ELMIRA, N.Y. - The New Jersey City University (NJCU) women's wrestling team delivered an impressive performance at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling (NCWWC) Region I Championships, finishing fifth out of 11 teams at The Murray Athletic Center at Elmira College on Sunday, Feb. 23. The team set a program record with five Gothic Knights earning placements at regionals.

The competition was fierce, with the top four wrestlers in each weight class advancing to the National Championships. Leading the way for NJCU was senior Izabella Frezzo (East Rutherford, N.J./Becton Regional) (25-4), who earned a remarkable second-place finish in the 110-pound weight class. Frezzo is now the first Gothic Knight in program history to qualify for Nationals four times.

Frezzo led the Gothic Knights with an outstanding second-place finish in the 110-pound weight class, earning 15 points for her team. Frezzo, after receiving two byes, dominated Western New England's Victoria Orender in the semifinals with a fall in just 49 seconds. However, she was narrowly defeated 5-3 by Abby Duke of Elmira College in the final. With her second-place finish she moves on to the national championship.

Frezzo's teammate, freshman Caelyn Petri (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) (2-5), also competed in the 110-pound bracket but finished 0-2.

In the 117-pound division, freshman Hailey Beck (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape Regional) (7-7) fought hard and secured fifth place, contributing 13 points to NJCU's overall score. Beck's journey was filled with adversity, as she dropped her quarterfinal matchup but fought back through the consolation bracket. She earned two key pins—first over Janieliz Cotto of Western New England in 1:43, followed by another over Annika Lopez of D'Youville in 3:00. After a loss in the consolation semifinals, Beck faced her own teammate, Nuria Kojic (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) (13-14), in the fifth-place matchup. Beck won the match with a six-minute fall, securing a 3-3 record on the day.

Kojic, also competing in the 117-pound class, finished in sixth place after a strong tournament run. She pinned Hailey Hankinson of Buffalo State in 1:47 to open her day but fell in the quarterfinals. In the consolation bracket, Kojic bounced back with a 5:02 pin over Yenyia Terry of Elmira College and then earned a 10-6 decision over Rebecca Ridling of D'Youville to advance to the consolation semifinals. However, she fell to her opponent in that match and later lost to Beck, finishing 3-3 for the day.

Freshman Katie Bello (Passaic, N.J./Passaic County Technical Institute) (4-3) represented NJCU in the 124-pound weight class, collecting 5.5 points and finishing with a 2-2 record. She started strong with a quick 56-second pin over Evelissa Zayas of Alfred State, but her momentum was interrupted in the quarterfinals. Bello rebounded in the consolation bracket with a 1:11 pin over Bethany Ives of Maine Maritime before her tournament run ended in the third round.

Junior Natalia Morales () (4-8), also competing in the 124-pound division, finished with a 2-2 record, earning 4.5 points. She opened with a technical fall over Ives but then lost in the quarterfinals. Morales bounced back with another technical fall over Zayas but was eliminated in the third round of the consolation bracket.

In the 131-pound weight class, senior Claire Daity (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) (2-12) earned 2.5 points for the team after a mixed performance. She lost her opening bout but bounced back with a quick 43-second pin over Anna Sheahan of Alfred State in the consolation bracket. Unfortunately, Daity lost her next match, finishing with a 1-2 record on the day.
Senior Bella Serrano (Belmar, N.J./Manasquan) (11-12), also in the 131-pound class, wrestled hard to finish 2-2, earning five points. After dropping her first-round match, Serrano defeated Brooke Walsh of Alfred State 6-0 and then secured a technical fall over Hailey Berry of Elmira College in 3:16. However, her run ended in the third round, leaving her with a solid 2-2 record.

Senior Kayla Zappetelli (15-11) secured fifth place in the 138-pound division, earning 12 points for NJCU. After receiving a bye in the first round, she pinned Valeria Iglesias of Felician in 1:20 to move to the semifinals. Zappetelli lost in the semifinals and then in the consolation semifinals, but she earned another pin in the fifth-place matchup, pinning Iglesias again, this time in just 40 seconds. Zappetelli finished 3-3 for the day.

In the 180-pound weight division, junior Fabiana Josa (Churchville, Pa./International Christian School) (15-10) also placed fifth, contributing 10.5 points to the team's total. After receiving a bye in the first round, Josa lost in the quarterfinals but then secured a technical fall over Abby Williams of Elmira College in 4:19. She dropped her semifinal but finished strong with a pin over Mikayla Maloy of Western New England in 1:28 in the fifth-place matchup. Josa's final record was 3-3.

Freshman Navaya Ramos (1-4), also in the 180-pound bracket, unfortunately did not win a match, finishing 0-2.

TEAM SCORES:

1. Elmira College – 154.0 points
2. Sacred Heart – 152.0 points
3. Western New England – 136.5 points
4. D'Youville – 93.0 points
5. New Jersey City University – 58.5 points
6. New England College – 40.5 points
7. Felician – 34.0 points
8. Alfred State – 28.0 points
9. Utica – 19.0 points
10. Buffalo State – 11.5 points
11. Maine Maritime – 11.0 points

UP NEXT:
Frezzo will represent the Gothic Knight at the NCWWC Championships on Friday, March 7, at the XTream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, set to begin at 10:00 a.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on New Jersey City University sports, visit njcugothicknights.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Gothic Knights news by following NJCU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.