Wildcats finish fourth as a team in regionals
TIFFIN, Ohio – Northern Michigan placed fourth out of 18 teams at the NCAA Regional 4 Qualifier this weekend, producing five top-five individual finishes. Three Wildcats earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships with top-three placements.
Alissa Caltagirone (145), Sophia Bassino (160), and Abbie Miles (180) all punched their ticket to the biggest stage with their performances, while Zhivanna Magdaleno (117) and Mickaela Keane (207) also finished in the top five.
Northern Michigan totaled 80 team points to edge Otterbein (78). North Central won the team title with 182.5 points, followed by Grand Valley State with 173. NMU placed third out of eight teams at last year’s event.
Alissa Caltagirone (145) – 2nd place – NCAA qualifier
Caltagirone advanced with back-to-back falls in 0:48 and 1:15 on Friday, then added an 11-1 technical fall at the end of the first period in the semifinal. She finished runner-up following a technical fall loss at 4:36 in the final.
Abbie Miles (180) – 2nd place – NCAA qualifier
Miles recorded two technical falls on Friday, winning at 1:35 and 3:59 to reach the semifinal. The No. 3 seed defeated the No. 2 seed by a 10-0 technical fall at 3:59 to move into the title match. She placed second after a 12-2 technical fall in the championship.
Sophia Bassino (160) – 3rd place – NCAA qualifier
Bassino opened with two technical falls Friday, earning victories at 5:05 and 1:11. After dropping an 8-4 decision in the semifinal, she rebounded with an 11-1 technical fall in 1:11 to reach the third-place match and secured bronze with a 12-2 technical fall at 2:08.
Zhivanna Magdaleno (117) – 4th place
Magdaleno posted two Friday victories to advance to the semifinal. She fell by 8-0 decision, then responded with a 13-2 technical fall at 2:17 to reach the third-place bout. A loss by fall in that match resulted in a fourth-place finish.
Mickaela Keane (207) – 5th place
Keane earned a 7-4 decision in her opening match to reach the semifinal. She dropped 3-1 and 2-1 decisions in consecutive rounds before securing fifth place by forfeit.
Additional results
Samantha Chaon (131) advanced to day two before falling in Consolation Round 3. She finished 2-2 with wins by fall (4:18) and 7-0 decision.
Alyssa Keane (138) went 1-2, while Jamie Cook (124) finished 0-2.
Up Next
Caltagirone, Bassino, and Miles will compete at the NCAA Championships on March 6-7 in Coralville, Iowa.
