ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's wrestling team wrapped up competition at the NCAA Regionals on Sunday, with Jacinda Espinosa taking second place at 138 to become LU's first NCAA National Championship qualifier. A total of four Lions placed top five at the event.

Match Overview
Espinosa – who entered entered the regional as the No. 2 seed in her weight class – clinched a spot in the national tournament field with a win over Peyton Hellman of Fort Hays State in the semifinals. After falling behind 6-0, the nationally ranked freshman climbed back to take a 12-10 lead before pinning Hellman at the bout's 5:51 mark.

Espinosa would move on to face McKendree's Haylie Jaffe in the final, falling by technical fall to finish runner up.

Kate Cooper (110) and Alana Duggan (160) also reached the semifinals but were defeated by tech falls to move to the consolation bracket. Both athletes won their consolation semifinal matchups, with Cooper defeating Gina Bolognese (Simon Fraser) with a 5-1 decision, and Duggan taking an 8-0 decision against Angella Van Valkenburg of Adams State.

However, Cooper and Duggan would both fall in the third-place match, coming up just one win short of qualifying for the national tournament.

Meanwhile, Makayla Rivera (180) also posted a top five finish, battling her way to the consolation semis after dropping her quarterfinal bout on day one. After falling in the consolation semifinal, Rivera defeated Colorado Mesa's Maggie Smith in the fifth place match.

Next Up
Jacinda Espinosa now advances to the inaugural NCAA Women's National Championships, which will be hosted at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Day one of the event is scheduled for Friday, March 6th, with competition wrapping up on Saturday, March 7th.