) over (ELM) (For.)	ELM 10, NCC 5
131	Gracie Guarino (NCC) over (ELM) (For.)	ELM 10, NCC 10
138	Taylor Miess (NCC) over (ELM) (For.)	ELM 10, NCC 15
145	Clare Waite (NCC) over (ELM) (For.)	ELM 10, NCC 20
160	Alondra Morales (NCC) over Yareli Ortega (ELM) (TF 15-0 0:56)	ELM 10, NCC 24
180	Sadie Hill (NCC) over Clara Rice (ELM) (Dec 9-2)	ELM 11, NCC 27
207	No Contest	ELM 11, MU 27

UP NEXT

The Bluejays are set to make their postseason debut at the 2025 CCIW Women's Wrestling Tournament next Sunday, January 26 in Rock Island, Ill.

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