SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 8, 2026) – The Western New England women's wrestling team will compete in the 2026 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals this coming weekend at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This marks the first time in program history that the Blue and Gold will compete for a national dual title. 

About the Event:
Hosted at the UNI Dome in Iowa, the Golden Bears will be the lone representative from New England to compete at the event and one of two teams in the Eastern part of the United States (Elmira College, New York) competing at the duals. The event features 16 teams total, who will compete in a bracket-style event, wrestling in all ten weight classes against an opponent to determine a winner, who will move on in the championship round of the bracket. The loser of the match continues to wrestle for placement in the event. 

2026 NWCA Bracket Information:
Announced on Monday afternoon, the Golden Bears will be the third seed in the bracket. The top eight seeds overall feature two of the top eight placing teams from a year ago, including seventh-place Wartburg College and eighth-place Aurora University. Wartburg received the top seed and will be challenged by second-seeded Simpson College, third-seeded Western New England, and the rest of the field. 

1. Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa)
2. Simpson College (Indianola, Iowa)
3. Western New England University (Springfield, Mass.)
4. Elmira College (Elmira, N.Y.)
5. Aurora University (Aurora, Ill.)
6. Schreiner University (Kerrville, Texas)
7. Adrian College (Adrian, Mich.)
8. Eastern University (St. Davids, Pa.)

Additional teams in the field include Albion College (Albion, Mich.), Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Bethany College (Bethany, W. Va.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Manchester University (North Manchester, Ind.), Marymount University (Arlington, Va.), McMurry University (Abilene, Texas), and Pacific University (Forest Grove, Ore.). Western New England's opening match will see them team battle the War Hawks of McMurry University. The winner of the match will then take on the winner of Manchester University and Schreiner University, while the loser of WNE and McMurry takes on the loser of Manchester and Schreiner.  



2025-2026 Season:
Through ten dual matches, Western New England women's wrestling has posted a 7-3 dual record overall. The Golden Bears have had success in their two non-dual matches, coming in the opening event of the season, the Princeton Open, where eight Golden Bears placed in the top five of their respective weight classes. Most recently, the Blue and Gold competed in and won the New Standard Invitational at York College of Pennsylvania for the second straight season. The Golden Bears had four individual champions at the event to secure a first-place finish. 

The NWCA National Dual event will feature 15 Golden Bears who will compete over the weekend. Those include Jaden Coppins (Colchester, Vt.), Maia DeLaCruz (Albany, N.Y.), Sky De Leon (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Rylee Donohue (Norwalk, Conn.), Emily Dudar (Latham, N.Y.), Gianna Hernandez (Haskell, N.J.), Linda Holeman (Preston, Conn.), Mikayla Maloy (Pocono Summit, Pa.), Jazmene Molina (Orange County, Calif.), Victoria Orender (Byfield, Mass.), Samantha Rabkin (Sharon, Mass.), Sanyah Queen (Plainfield, N.J.), Maddie Ripley (Owls Head, Maine), Tanya Teneva (Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria), and Atiyana Williams (Pemberton, N.J.). 

What They're Saying:
Third-year Western New England women's wrestling head coach Tyler Keane is excited for his team to represent on the national stage. "We're a young team that's hungry to compete and eager for the challenge of National Duals," said Keane. "Our student-athletes have embraced the daily work, supported one another, and earned this opportunity. We're excited to test ourselves and continue building on the national stage."

Director of Wrestling and Head Men's Wrestling Coach Mike Sugermeyer, who has been with the program since its inception, is looking forward to seeing the Blue and Gold as a top seed in this year's National Dual. Sugermeyer reflected on the growth of the program over the past four seasons. "In 2021, we became the first NCAA Division III-affiliated women's wrestling team in New England. It has been amazing to witness the growth of women's wrestling across the country, in our region, and on the campus of Western New England University over the last five years. Coach Keane and his staff have done an incredible job growing our women's wrestling program to be in a position to compete for a DIII National Championship."

Event Information:
The NWCA National Duals will take place over a two-day period, beginning on Friday, January 9 and concluding Saturday, January 10. Western New England's first match of the morning will come at 11:30 AM est., when they take on McMurry University. 

For more information on the 2026 NWCA National Duals event, click here. 

To watch ($) the NWCA National Dual Tournament, click here. 

To follow live results at the NWCA National Dual Tournament, click here. 

Attending the event? Purchase tickets and a parking pass ahead of time by clicking here.