CHADRON, Neb. – Three Chadron State women's wrestlers have earned spots in the preseason national rankings, released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), while the Eagles have cracked the top 10 of the preseason national team rankings for the first time.
Rylee Balcazar (ranked No. 9 at 110 pounds),
Piper Cadden (No. 6 at 131 pounds) and returning All-American
Esther Peters (No. 5 at 207 pounds) were all mentioned in the preseason rankings, which list the top 10 athletes nationally at each of the sport's 10 weight classes.
Based on their rankings, Balcazar, Cadden and Peters earn two, six and seven points respectively towards CSC's team total, which determines the team rankings order. With 15 points, the Eagles are in a four-way tie for the No. 10 spot.
The rankings come at a historic moment for women's wrestling, which officially became the NCAA's 91
stchampionship sport last winter. The inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships are set to take place March 6–7 in Coralville, Iowa, at Xtream Arena.
The poll is a Tournament Power Index (TPI) ranking and not based on a team's dual-meet strength. TPI point totals are determined by individual rankings directly correlated to placement points. The poll does not include bonus or advancement points. [1st = 16, 2nd = 12, 3rd = 10, 4th = 9, 5th = 7, 6th = 6, 7th = 4, 8th = 3, 9th = 2, 10th = 1]
Rylee Balcazar enters her sophomore season as a nationally ranked wrestler after an impressive freshman season that saw her raise her competition level according to the stakes. The Fort Lupton, Colorado native was a tournament winner at the Midland Warrior Open and came second in the Bob Smith Open last season. Balcazar placed only fifth at the RMAC Championships but improved to third place at the regional tournament to qualify for nationals, where she placed in the top 12 and went 3-2 overall.
Piper Cadden is new to Chadron State, but not to the NWCA rankings. The Gilbert, Arizona native spent two seasons with the Fort Hays State program, where she won an NCWWC regional championship and went 2-2 at nationals in the 131-pound bracket before transferring to Chadron State this fall. Cadden accumulated a 36-12 overall record during her time at FHSU.
Esther Peters made program history last spring as Chadron State women's wrestling's first ever All-American by finishing in seventh place at nationals as a true freshman in 2024-25, and is rewarded with a top five ranking at 207 pounds entering her sophomore season. Peters, one of only two returning 2024-25 All-Americans across all weights in the RMAC this year, went 4-2 at the national tournament and took down tournament wins at the home Chadron State Open as well as the York Open.
In addition to the national top 10 rankings, the NWCA released regional rankings, comprised of the top five wrestlers at each weight class from each of the country's six regions.
Chadron State has six wrestlers who appear in the NWCA Region 6 rankings – senior
Brianna Vollendroff (No. 3 at 103 pounds), Balcazar (No. 3 at 110), redshirt junior
Ana Rojas-Zamora (No. 4 at 124), Cadden (No. 2 at 131),
Ella May Shevlin (No. 4 at 180) and Peters (No. 3 at 207).
Vollendroff and Shevlin were each national tournament qualifiers for the Eagles last year (with Vollendroff going 1-2 in the national tournament and Shevlin 0-2). Rojas-Zamora finished second in the RMAC Championships and competed at nationals during the 2023-24 season, but redshirted in 2024-25.
The Eagles will take to the mats for the first time this Friday, in an open to the public intrasquad dual at the Chicoine Center this Friday night at 7 p.m. CSC's first regular season competition will be the Battle of the Rockies Open at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana on November 8.
NWCA Preseason Team Rankings
| Rank |
Team |
Total Pts. |
Regionally-Ranked
Wrestlers |
| 1 |
Iowa |
109 |
5 |
| 2 |
McKendree |
88 |
6 |
| 3 |
North Central |
84 |
4 |
| 4 |
Grand Valley State |
77 |
4 |
| 5 |
Presbyterian |
57 |
3 |
| 6 |
Colorado Mesa |
42 |
6 |
| 7 |
Aurora |
22 |
4 |
| 8 |
Fort Hays State |
19 |
6 |
| 9 |
Otterbein |
16 |
4 |
| T-10 |
East Stroudsburg |
15 |
2 |
| T-10 |
Emmanuel (GA) |
15 |
3 |
| T-10 |
Wartburg |
15 |
5 |
| T-10 |
Chadron State |
15 |
6 |
| 14 |
West Liberty |
13 |
2 |
| 15 |
William Jewell |
12 |
6 |
| T-16 |
Elmira |
11 |
1 |
| T-16 |
Quincy |
11 |
5 |
| T-18 |
Adrian |
9 |
4 |
| T-18 |
Simpson (IA) |
9 |
5 |
| T-18 |
Tiffin |
9 |
4 |
| 21 |
Gannon |
8 |
2 |
| T-22 |
Dubuque |
7 |
5 |
| T-22 |
Northern Michigan |
7 |
4 |
| 24 |
Augustana (IL) |
6 |
5 |
| 25 |
Lindenwood |
5 |
6 |
