The University's women's wrestling team is going into the season with high hopes after their historic last season of wrestling. Last year marked the first year for women’s wrestling to be included in the Olympics. Cumberlands was represented well by placing two in the finals of Olympic trials, junior Alaina Berube (Escanba, MI) and senior Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, OH). Toccara went on the represent the USA in the Olympics held in Athens, Greece and finished seventh in her weight class.

In addition, Cumberlands junior Alaina Berube was also a Pan American gold medallist, winning the Pan Am tournament held in Guatemala. With both Berube and Montgomery returning to an already strong line up and with the addition of an extremely talented group of freshmen, Cumberlands should continue to do well.

Returning starters Shelly Ruberg (Harrison, OH), Othella Lucas (San Diego, CA), Suekoilya Shelly (Bedford, TX) and Aquilla Hills (Philadelphia, PA) should continue to push the team to the top of the rankings. Freshman Heather Martin (Wellington, OH), Jessica Medina (Pomona, CA), Deseree Cazares (South Grand Prairie, TX), Tabitha Golt (Chesapeake, VA), Chelsea Rountree (Crestwood, KY) and Melissa Girard (Norway, MI) should all be fighting for a starting position.

The team will compete in a very grueling international schedule featuring tournaments both in the USA and in Canada. This includes three big international tournaments in the United States in the Sunkist, NYAC, and the Dave Schultz Tournament.

Coach Flanik said, "Our teams success is not a surprise to me, it's what I expect! We work hard and compete in more tournaments than any other college program with my starters getting 50-60 matches during our season. The key to our success is our team’s retention rate. The majority of wrestlers that start school here will finish school here, which gives us the ability to build a program that just gets stronger and stronger. I expect a lot from this team, and they expect a lot from me!"

Look for the Patriot ladies to continue to make national headlines as they work their way up the ladder to the top.