Submitted by The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College women’s wrestling team has been led by a trio of competitors during the first three tournaments on the 2024-25 schedule. Team leaders have been Flor Parker Borrero (Jr.), Nizhoni Tallman (Sr.), and Viktoriya Dovhoruka (So.). In addition, Erica Grant (So.) is ranked nationally.
Parker Borrero is currently ranked #3 in the NAIA at 160 pounds after earning All-America honors at the 2024 NAIA Championships. She opened the season by winning the 72-kilogram weight class at the Simon Fraser University Open on Nov. 2 in Burnaby, British Columbia. During the meet, Parker Borrero won by a pin in 16 seconds in the semifinals and took the championship match over Lene McCrackin of SFU with a pin in 40 seconds.
In the Battle of the Rockies tournament, Parker Borrero won the 160-pound weight class. She earned all four wins by pinning her opponents at 0:35, 0:37, 1:01, and 2:47. Her first two wins were against Cascade Collegiate Conference opponents, as she downed Jocelyn Velasco of Eastern Oregon University and Hailey Sutton from the University of Providence. She then defeated two wrestlers from the Dino Wrestling club team in the semifinals and the championship match. Parker Borrero did not compete at the Spokane Open.
Tallman is listed at #15 in the NAIA rankings for the 110-pound weight class this season. She competed at the NAIA Championships last season and was an All-America selection with the U.S. Under-23 national team. She recently was honored as the Women’s Collegiate Sports Star of the Year for 2023-24 at the Olympia & Beyond Sports Awards. This season, she was second at the Simon Fraser Open in the 50-kilogram weight class and took second place at the Spokane Open in the 110-pound weight class.
At Simon Fraser, Tallman received a bye before downing her first opponent, Victoria Stefanov of the Edmonton Wrestling Club, with a pin at 4:52. Tallman defeated Kelsey Louen of Simon Fraser 5-4 in her next match before losing to Madison Parks of London-Western 11-0 in the championship match.
During the Spokane Open at The Podium in Spokane, Washington, Tallman registered a 10-0 technical fall in her opening match with Yadira Covarrubias of Washington State University. Tallman won by technical fall 17-6 in the quarterfinals and pinned Kayla Shota from the University of Providence in the semifinals. Tallman lost to Paige Morales from Providence 10-0 in the final.
Dovhoruka recently moved into the NAIA national rankings at #20 in the 180-pound weight class. Dovhoruka placed third at the Battle of the Rockies on Nov. 9 in Great Falls, Montana. She lost her first match and received a bye in the next round. She registered a pin at 4:34 in her third match and ended the meet with a 10-3 victory over Cassidy Owen of Providence in the third place match.
In Spokane, Dovhoruka earned fifth place. She began the tournament with a loss and a bye but defeated Desarae Matheny of Southern Oregon University 5-0 in her third match. Dovhoruka pinned unattached wrestler Selena Mare-Castro at 3:25 before falling to Ihanna Perez of Big Bend Community College 5-2 in the consolation semifinals. In the fifth place match, Dovhoruka downed Elia Velazquez from Big Bend 9-5.
Grant is ranked #17 for the Geoducks in the NAIA national rankings for the 124-pound weight class. Grant competed at the NAIA Championships this past spring.
Up next for Evergreen is the Mountaineer Open at Eastern Oregon University on Sunday, Dec. 8. The tournament is set to begin at 9 a.m. PST.