West Liberty, W.Va. — The West Liberty University women's wrestling team returns to action Saturday when the Hilltoppers travel to Erie, Pa., for the Gannon Women's Duals at Gannon University.
West Liberty will compete in a field that includes host Gannon along with King, Lehigh, Otterbein, and Waynesburg.
The Hilltoppers enter the weekend coming off one of their strongest team performances of the season, a 48–2 rout of Point Park University on Friday night inside the ASRC. West Liberty won all 10 contested bouts — six by fall and two by technical fall — while also collecting a pair of forfeits in a decisive showing before the home crowd.
The dual also served as Senior Night for Isabella Kessey, who entered the evening with 58 career collegiate wins, including tournament titles at the Baldwin Wallace Open and Hilltopper Open, plus podium finishes at the Tiffin Open and Adrian Open. A three-time Scholar All-American, Kessey closed out her home career in emphatic fashion, registering a first-period fall in just 30 seconds at 180 pounds — one of the fastest pins of the night.
West Liberty controlled the dual from the outset, opening with forfeits at 103 and 110 pounds as No. 10 Chiara Barbieri and Sydney Chambers staked the Hilltoppers to an early lead. At 117, Trinity Howard extended the margin with a dominant 14–2 technical fall.
From there, the Hilltoppers strung together a series of impressive victories, highlighted by six pins:
West Liberty added another bonus-point win at 160 pounds, where Grace O'Korn earned a 15–4 technical fall.
Earlier this week, three Hilltoppers were recognized in the latest Open Mat national individual rankings:
West Liberty looks to build on its momentum as it heads into a multi-dual test at Gannon on Saturday.
