MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Carthage women's wrestling team competed in four duals on Friday at the NMU Duals at Northern Michigan University. It was a tough day for the Firebirds as the squad dropped three of the four duals to the Tiffin Dragons, the Alma Scots, and the Northern Michigan Wildcats, while coming away with another win over the Siena Heights Saints.
TIFFIN 34, CARTHAGE 15
The Firebirds won by forfeit at 103 to give the Firebirds an early 5-0 lead. The Dragons bounced back with wins at 110, 117, and 124 to take a 14-6 lead. Alexis Hozeska used a 13-2 tech fall (5:08) to earn a win at 131 and cut the deficit to 15-10. Four straight wins for the Dragons extended the lead to 34-10, before Carthage closed out the dual with a forfeit win at 207, ending the dual at 34-15 in favor of the Dragons.
CARTHAGE 26, SIENA HEIGHTS 15
Carthage claimed the forfeit victory at 103 to start the dual before Kirsten Cortez earned a 16-8 decision victory at 110, giving the Firebirds an 8-1 lead after two bouts. Siena Heights earned a forfeit win at 117 before Alaina Hollendoner earned at win with a 10-0 tech fall (1:55) at 124, extending the Firebirds lead to 12-6. Hozeska used a fall (9-7, 4:30) to claim the victory at 131, before the Saints totaled nine points at 138 and 145 to cut the deficit to 17-15. Josie Hosea won by tech fall (11-0, 5:55) at 160 and the Firebirds claimed a forfeit win at 207 to win the dual 26-15.
ALMA 29, CARTHAGE 17
Cortez started the dual with a 13-2 tech fall win at 103, giving Carthage an early 4-1 lead. Three straight wins for the Scots at 110, 117, and 124 to flip the score to 15-4 in favor of Alma. Carthage won by forfeit at 131, and the Scots won by forfeit at 138 to bring the score to 20-9. Abigail Jutrzonka won by fall (5-5, 4:21) at 145 and Hosea claimed a 2-0 decision at 160 to bring the Firebirds within three points of the lead at 20-17. A forfeit at 180 and a tech fall at 207 gave the Scots nine more points to secure the victory over the Firebirds.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN 27, CARTHAGE 15
The Firebirds jumped out to an early 15-5 lead with a trio of forfeits at 103, 110, and 131. The Wildcats then closed out the dual on a 22-0 run to claim the win over the Firebirds.
"Some personal best performances but overall we didn't quite seal the deal," said Head Coach Tarkyia Mensah. "After a quick Christmas break we're looking to start the year refreshed, healthy and ready to go"
The Firebirds (4-6) return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3 as the team is set to compete at the Fred Johnson Duals in Rock Island, Ill. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.
