ELMIRA, N.Y. (February 22, 2026) – WNE was in Elmira, New York, for the two-day Regional Championships as ten Golden Bears competed for a chance to place top three and travel to Iowa for the National Championships in a few weeks. 8 Golden Bear student-athletes achieved that goal and earned a spot in the National Championships, with two wrestlers becoming Regional Champions in their respective weight classes.

Results: 2nd/17, 8 National Qualifiers

How it Happened:

• 103 lb. weight class – Anna Felicio was WNE's representative in the 103 lb. weight class and wrestled two tough opponents at regionals.
• 110 lb. weight class – Victoria Orender would get a bye in round one before winning her quarterfinal matchup via technical fall 10-0 at 2:23. Orender fell in the semifinals to the overall #1-seed in the weight class via a 13-4 decision. However, Orender turned around and won the consolation semifinal via pinfall at 0:59, up 4-0. Then, with a spot in Nationals on the line, Orender won the consolation final via a pinfall at 1:07, up 2-0 to become a National Championship qualifier and third-place finisher in the region.
• 117 lb. weight class – Maddie Ripley jumped on the mat for WNE in the 117 lb. weight class. Ripley flew through the first round with a pinfall victory at 0:13 and a 12-0 technical fall victory at 1:45 in the quarterfinals. Ripley would win her semifinal match via a 10-0 technical fall at 1:06. Then, in the final match, Ripley had already qualified for her first National Championship appearance. However, Ripley would not settle for just that. Ripley won the 117 lb. weight class via a 6-1 decision and became another Regional Champion for WNE. A tremendous achievement.
• 124 lb. weight class – Linda Holeman went into the regional championships as the number one seed in the 124 lb. weight class. She showed why with a pinfall victory at 1:07, up 8-0 in round one. Then, Holean won via a 12-0 pinfall victory in the quarterfinals at 3:26 and won via an 11-1 technical fall at 3:47 in the semifinals. Holeman would fall via a 10-0 technical fall at 0:35 in the championship match, but still placed second in the region and earned a spot in the National Championships.
• 131 lb. weight class – Jazmene Molina started the weekend with a 10-0 technical fall victory at 1:13 in round one of the 131 lb. weight class. Molina would win the quarterfinal match via default and then got the semifinal victory by decision, 6-1, in overtime. Molina would place second in the 131 lb. weight class after a tough championship match ended in a 4-2 decision. However, Molina still qualified for the National Championships and placed second in the region.
• 138 lb. weight class – Tanya Teneva was WNE's 138 lb. weight class participant. Teneva got a bye in round one, won the quarterfinal match via a 10-0 technical fall at 1:53, and then won her semifinal match via a 10-0 technical fall at 4:29. Then, in the championship match, Teneva would fall via a pinfall at 1:54, down 6-0 to place second in the region. With that placement, Teneva earned a spot in the National Championships.
• 145 lb. weight class – Sanyah Queen would wrestle in the 145 lb. weight class for WNE. Queen won her first round match via a 10-0 technical fall victory at 3:32. Then, after a 10-1 pinfall loss at 4:40 in the quarterfinals, Queen won the consolation quarterfinals via a 12-2 technical fall victory at 6:00 and then won the consolation semifinals via a 2-2 pinfall victory at 1:33. Queen had a chance to go to Iowa for the National Championships and would earn that spot via a 7-2 decision victory. Sanyah Queen placed third in the region and became a National Championship qualifier.
• 160 lb. weight class – Sky De Leon wrestled the 160 lb. weight class. De Leon won her first round match via pinfall at 2:09, up 10-0. Then, De Leon won two more matches with the quarterfinal match being another 10-0 pinfall victory at 2:37 and the semifinals match being a 10-0 technical fall victory at 4:04. With a National Championship appearance secured, De Leon would wrestle in the 160 lb. weight class championship match. She would fall via a 7-2 pinfall at 0:49, but still earned second place in the region.
• 180 lb. weight class – Atiyana Williams started the weekend as the second overall seed in the weight class. However, after four wins, Williams would end the weekend as the top seed. Williams won the first round match via a 5-0 pinfall at 0:53 and then won the quarterfinal match via a 10-0 technical fall victory at 1:57. In the semifinals, Williams won via pinfall at 0:13, up 4-0. Then, Williams would defeat the first-overall seed in the weight class in the championship match via pinfall at 4:58, up 5-2. Atiyana Williams earned a spot in the National Championships and also became the Regional Champion for the 180 lb. weight class. A phenomenal achievement.
• 207 lb. weight class – Samantha Rabkin wrestled in the 207 weight class and would earn a bye in the first round. Then, Rabkin won her quarterfinal match via pinfall at 4:13, up 5-1. Rabkin would fall via a 7-2 decision versus the top-ranked wrestler in the 207 lb. weight class. Rabkin rebounded with a pinfall victory in the consolation semifinals at 3:28 when trailing in the match, 3-2. Rabkin would lose via pinfall in the consolation finals of the 207 lb. weight class at 2:13, down 7-0. However, Rabkin still placed fourth overall at the regional championships.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The 8 Golden Bears who qualified for the National Championships will take part in that competition starting on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa.