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UPSTART WOMEN’S WRESTLING PROGRAM SETS THE STANDARD ON AND OFF THE MAT
In 2019, Joe Norton ’10/M’12 — then head coach of the Cardinal men’s wrestling team — sold athletic director Jim Miller ’86 on the idea of establishing a women’s wrestling program. It turned out to be a good move.
At the time, women’s wrestling was barely on the map. Today, it is one of the fastest growing sports at both the collegiate and high school levels. Beginning in the 202021 academic year, the NCAA designated women’s wrestling as part of its Emerging Sports for Women program. As such, teams from all three NCAA divisions — I, II and III — compete against one another. With more schools launching teams each year, the sport is on track to gain NCAA championship recognition.
Currently, North Central boasts one of the largest and most successful collegiate women’s wrestling programs in the country, regardless of school size. In just five years, the program has grown from nine wrestlers to 55, captured three regional titles, and become a force on the national stage. The Cardinals won the team title at the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) after placing fourth in 2022. Since the program’s inception, four Cardinals have combined to capture six individual national titles.
The program’s culture and winning ways have made North Central a national destination for women’s wrestling, with some student-athletes turning down scholarship offers from other institutions for the opportunity to be a Cardinal. The 2023-24 roster included student-athletes from Alaska, Florida, New Mexico, California and Texas – 23 different states in all.
The Cardinals entered the 2023-24 season as the top-ranked team in the country, poised to defend their national title. They won the Region IV Tournament for the second consecutive year, with nine team members winning their respective weight classes, and all competing student-athletes — 15 total — qualifying for the national tournament. In addition, Norton was named the Region IV Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
After day one of the 2024 NCWWC tournament, North Central held a slight edge over the University of Iowa. A national powerhouse in men’s wrestling, Iowa was competing in the women’s tournament for the first time. On the final day, the Hawkeyes edged the Cardinals for the team title by just six points, 204 to 198. Third place King University was further back with 163 points.
Fourteen of the Cardinals’ 15 finalists earned All-American honors, including Amani Jones ’25, who was crowned national champion in the 123-pound weight class.
“It was heartbreaking for our team to fall short in the finals, but we were so impressed with their efforts in embracing the challenge and competing to win,” said Norton. “Any Division III school going toeto-toe with a Power 5 institution like (the) University of Iowa in a sport like wrestling is an accomplishment in itself.”
In the 170-pound weight class, Yelena Makoyed ’24, a three-time national champion, faced Iowa’s Kylie Welker in the most anticipated match of the year. Welker’s victory prevented Makoyed from becoming a four-time individual national champion, but Makoyed’s place in program history is secure.
“We were incredibly lucky to have someone like Yelena join the team in its first year,” said Norton. “She has been the perfect person for us to build around. She does everything right. She has incredible character and work ethic, and she is a tremendous student and teammate even on top of all the wrestling success.”
In April, 17 Cardinals went on to compete at the USA Wrestling U20 and U23 Women's National Championships in Spokane, Wash., including Jones, who took first place in the 55 kg weight class. Later that month, six wrestlers competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State.
The team excelled in the classroom as well, setting a new program record with 19 student-athletes named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American team. For the second year in a row, the program ranked first in the Team Scholar All-America rankings with a 3.827 grade point average (GPA). Norton added, “We are so proud of our success on the mat, but when you then tell people that we have a 3.827 team GPA, they truly understand how outstanding our women are and that they are all-around champions who succeed in everything they do.”
