MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The Bethany College women's wrestling team won the 2025 Millersville Women's Collegiate Open hosted by Millersville (Pa.) University finishing first out of 15 teams while also crowning four champions at Pucillo Gymnasium. 

Bethany (4-1) dominated the Open after scoring 65 points after placing four champions, four runners-up, three third-place finishes, and three fourth-place finishes to finish at the top of the 15-team field.

The Bison started off strong in the 103 bracket where junior McKenna Acampora (Bordentown, N.J.) and freshman Ava Paul (Deptford, Pa./Deptford Township) each won their first-round matches by fall. Paul then went on to win in the second round thanks to a 10-0 tech fall while Acampora advanced to the championship match via forfeit to set up a head-to-head match for the two Bison in the final round. Although the Bison were guaranteed the top two spots in the bracket, both Paul and Acampora battled tough for first place but Acampora came out on top with a 4-2 decision.

Freshman Taelor Rae Busch (Omaha, Neb./Mercy) was Bethany's second champion of the day after securing a fall and a tech fall to lock up a spot in the 117-pound championship. Taking on Andi Bibeau from the second-place team, Cedar Crest (Pa.) College, Busch gave the Bison the upper-hand in the team standings with a 16-8 victory by points.

Freshman Rose Mary Dodd (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Temescal Canyon) made easy work of the 131-pound bracket after finishing with a 10-0 victor by superiority in the first round, another tech fall in the second round by a score of 11-0, and a 4-0 fall in the semifinals to set up the first place bout. However, Dodd dominated the championship match as well with an 11-0 tech fall to lead her to 4-0 on the day and to stay hot in the regular season.

No. 20 nationally ranked junior Trinity Barrus (Hysham, Mont.) capped off a great day for the Bison at 180 where she earned a commanding tech fall in the first round. However, Barrus had her back against the wall in Round 2 after falling to a 5-3 deficit late in the first period to University of Bridgeport's (Conn.) Linette Diaz, but was able to secure a fall at the end of the period to advance in the bracket. After winning by fall in the semifinals, she geared up for her toughest match of the day in the championship round. Taking on another wrestler from Cedar Crest, Barrus once again fell to an early deficit but tied it up with a near fall just before securing the pin to earn the tournament crown.

Freshmen Chase Marie Ryan (Quakertown, Pa.) and MyJanniea Baptist (Los Angeles, Calif./Lawndale) each earned a spot in their respective first-round bouts after winning their first three matches, but ultimately fell in the finals to earn two runners-up places for the Bison.

Freshman Ashley Campbell (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) also finished as the 110-pound runner-up with three falls going 3-1 while freshman Clara Ealy (Forest Hill, W.Va./James Madison) secured the Bison's first third-place finish after going 2-2. 

Sophomores Shanielah Kirk (Milwaukee, Wis./Martin Luther) and Jasmine Craddock (Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) each made it to the semifinals in their brackets, and despite falling, both helped lead the Green and White to a tournament victory. 

The Bison are back in action on Thursday, November 20 as they travel to Johnstown, Pennsylvania to take on the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) at 7 p.m. at the Pitt-Johnstown Sports Center.