Women's wrestling debuts at home with resounding success

Katerina Lange was the No. 1 ranked high school wrestler in the nation and was also Ms. Minnesota her senior year. Lange transferred to Grand Valley after winning a 2023 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship at Augsburg University.

Nauss was unbeaten in four seasons at Brighton High School, winning four state championships and ranking as the nation's top high school wrestler in her weight class.

Nauss, Elleni Johnson, Skylar Little Soldier and Aaliyah Grandberry also earned All-America honors at the prestigious and competitive USA Wrestling Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota.

Then, there's Sage Mortimer, who won gold at the Under-23 World Championships in October in Albania. It was the second major title for Mortimer, who also won a national title at the 2023 USA Women's Senior Nationals.

"It's just an awesome experience for women's wrestling," Short said. "I've been to many, many women's college dual meets, and this one was pretty impressive. The turnout was unbelievable, the energy was unbelievable and hopefully we've created a little bit of a fan base that will want to come back."