WARD RETURNS TO TAKE SECOND PLACE AT GRAND VIEW OPEN

DES MOINES, Iowa – Returning to competition on the mat, Haley Ward took second place in the Gold 207 class at the Grand View Open on Saturday, while senior Alexis Hatfield came in sixth in the Gold 110 division as Avila had two placers at one of the premier events of the season, marking the women's wrestling program's best results in the prestigious Open.

Ward, the No. 4-ranked wrestler in the latest NAIA rankings, went 3-1 on Saturday with a pair of tech fall wins (11-0 and 12-2) as well as a 3-2 decision win over Grand Valley State's Sabrina Nauss. Nauss is the NCAA's reigning heavyweight runner-up and the No. 2 seed in the 207-pound bracket. 

Ward's lone loss of the Open came against No. 1-seeded Katja Osteen of the University of Iowa.

Hatfield, the reigning All-American, notched two victories, including a 12-2 tech fall and a pin in just 2:26 to wrap up a sixth-place finish.

Facing extremely tough competition, Hatfield fought hard against the No. 3-ranked NCAA wrester - Nyla Valencia of Iowa - and the No. 8-ranked Eliana Martinez of Grand View.

Additionally for the Eagles, Joshyonna Coppage-Dortch had two wins on the day, a 14-4 tech fall and a fall in 1:26.

Freshman Suzette Mendez tallied a pair of pins and a 10-8 decision in an impressive showing for the young Eagle.

Avila has one last regular season competition before the KCAC/SAC Conference Championship on Feb. 27. The Eagles will head to Baldwin City, Kan., on Feb. 14 for the Jimmy May Open, beginning at 9 AM.

A complete list of results from the Grand View Open can be found at TrackWrestling.com.