BUFFALO, N.Y. – With the start of the 2025-26 women wrestling season starting this weekend, there is a lot of excitement going into year three of the program.
"We got our biggest squad we have ever had going into year three and it is a really good group," said head coach
Carlene Sluberski. "We have added layers and it is very exciting. There is a lot of intensity in the room right now and it's a lot of fun."
To coach Sluberski's note, there are 19 wrestlers in this year's squad that is a perfect blend of veterans and newcomers. The Saints return 11 wrestlers from a year ago including all two-time national qualifiers
Madison Wellen,
Alessandra Elliott, and
Saniyah Ward. Also returning to the team is
Zoe Kip and
Mackenzie Laforest, who also qualified for the national tournament last season.
Heading into the new season, Wellen is ranked 17th in the 131-pound weight class with Ward being ranking 16th in the 145-pound weight class according to The Open Mat. Laforest is the lone Saint to be ranked in both The Open Mat and NWCA rankings, 13th and 9th, respectively.
Along with the returners, DYU brings in a pair of transfers and six freshmen to round out this year's team.
This is a big year for women's wrestling, as teams will be competing to make it to the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships come this March. With more growth within the sports, spots have become limited to years past as the best of the best will be on display.
"We are an NCAA sport this year which is really exciting," Sluberski said. "The number of qualifiers has gone down from 32 to 18, but it will make our sport more competitive, and I am excited to see women's wrestling continue to grow."
On the year, the Saints will have four dates dedicated to duals and four dedicated to open tournaments. Of the dates dedicated to duals, the Saints will host a Tri-Meet on January 24th where they welcome Buffalo State University and Western New England University to town.
Once the regular season comes to an end, the team will compete in the NCAA Regional Qualifier held at Elmira College from Feb. 21-22. With the conclusion of the regional qualifiers, any individual that qualifies will head to Coralville, Iowa to compete in the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championship Tournament.
