Six advance to semifinal round at regionals

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College women's wrestling team opened competition at the NCAA Region 5 Championships on Friday, advancing six wrestlers to Saturday's semifinal round.

Advancing to the semifinals are Sarah Zimmerman (110), Ashley Cannon (124), Noa Arnold (138), Annelise Obermark (145), Keeley Kehrli (160), and Savannah Sistad (207). A win in the semifinal round would guarantee a spot at the NCAA Championships on March 6-7 in Coralville.

In addition to the six semifinalists, Emaline Hicks (103), Layla Phillips (117), Kendra Bliss (131), and Jenna Joseph (180) remain alive in the consolation brackets heading into Saturday's action.

DAY ONE SUMMARY
103 – Emaline Hicks advanced to the consolation bracket after dropping her quarterfinal match, then responded with a 1:45 fall over Grace Murphy (Dubuque) to remain alive heading into day two.
110 – Sarah Zimmerman moved into the semifinals after pinning Karina Torres (Carthage) in 1:41 in the quarterfinals.
117 – Layla Phillips opened with a 10-second fall over Rebecca Di Silvestro (Carthage) and later added a 10-0 technical fall in consolations to continue her tournament run.
124 – Ashley Cannon advanced to the semifinals with back-to-back technical falls, defeating Nina Yankey (Luther) in 21 seconds before earning a 10-0 win over Amelia Adams (Wis.-Stevens Point).
131 – Kendra Bliss fell 10-0 in her only match of the day but remains in the consolation bracket heading into Saturday.
138 – Noa Arnold secured a fall over Lucy Miller (Luther) and added a 7-1 decision against Cadie Percy (Wis.-Stevens Point) to punch her ticket to the semifinals.
145 – No. 6 Annelise Obermark advanced with a 49-second technical fall over Hannah Wigern (Augsburg) in the quarterfinal round.
160 – No. 5 Keeley Kehrli opened with a 49-second fall over Dakota Cornell (Central) before recording a 27-second technical fall against Lillian Baynes (Quincy) in the quarterfinals.
180 – Jenna Joseph rebounded in wrestlebacks with a 2:14 fall over Ella Creighton (Wis.-Oshkosh) to stay in contention.
207 – Savannah Sistad earned a fall over Trinity White (Quincy) in the quarterfinals to move on to the semifinal round.

UP NEXT
The Storm will continue their pursuit of national qualification spots as competition resumes Saturday morning at 11 a.m.