#17 Women's Wrestling 1/28/2021 4:19:00 PM

OCU readies for 2020-21 season

Stars begin season with 7 p.m. dual at Lyon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University brings five returning all-Americans into its women's wrestling season.
The Stars, ranked seventh in the NAIA, open 2020-21 with a 7 p.m. dual Friday against 14th-rated Lyon (Ark.) in Batesville, Ark. Lyon is not permitting fans at its home competitions.
In the most recent national rankings, six OCU individuals held spots in the national rankings by weight. Sydney Freund highlighted the Stars' rated wrestlers by garnering the No. 1 ranking among NAIA 143-pounders. Other ranked OCU wrestlers were Nkechinyere Nwankwo (No. 2 at 191), Cierra Foster (No. 3 at 143), Destiny Lyng (No. 4 at 136), Sophia Smith (No. 5 at 130) and Mattison Parker (No. 6 at 136).
Oklahoma City snagged fourth place in the Women's College Wrestling Association Championships in February. OCU notched its 10th top-five showing in the WCWA Championships. The Stars have four national titles – 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
OCU boasted of a national champion, five all-Americans, the Sooner Athletic Conference wrestler of the year, SAC Championships outstanding wrestler, two league champions and nine all-conference individuals in Nicole Tyson's first season as head coach. The Stars went 4-3 in duals.

TOP RETURNERS

• Nwankwo earned her third all-American accolade with a third-place finish at 191 in the WCWA Championships. Nwankwo, a junior from Houston, posted a 17-2 mark with the SAC title and seven pins in 2019-20, bringing her career record to 33-9
• Lyng is a three-time all-American following her fourth-place finish at 136 in the WCWA Championships. Lyng, a junior from La Mesa, Calif., recorded a 20-9 mark and finished runner-up in the SAC Championships last season. She has a 42-19 mark as a Star
• Freund became a two-time all-American by grabbing fourth place at 143 pounds in the WCWA Championships last season. Freund, a senior from San Tan Valley, Ariz., took third at 130 in the 2019 NAIA Invitational. Freund went 11-7 with seven falls last season and owns a career record of 27-24
• Parker took all-American honors with a seventh-place finish in the WCWA Championships. Parker, a sophomore from Haslet, Texas, picked up an 11-10 record, eight pins and a runner-up showing at 130 in the SAC Championships
• Foster racked up a 7-4 record with three falls in 2019-20. Foster, a junior from Post Falls, Idaho, has a 10-7 career mark with an all-American finish in the 2019 NAIA Invitational
• Raven Guidry produced a 116-pound runner-up finish in the conference meet and 9-9 record last season. Guidry, a senior from Lafayette, La., has gone 38-35 in her OCU career. Marissa Gregoire, a senior from Hughesville, Pa., also posted a runner-up finish at 101 in the inaugural league tournament

NEW FACES

• Smith, a freshman from Kingston, Pa., captured the 130-pound crown in the 2020 National Prep Wrestling Championships
• Victoria Hinojo, a freshman from El Paso, Texas, placed in the state three times and contributed to two team state titles and a runner-up finish at J.M. Hanks as a high school wrestler
• Ryann Rumsey, a freshman from Moore, Okla., reeled in a runner-up showing at 185 pounds in the Oklahoma girls state tournament

PRESEASON BUZZ

• Oklahoma City landed the 10th spot in the preseason NAIA team ratings. Six Stars were included in the individual rankings with Freund and Nwankwo holding third at their respective weights

MEET THE COACH

• Tyson, nee' Woody, picked up four all-American honors and an individual national champion for the Stars from 2007-11. Tyson contributed to three WCWA team championships and four National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals titles as an OCU wrestler. She is the first alumna to take over the program as head coach
• During her coaching career, Tyson has helped guide teams to three national championships and three NWCA National Duals crowns. She has mentored 11 individual national champions and 60 all-Americans
• As a prep wrestler, Tyson became the first girl to be a high school state finalist in Maryland competing for Gambrills Arundel (Md.)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• OCU hosts the SAC Championships at 9 a.m. Feb. 27 at Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars took third place in the inaugural SAC Championships, while Lyon (Ark.) is the defending conference champion
• The Stars vie for national honors in the NAIA Invitational on March 12-13 in Jamestown, N.D.

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Players Mentioned

Cierra Foster: 123; 5' 4"; Senior

Sydney Freund: 136; 5' 4"; Senior

Marissa Gregoire: 101; 4' 9"; Senior

Raven Guidry: 109; 5' 1"; Senior

Destiny Lyng: 136; Junior

Nkechinyere Nwankwo: 170; 5' 4"; Junior

Mattison Parker: 143; 5' 6"; Sophomore

Victoria Hinojo: 155; 5' 4"; Freshman

Ryann Rumsey: 191; 5' 5"; Freshman

Sophia Smith: 130; 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Cierra Foster
: 5' 4"; Senior
: 123

Sydney Freund
: 5' 4"; Senior
: 136

Marissa Gregoire
: 4' 9"; Senior
: 101

Raven Guidry
: 5' 1"; Senior
: 109

Destiny Lyng
: Junior
: 136

Nkechinyere Nwankwo
: 5' 4"; Junior
: 170

Mattison Parker
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: 143

Victoria Hinojo
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: 155

Ryann Rumsey
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: 191

Sophia Smith
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: 130