By Easton DeMilia / Staff Writer

Missouri Valley College’s women’s wrestling team had three wrestlers earn All-American honors at the NAIA National Championships, led by Zao Estrada’s third-place finish.

Brooke-Lynn Rush placed sixth, and Autumn Perez finished eighth as the Vikings competed March 9-10 in Wichita, Kansas.

At 117lbs, the sophomore Zao Estrada secured All-American status with two technical fall victories, both 10-0. 

Estrada reached the semifinals before suffering a loss on the second day, but responded with a strong performance in the consolation bracket.

“Coming back from a loss is always hard, and sometimes you just want to quit after you lose,” Zao Estrada said. 

She rebounded by scoring 22 points across two matches, earning two additional technical falls to secure third place. Estrada outscored her opponents 42-1 in her victories.

“Coming back and getting third, and winning all the next matches ahead made me feel good,” Estrada said. “I’m so grateful to god to be able to experience that, and I’m glad I could do it for my family and my coach.” 

Head coach Kevin Corbett said Estrada’s aggressive style played a key role in her success.

“She has the foot on the gas mentality. Corbett said, “We want to end matches early.” 

Rush and Perez both reached All-American status through the consolation bracket after early losses.

“To go wrestle freely and remind them that they can get the job done,” Corbett said. “It is not an anomaly to see someone lose in the first round and still come back and wrestle and be an All-American at the end of the day.”

At 145 pounds, senior Brooke-Lynn Rush placed sixth after battling back from a 6-4 loss in the second round.

Estrada displayed her aggressive style, outscoring her opponents 42-1 in her victories. 

“Coming back and getting third, and winning all the next matches ahead made me feel good,” Estrada said. “I’m so grateful to god to be able to experience that, and I’m glad I could do it for my family and my coach.” 

The path for Rush and Perez was unlike Estrada’s. They had to do the work from the consolation side after both wrestlers lost their first bout.

“To go wrestle freely and remind them that they can get the job done,” Corbett said. “It is not an anomaly to see someone lose in the first round and still come back and wrestle and be an All-American at the end of the day.”

At 145lbs, the senior Brooke-Lynn Rush battled after a tough 6-4 second-round loss to earn 6th place. 

“She kept fighting and clawing her way to it,” Corbett said. 

Rush won a tight match 3-2 to crown herself as an All-American. 

“In that moment, I just felt proud and relieved, ” Brooke-Lynn Rush said. “I felt so much gratitude towards my coaches, teammates, and the sport. It wasn’t just about the win; it was about proving to myself that I could get through everything that tried to break me. After all the pain, finally achieving something like this made it all worth it.”

Competing at 103 pounds, Perez battled through the consolation bracket to secure an eighth-place finish. She responded to the early loss with multiple wins, staying composed and consistent to remain in contention.

“Achieving All-American honors had so much meaning to me coming back from two knee surgeries back to back,” Perez said. “I had so much gratitude and wanted to give glory to God for giving me the strength and motivation to grind all season to earn that spot.”

Missouri Valley finished the national tournament with three All-Americans, showcasing their skill against top NAIA competition.