New College of Florida Women's Wrestling will compete for the first time in program history Friday at the Eagle Madness Duals, hosted by Life University in Marietta, Georgia.
The Mighty Banyans will wrestle three Mid-South Conference duals Friday, facing Andrew College at 3 p.m. and Brewton-Parker College at 4:15 p.m. and also taking on host No. 4 Life University. New College will compete in the Eagle Madness Open on Saturday.
DUAL AND TOURNAMENT NOTES
A HISTORIC WEEKEND: Head coach Koby Reyes will lead New College into its inaugural season. Friday's duals mark the program's first official competition, and Saturday's Eagle Madness Open will be its first individual tournament.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION: New College enters its first season receiving votes in the NAIA Women's Wrestling Coaches' Preseason Top 20 Rating. The Mighty Banyans received 16 points in the Oct. 22 poll and will face a top-five opponent in No. 4 Life during their opening weekend.
CONFERENCE COMPETITION BEGINS: Andrew, Brewton-Parker and Life are the first three Mid-South Conference opponents in program history. New College's women's program competes in the Mid-South, while its men's program competes in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
ESPINAL BRINGS NATIONAL EXPERIENCE: Sophomore Daniela Espinal joins New College after qualifying for the NAIA National Championships as a freshman at Montreat College under Reyes. The Brooksville, Florida, native and Hernando High School graduate is listed at 124 pounds.
EXPERIENCED TRANSFERS: Sophomore Kristy More arrives from the University of Sioux Falls and is listed at 160 pounds. Junior Kaitelynn Oliver joins the Mighty Banyans from the University of Providence at 131 pounds, while sophomore Ariel Nina Goble transfers from Andrew at 128 pounds. Friday's dual against Andrew gives Nina Goble an opportunity to face her former program.
THE INAUGURAL ROSTER: New College's 11-wrestler roster features one junior, three sophomores and seven freshmen. Oliver is the team's lone junior, while Espinal, More and Nina Goble bring collegiate experience to the sophomore class.
FRESHMEN READY TO DEBUT: New College's freshman class includes Sydney Martin at 110 pounds, Genesis Escorcia at 124, Kami Rice and Shamari Smith at 131, Chloey Dieter at 145, Alexa Calidinio at 160 and Aliyah Hodge at 180. Six of the seven freshmen hail from Florida, with Martin joining the program from Concord, North Carolina.
FROM DUALS TO BRACKETS: After Friday's three duals, the Mighty Banyans will return to the mat Saturday to compete in individual brackets by weight class at the Eagle Madness Open.
UP NEXT: New College of Florida will compete in the Blue Hose Challenge at Presbyterian College on Sunday, Nov. 15.
