Women's Wrestling | 11/1/2026 8:00:00 PM

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Gannon women's wrestling team opened its 2026–27 campaign with a sixth-place finish at the ESU Open on Sunday at East Stroudsburg University. The Golden Knights totaled 11 points, with 10 wrestlers competing across seven weight classes.

Leading the way was No. 4 Bella Phillips (Bellingham, Wash./Squalicum High School), who captured her second consecutive ESU Open championship at 180 pounds after posting a perfect 4-0 record. Phillips, who also won the 180-pound title at last year's event, outscored her four opponents by a combined 34-2, including a 7-2 decision over Lehigh's Teagan McGuinness in the championship match.

Caroline Biegel (Ringwood, N.J./DePaul Catholic) also turned in a strong performance at 207 pounds, earning a fourth-place finish, while freshman Sara Rantonen (Jyväskylä, Finland/Schildt Upper Secondary School) placed fifth at 131 pounds with a 5-1 record. Fellow freshman Anshul Kumar (Sonipat, India / Somerville, N.J./Somerville) added three victories at 145 pounds in her collegiate debut.

THE EVENT FACTS
Team Finish: 6th of 27 – 11 Points
Event: ESU Open
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026
Location: East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Gannon Competitors: 10 wrestlers across seven weight classes

THE KNIGHT CAP

• Back-to-Back Champion: No. 4 Bella Phillips (Bellingham, Wash./Squalicum High School) captured her second consecutive ESU Open title at 180 pounds, finishing 4-0. Phillips outscored her four opponents by a combined 34-2, opening with back-to-back technical falls before earning decisions over Lehigh's Sarah Henckel (4-0) and Teagan McGuinness (7-2) in the semifinals and championship match, respectively.
• Biegel Places Fourth: Caroline Biegel (Ringwood, N.J./DePaul Catholic) finished fourth at 207 pounds with a 1-2 record. She opened with a fall over Kean's Solaris Paul in 1:49 to advance to the semifinals before concluding the tournament in the third-place match.
• Strong Showing for Kumar: Freshman Anshul Kumar (Sonipat, India / Somerville, N.J./Somerville) posted a 3-2 record at 145 pounds in her collegiate debut, recording two falls and a victory by injury. Kumar opened with consecutive wins before adding a consolation victory over Western New England's Rebecca Kilday.
• Rantonen Places Fifth: Freshman Sara Rantonen (Jyväskylä, Finland/Schildt Upper Secondary School) finished fifth at 131 pounds with a 5-1 record in her collegiate debut. She recorded two falls and three decisions, including a fall over Western New England's Tanya Teneva in 2:26 before closing the tournament with an 8-0 victory over Gail Sullivan of New York Military Academy Girls.
• Collegiate Debuts: Five Gannon freshmen made their collegiate debuts at the ESU Open, including Sky Williams (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd), Alora Strauser (Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Alter), Sara Rantonen (Jyväskylä, Finland/Schildt Upper Secondary School), Maddison Lipchik and Anshul Kumar (Sonipat, India / Somerville, N.J./Somerville).
• Team Finish: Gannon finished sixth among 27 teams and clubs at the ESU Open with 11 points. The Golden Knights recorded three individual podium finishes, led by Phillips' championship, Biegel's fourth-place finish and Rantonen's fifth-place showing.

GANNON INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

117 Pounds – Isabella McNutt (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton Township) (0-2)

Champ. Round of 16 - Kylie Gudewitz (East Stroudsburg) def. McNutt (Gannon), TF 10-0 (2:23)

Cons. of 16 #2 - Olivia Adams (Lehigh) def. McNutt (Gannon), TF 10-0 (2:28)

124 Pounds – Maddi Lipchik (Riverview, Mich./Riverview Community) (0-2)

Champ. Round of 32 - Jada Agurs (Sacred Heart) def. Lipchik (Gannon), Fall (1:02)

Cons. of 16 #1 - Kailani Griffith (Delaware State) def. Lipchik (Gannon), Fall (4:23)

131 Pounds – Kate Wood (Carlsbad, Calif./San Marcos High School) (0-2)

Champ. Round of 32 - Delaney Nichols (Lincoln Memorial) def. Wood (Gannon), Dec. 9-2

Cons. of 16 #2 - Gail Sullivan (New York Military Academy Girls) def. Wood (Gannon), TF 10-0 (0:44)

131 Pounds – Sara Rantonen (Jyväskylä, Finland/Schildt Upper Secondary School) (5-1), 5th Place

Champ. Round of 32 - Rantonen (Gannon) def. Madison Black (Sacred Heart), Fall (4:38)

Champ. Round of 16 - Rantonen (Gannon) def. Ruth Ansah (East Stroudsburg), Dec. 10-4

Quarterfinal - Neve O'Byrne (Black Sheep Wrestling Club) def. Rantonen (Gannon), TF 17-6 (4:04)

Cons. of 8 #2 - Rantonen (Gannon) def. Naima Rodriguez (Delaware State), Dec. 9-2

Cons. of 4 - Rantonen (Gannon) def. Tanya Teneva (Western New England), Fall (2:26)

5th Place Match - Rantonen (Gannon) def. Gail Sullivan (New York Military Academy Girls), Dec. 8-0

138 Pounds – Alora Strauser (Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) (0-2)

Champ. Round of 16 - Ella Henckel (Team Tugman) def. Strauser (Gannon), Dec. 14-13

Cons. of 8 #1 - Sabrina Sedor (Western New England) def. Strauser (Gannon), Fall (4:00)

145 Pounds – Anshul Kumar (Sonipat, India / Somerville, N.J./Somerville) (3-2)

Champ. Round of 32 - Kumar (Gannon) def. Iyana Graves (Wilkes), Fall (0:48)

Champ. Round of 16 - Kumar (Gannon) def. Samantha Goworek (Centenary), Inj. (0:49)

Quarterfinal - Ana Carolina Mindlin Lockard (Lehigh) def. Kumar (Gannon), Fall (1:14)

Cons. of 8 #2 - Kumar (Gannon) def. Rebecca Kilday (Western New England), Fall (1:27)

Cons. of 4 - Elena Carter (Delaware State) def. Kumar (Gannon), Fall (1:13)

145 Pounds – Sky Williams (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) (0-2)

Champ. Round of 32 - Jade Huerta (East Stroudsburg) def. Williams (Gannon), Fall (2:33)

Cons. of 16 #1 - Elaina Hernandez (Navy Women's Wrestling) def. Williams (Gannon), Fall (2:10)

180 Pounds – Bella Phillips (Bellingham, Wash./Squalicum High School) (4-0), 1st Place

Champ. Round of 16 - Phillips (Gannon) def. Zamaria Hemingway (Delaware State), TF 12-0 (2:10)

Quarterfinal - Phillips (Gannon) def. Brynn Shepardson (Lehigh), TF 11-0 (2:12)

Semifinal - Phillips (Gannon) def. Sarah Henckel (Lehigh), Dec. 4-0

Championship Match - Phillips (Gannon) def. Teagan McGuinness (Lehigh), Dec. 7-2

180 Pounds – Kamila Castro (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridhewood) (0-2)

Champ. Round of 16 - Alyssa Guzman (Western New England) def. Castro (Gannon), Dec. 8-2

Cons. of 8 #1 - Madeline Hodges (Sacred Heart) def. Castro (Gannon), TF 10-0 (1:31)

207 Pounds – Caroline Biegel (Ringwood, N.J./DePaul Catholic) (1-2), 4th Place

Quarterfinal - Biegel (Gannon) def. Solaris Paul (Kean), Fall (1:49)

Semifinal - Samantha Rabkin (Western New England) def. Biegel (Gannon), Fall (2:17)

3rd Place Match - Caroline Hattala (Lehigh) def. Biegel (Gannon), Fall (1:48)

Up Next
Gannon returns to action on Friday, November 6, when the Golden Knights travel to Buffalo, N.Y., for their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup against D'Youville. The dual meet is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

This story was written using the support of AI.