ELMIRA, N.Y. — The Norwich University women's wrestling team finished eighth out of 16 teams at the NCAA Northeast (Region I) Championships, highlighted by a third-place finish from Ay'Seante Ross (Wilmington, N.C.) (180), fourth place for Addisyn Herdic (Canterbury, Conn.), and a fifth-place effort from Gianna Silva (Monroe, Conn.)  (124).

Ross's third-place effort earns her a trip to the inaugural NCAA National Tournament, giving the fledgling Cadet women's wrestling program its first appearance on the national stage.

180 – Ay'Seante Ross (3rd Place, 19.5 Team Points)
Ross delivered the Cadets' top performance of the championship, finishing third with four wins — all by fall. She opened the tournament with back-to-back pins over Kayla Melsky (Centenary) and Carina Rivera (Wilkes) to reach the semifinals.
After dropping a semifinal bout, Ross rebounded with consecutive falls in the consolation bracket, including a 1:33 pin over Fabiana Josa (NJCU) in the third-place match, earning her a berth on the national stage.

124 – Gianna Silva (5th Place, 14.0 Team Points)
Silva advanced to the semifinals with two falls, pinning Sophia Torian (Ithaca) and Nuria Kojic (NJCU). Following a semifinal loss, Silva battled through the consolation bracket and secured fifth place via medical forfeit in her placement bout.

117 – Addisyn Herdic (4th Place, 12.5 Team Points)
Herdic fought back through the consolation side after a quarterfinal loss, recording two falls and an 8-4 decision over Madeline Li (New England College) to reach the third-place match. She ultimately placed fourth after a narrow 9-8 decision in the consolation final.

Additional Cadet Highlights

• Abbigale Williams (Andover, Vt.) (160) opened her tournament with a 45-second fall over Evelyn Enriquez (Utica).
• Marjorie Welton (Tewksbury, Mass.) (131) scored team points with a technical fall in consolation action.
• Nalani Portela-Bailey (Cibolo, Texas) (145) recorded a technical fall in the consolation bracket.
• Samara Ducasse (Indianapolis, Ind.) (103), Gianiece Cope (Bridgeport, Conn.) (110), Charlii Carbajal Sanchez (Broomfield, Colo.) (138), and Ana Lemler (Bourbon, Ind.) (207) gained valuable experience against nationally competitive fields.

Ross will now continue the Cadet season on the national stage as she heads to the inaugural NCAA National Tournament on March 6-7 in Coralville, Iowa.

Norwich Regional Results by Weight

103 – Samara Ducasse (0-2)
110 – Gianiece Cope (0-2)
117 – Addisyn Herdic (4th, 12.5 pts)
124 – Gianna Silva (5th, 14.0 pts)
131 – Marjorie Welton (1-2, 2.0 pts)
138 – Charlii Carbajal Sanchez (0-2)
145 – Nalani Portela-Bailey (1-2, 2.0 pts)
160 – Abbigale Williams (1-2, 3.0 pts)
180 – Ay'Seante Ross (3rd, 19.5 pts)
207 – Ana Lemler (0-2)