Steigler, Foard lead King past Life U
King made a statement in its season opener on Sunday.
The Tornado won eight of 10 bouts to knock off two-time defending NAIA national champion Life University 27-12 in the Upper Gym in Marietta, Georgia. King is ranked No. 6 in the HerMat NCAA dual meet rankings, while Life U is No. 3 in the HerMat NAIA dual meet rankings.
The Running Eagles have dominated the NAIA. Last season, Life U went 11-2 in duals and won its sixth straight conference title, third straight NWCA National Duals title and second consecutive NAIA national title. King is one of the most decorated programs in women’s wrestling, with four national team titles and alumni that include Olympic champion Sarah Hildebrandt. The Tornado placed seventh at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships last March.
King’s Amelia Murphy, ranked No. 15 in the NCAA, got the dual started with a 4-0 shutout of NAIA No. 12 Alyssa Quezaire of Life U at 103 pounds.
Life U took two of the next three bouts. NAIA No. 7 Diana Gonzalez of Life U defeated King’s Kristina Kent, the NCAA No. 16, 8-4 at 110 pounds. King’s Jada Pichardo answered at 117 pounds, topping Devlynn Albrecht of Life U 6-3. At 124 pounds, Life U’s Ariana Martinez, ranked No. 5 in the NAIA, edged King’s Ruby Julien-Newsom 9-7. Julien-Newsom is ranked No. 7 in the NCAA at 131 pounds.
From there, King took over, winning the final six bouts.
The best matchup on paper went the Tornado’s way. King’s Virginia Foard, an NCAA All-American last season who is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA at 124 pounds, handled Life U’s Janida Garcia 9-1 at 131 pounds. Garcia, a transfer from Emmanuel, is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA.
Isis France of King won a 14-10 scramble over NAIA No. 20 Netavia Wickson of Life U at 138 pounds. King’s Zoey Lints, the NCAA No. 8, followed with a 13-8 decision over Life U’s Christina Jaen at 145 pounds. Jaen is ranked No. 6 in the NAIA at 138 pounds.
NCAA No. 2 Stella Steigler of King earned the dual’s only bonus-point win with an 11-0 technical superiority in 2:54 over Life U true freshman Faith Bane at 160 pounds. Bane is ranked No. 10 in the NAIA at 145 pounds. Steigler placed third at NCAAs last season after falling to Iowa’s Kennedy Blades in the semifinals.
Kathryn Hingano made a winning King debut at 180 pounds, defeating Mackenzie Schultz of Life U 9-4. Hingano, ranked No. 6 in the NCAA, transferred to King from Southern Oregon, where she was a two-time NAIA All-American. She placed fourth at 180 pounds at the 2026 NAIA championships.
Isabella Lorenzana capped off the win for King at 207 pounds, edging NAIA No. 6 Madeline Welch of Life U 8-6.
Results:
103: No. 15 (NCAA) Amelia Murphy (King) dec. No. 12 (NAIA) Alyssa Quezaire (Life), 4-0
110: No. 7 (NAIA) Diana Gonzalez (Life) dec. No. 16 (NCAA) Kristina Kent (King), 8-4
117: Jada Pichardo (King) dec. Devlynn Albrecht (Life), 6-3
124: No. 5 (NAIA) Ariana Martinez (Life) dec. No. 7 (NCAA, 131) Ruby Julien-Newsom (King), 9-7
131: No. 4 (NCAA, 124) Virginia Foard (King) dec. No. 2 (NAIA) Janida Garcia (Life), 9-1
138: Isis France (King) dec. No. 20 (NAIA) Netavia Wickson (Life), 14-10
145: No. 8 (NCAA) Zoey Lints (King) dec. No. 6 (NAIA, 138) Christina Jaen (Life), 13-8
160: No. 2 (NCAA) Stella Steigler (King) tech. No. 10 (NAIA, 145) Faith Bane (Life), 11-0 2:54
180: No. 6 (NCAA) Kathryn Hingano (King) dec. Mackenzie Schultz (Life), 9-4
207: Isabella Lorenzana (King) dec. No. 6 (NAIA) Madeline Welch (Life), 8-6