CLINTON, SC - The Newberry College women's wrestling team took on one of the deepest early-season fields at the Blue Hose Challenge on Sunday, earning several opening-round victories and showcasing resilience across a lineup that faced multiple nationally ranked opponents.

Newberry's strongest starts came from Celeste Welch (117) and Lainey Hooper (117), who both opened their tournaments with dominant wins. Welch kicked off her day with a fall in just 54 seconds against Lincoln Memorial, while Hooper advanced with a bye and followed it with a 10-0 tech fall over Mount Olive in the second round.

Both wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals in a loaded 117-pound bracket before being knocked into the consolation rounds, finishing with 3.0 and 3.5 team points respectively.

At 131, Brittany Gordon provided another highlight for the Wolves, bouncing back after her first match to secure a 10-0 tech fall over Lincoln Memorial's Calista Gibson in the consolation rounds. Gordon finished the event with 2.0 team points, giving Newberry its third bonus-point win of the tournament.

In the 124 bracket, Grace Williams advanced twice via byes before exiting due to an injury default.
At 131, Trinity Halls battled through two rounds but fell to nationally competitive opponents from Life University and Campbellsville.
In the middle weights, Summer McKeen (138) and Mia Proctor (138) each faced top-tier opening-round opponents, while Ava Hicks (145) earned a bye in consolation action before bowing out in Round 2.

In the upper weights, Irie Edwards (180) opened her tournament with strong effort but ultimately fell in both matches against Emory & Henry and Presbyterian competitors.