Bio

The 2001 women’s wrestling team put together the college’s most successful women’s season, and produced the best season in program history. In only the second year of competition for the program, Head Coach Kent Sherrow and Mike Machholz led that year’s team to a national championship. At the time, the women’s wrestling team produced the fourth team National championship in the athletic department’s history, and the first for a women’s team. The Vikings also went on to win the U.S. Senior Women’s National Championship, and started the tradition of hosting the Missouri Valley College Open, which has turned into the largest collegiate women’s wrestling tournament in the country.

In addition to the team’s success, seven members of the 2001 squad became All-Americans that season. Many of the student-athletes from that season achieved All-American status multiple times during their careers at Missouri Valley. Tina Arnds finished her career as a Viking as a five-time All-American, and Donell Bradley was a four-time All-American. Clarissa Chun earned All-American status three times at Missouri Valley, and went on to represent the United States of America at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, wrestling in the 48kg freestyle competition. Leigh Jaynes finished as a two-time All-American as a Viking, and later earned a bronze medal in the 60 kg freestyle competition at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships.

Many other members of the 2001 women’s wrestling team were two-time All-Americans, including Carrie Birge, Melanie Macari, Satrina Vernon, Tori Adams, Kiersten Hyatt and Mollie Keith.