ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The Elmhurst University women's wrestling team competed in the program's first-ever CCIW Women's Wrestling Championships on Sunday (Jan. 26), placing fifth as a team.

The Bluejays had four student-athletes earn placements in their first-ever conference championship, with Veronica Cosio earning the program's first conference finalist and All-CCIW nod, placing second in the 110-pound bracket. Clara Rice and Eva Castrejon each placed fourth in the 160-pound and 103-pound brackets, respectivley, while Zeel Mody placed sixth at 110.

At 103 pounds, Castrejon battled through a challenging bracket to secure 4th place. In Round 1, she was defeated by Brianne Graves of North Central by fall in just 24 seconds. Round 2 saw Castrejon fall to Genesis Ramirez of Aurora in 34 seconds, and in Round 3, Kirsten Cortez of Carthage claimed a 10-0 technical fall victory.

At 110 pounds, Veronica Cosio delivered the team's strongest performances, finishing as the runner-up in the bracket and earning All-CCIW honors. After receiving a bye in the quarterfinals, Cosio pinned Amber Turner of North Central in just 34 seconds during the semifinals. In the championship match, she faced Leeana Mercado of North Central, ultimately falling by a 12-0 technical fall.

Also at 110 pounds, Zeel Mody placed 6th, contributing 6.0 team points. In the quarterfinals, Mia Moore of Aurora defeated Mody by fall in 23 seconds. After receiving a bye in the first consolation round, Mody was pinned by Amber Turner in just 7 seconds during the consolation semifinal. In the 5th place match, Moore secured a 10-0 technical fall victory over Mody.

At 160 pounds, Clara Rice placed 4th. Rice started strong, pinning Izabelle Nelson-Carrillo of Carthage in 1:04 in Round 1. However, she was pinned by Maryam Ndiaye of Augustana in 1:22 during Round 2. In Round 3, Lizzie Raleigh of North Central claimed a 10-0 technical fall victory over Rice, and in Round 5, Antonia Phillips of Aurora secured a 13-2 technical fall win.

UP NEXT 

Elmhurst is back in Rock Island on Feb. 8-9 at the DIII Invitational.

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