THIS WEEK IN BLUE HAWKÂ WOMEN'S WRESTLING
Blue Hawk women's wrestling team is set to open its 2025-26 season at the Battle of the Rockies, hosted by the University of Providence. The meet marks the first major test of the season for the Blue Hawks, who enter the year ranked No. 20Â in the NAIA Women's Wrestling Coaches' Preseason Polls.
The Blue Hawks will face a stacked field that includes six nationally ranked programs, No. 3 Providence (Mont.), No. 7 Indiana Tech, No. 9 Southern Oregon, No. 16 Evergreen State (Wash.), No. 18 Westcliff (Calif.), and RV Eastern Oregon. Providence, the event host, also boasts two number one ranked wrestlers, Paige Morales (110 lbs.)Â and Erin Hikiji (103 lbs.).
"This will be one of the toughest tests we'll face all year outside of the Doane Open," said Head Coach
Tyson Springer. "It gives us a real quick realization of how fast the season ramps up. For our younger athletes, it's a chance to get valuable experience and see how they respond against top-tier competition."
"All match ups this weekend are going to be tough," Springer said. "We're seeing several opponents ranked in the top five nationally or within our conference. The 131-pound class that Jumoke wrestles in might be the deepest in the country, so it'll be a great early test for her. And at 110 pounds,
Jenna Gerhardt's bracket is always one of the hardest in the nation, that'll be a real challenge as well."
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EXPERIENCED CORE RETURNS
The Blue Hawks return a veteran core from last season's squad that sent four qualifiers to the NAIA National Tournament, three of which returned in
Jenna Gerhardt (110 lbs.),
Larhae Whaley (117 lbs), and
Jumoke Adekoye (131 lbs.). All 3 won matches at nationals, highlighted by Adekoye's historic run to the national title, where she became the first All-American and national champion in program history.
"We're starting year three of the program, and every season the experience level continues to grow," Springer said. "Jenna, Larhae, and Jumoke bring tremendous leadership to the team. Jumoke and Larhae were freshmen last year, and now Jenna is a senior. They've shown the rest of the team what it takes to reach that national-qualifier level."
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SETTING THE TONE
After hosting the annual Blue/Gray Dual on October 30 to kick off the season, Dickinson State now turns its attention to the Battle of the Rockies as an early measuring stick for the months ahead.
"I just want to see our athletes compete," Springer said. "We're facing some of the toughest teams in the nation, and this will help us identify both what we're doing right and where we need to improve, whether that's defense, conditioning, or other areas. It's an early benchmark for what kind of team we can be this season."
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UP NEXT
Dickinson State will travel to Chadron, Neb. To take on NCAA Division 2 foe Chadron State College on Thursday, Nov. 13
th at 6:00pm (MST).
