NAPERVILLE — Since the league’s fourth annual championship tournament last month, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s wrestling season has continued its push toward postseason competition, highlighted by conference dual action and a large-scale national invitational. 
 
Across the stretch, CCIW programs produced ranked wins, high-volume bonus-point results and notable individual performances as teams finalized regular-season positioning and turned attention toward the upcoming NCAA regional championships.
 
Voter Validation: Cardinals, Spartans and Vikings Rise in National Poll
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) released its latest Tournament Top 25 Coaches Poll on Thursday, with recent conference and national invitational results reflected across the rankings. 
 
North Central continues to pace the CCIW contingent, remaining at No. 3 nationally with 97 points, while Aurora held steady among the nation’s top programs in a tie for No. 12 with 14 points. 
 
Augustana entered the national poll for the first time this season, debuting in a tie for No. 18 with 11 points following its sixth-place finish at the Quad Cities D3 National Invite.
 
Elite Evaluation: CCIW Leaders Dot the National Individual Landscape
The NWCA individual rankings released Thursday continued to underscore the CCIW’s presence on the national board. North Central leads the way with a No. 1-ranked wrestler in Sara Sterner at 124 pounds, while the Cardinals also feature three No. 2 national rankings in Kaelani Shufeldt (110), Claire DiCugno (138), and Bella Mir (145). 
 
Additional North Central wrestlers ranked nationally include Madison Avila (No. 4 at 103), Riley Rayome (No. 4 at 117), Yele Aycock (No. 5 at 131), Taylor Graveman (No. 7 at 160), Shenita Lawson (No. 4 at 180) and Caroline Ward (No. 5 at 207).
 
Aurora is represented by Alexis Janiak at No. 3 nationally at 131 pounds, with Genesis Ramirez (103) and Sophia Ball (138) each listed at No. 9. Augustana’s momentum is reflected in the latest update as Maryam Ndiaye moved to No. 5 at 180 pounds and Aine Moffit climbed to No. 7 at 138. 
 
The Cardinal Rule: North Central Maintains Dual Perfect Streak
North Central finished its dual season with an unbeaten conference record, beginning on Jan. 29 with a 37-8 Senior Day win over No. 8 Wartburg. 
 
At 103 pounds, No. 7 Madison Avila pinned No. 5 Chloe Sheffield in 2:11. Mikayla Garcia added a fall at 117 pounds in 0:50, while Claire DiCugno recorded a pin at 138 in 2:00. The Cardinals also received technical falls from Kaelani Shufeldt (110), Sara Sterner (124), Bella Mir (145), and Shenita Lawson (180) to extend the team margin.
 
North Central closed its CCIW dual slate on Feb. 5 with a 36-9 road win at Aurora to complete a 5-0 conference dual mark. Aurora took an early 3-0 lead following a decision by sixth-ranked Genesis Ramirez at 103 pounds, but the Cardinals answered with a string of bonus-point results. Riley Rayome (117), Grace Stem (131), and Taylor Graveman (160) each posted falls, while Dasia Yearby registered her 15th pin of the season with an 11-second finish at 207. Aurora’s Sophia Ball earned a win at 138 pounds on criteria following a 6-6 draw.
 
Rock Island Intensity: The Quad Cities D3 National Invite
The conference’s attention shifted to Augustana last weekend for the Quad Cities D3 National Invite, which featured 31 teams and 257 athletes from 13 states. North Central won the team title with 188.5 points, edging Wartburg by 2.5 points. Madison Avila (103) and Mikayla Garcia (117) claimed individual titles, with Avila earning a 9-4 decision in the final against Wartburg’s Sheffield for her second win over the same opponent in a 10-day span. Garcia advanced to the final with multiple pins and a technical fall before winning the championship by forfeit over teammate Riley Rayome.
 
Host Augustana placed sixth with 92.5 points and produced two champions. Aine Moffit (138) and Maryam Ndiaye (180) each won their brackets, with Moffit named the event’s Outstanding Wrestler following a run that included a 10-0 technical fall in the semifinals and a pin over a returning All-American in the championship match. Ndiaye secured her title with 6-2 and 13-6 decisions against nationally ranked opponents. Augustana also received a fourth-place finish from Moni Griffin (131) and a seventh-place finish from Mia Vazquez (103).
 
Technicals, Takedowns and Tight Decisions: Standout Performances
Several CCIW programs posted notable individual and program benchmarks during the invitational weekend and the surrounding dual slate. Elmhurst finished 14th as a team, led by freshman Juliana Lefort, who became the first Bluejay to place at the event with a sixth-place finish while also recording the tournament’s fastest pin. Teammate Grace Johnson (145) authored one of the tournament’s highest-scoring matches, rallying from deficits of 7-1 and 17-8 to defeat a Schreiner opponent 19-18.
 
Illinois Wesleyan recorded the program’s first home dual win on Feb. 1 with a 32-6 victory over Eureka. At the Quad Cities Invite, the Titans produced two placements at 207 pounds as Alivia Davey finished fourth and freshman Angel Hill placed fifth. 
 
Carthage placed 18th in the 31-team field, with Kirsten Cortez (103) and Josie Hosea (160) each collecting multiple wins across two days. 
 
MSOE tied for 28th, highlighted by Jackie Zuniga Rangel (110) earning a pin against an opponent from Augsburg.
 
The Regional Radar: Scouting the Path to Iowa
The regular season now gives way to the NCAA Regional Championships on Feb. 20-21, the qualifying step to the 2026 NCAA women’s wrestling championships in Coralville. The top three finishers in each of the 10 weight classes will qualify for the national championship, which will serve as the first official NCAA-sponsored championship for women’s wrestling.
 
CCIW programs will compete across two regional sites based on geographic assignment. Region 4 will be hosted by Tiffin and will include Aurora, Elmhurst, Illinois Wesleyan and North Central. 
 
Region 5 will be hosted by Simpson in Indianola and will include Augustana and Carthage. The Region 5 field is scheduled to include top-ranked programs such as Iowa and Wartburg as teams pursue national-qualifying finishes.