KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Providence women's wrestling team is ranked #14 in the preseason NAIA National Poll that was released on Thursday.

On top of the team rankings, six individuals were ranked in their respective weight classes. Ivy Navarro is the headliner, coming in ranked in the top spot in the 101 weight class, while her sister Ira Navarro is right behind her at fourth. Newcomer Ashley Gooman is ranked 5^th in the 116 lb. weight class, while Sabrina Perez is ranked 7^th at 170 lbs. Paige Respicio is ranked 9^th in the 136 lb. weight class and Lana Hunt is ranked 12^th at 109 lbs.

"I honestly don't put too much emphasis on the team rankings," head coach Matt Atwood said. "We have a handful of girls that aren't ranked that haven't had the opportunity to get ranked. Until we get through the Missouri Valley Invite, these rankings don't mean too much to us. Individually, I think all of our girls are pretty close to where they should be. As the season goes, I think they'll have the ability to move up some and I think we'll get a couple more in the rankings as well."

 The coaching staff has already met with each individual wrestler about their goals for the upcoming season. Based upon those goals, the coaching staff has high expectations for the team this season.

"Everybody is highly-motivated this year," Atwood said. "We're going for it this year as a team. They've really stepped it up here as of late. Drilling has been super high-paced. They've had the right mindset when they step into practice. I'm excited for this team. I think we have a few more girls that I think will be ranked pretty high they just haven't had the opportunity to get on the mat. Once we get a few tournaments here I expect us to climb in the rankings pretty quickly."

Ivy Navarro (101 lbs.) Ranked: 1^st
Navarro is coming off a dominant performance at the NAIA National Invite last season, where she finished as the National Runner-Up.

"I expect the same out of Ivy this season," Atwood said. "She was a National Finalist last year. She had more matches at the National Tournament than she had during the season last year due to COVID. If we can get 20+ matches out of her and get that confidence, there's no reason that she shouldn't be a National Champion this year."

Ira Navarro (101 lbs.) Ranked: 4^th
Ivy's sister Ira is also coming off a successful run at the NAIA National Invite last season. Losing her first match to eventual National Champion Nina Phim, Navarro ran through the blood rounds to eventually secure a 5^th place finish, earning a spot as an All-American.

"There's no reason that Ira couldn't be a finalist as well," Atwood said. "Her and her sister battle super hard in practice every day. On any given day, it can be either of them that make a run in the tournament."

Ashley Gooman (116 lbs.) Ranked 5^th
A transfer from Midland, Gooman had to sit out last season due to transfer rules. At Midland, she was a Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association All-American and has been showcasing more of the same in the practice room as an Argo.

"I truly believe Ashley can be a National Finalist," Atwood said. "She's one of the best wrestlers in the country for sure. Once we get through the season and get some more matches under her, I can see herself having the opportunity to be a National Champ. Ashley is one of those girls that does the right thing. She works hard, she's a 4.0 pre-med student, she's doing all the right things."

Sabrina Perez (170 lbs.) Ranked: 7^th
Perez is a returning National Qualifier for the Argos. She faced a tough draw, taking on #2 Jordan Nelson in the first round, and looks to build off that experience this season.

"I don't think Sabrina put her best foot forward at the National Tournament last year," Atwood said. "I think she's much, much better than what we saw. I'm really excited to see what we'll get out of her this year with some matches. Once we get some confidence in her, she's another one that could be highly-ranked."

Paige Respicio (136 lbs.) Ranked: 9^th
Respicio also joins the Argos from Midland and had to sit out last year due to transfer rules. She was a three-time Hawaiian State Champion, and looks to make a big impact for the team this season.

"Paige didn't get to compete last year but before she came here she went to Junior Nationals and U23s and she had a tremendous performance just on a couple weeks of practice," Atwood said. "She beat some high-end girls. If we get a dedicated, hard-working Paige, she could win the National Tournament."

Lana Hunt (170 lbs.) Ranked: 12^th
Hunt is also a returning National Qualifier for the Argos and has spent all summer working hard to make a deeper run in the tournament this year.

"Once we get more matches under Lana's belt, she can take off," Atwood said. "She brings it every day. She was here all summer. She's super hard-working and made some tremendous strides. Once we get a couple of tournaments under her belt so we can review some stuff and get some stuff fixed, there's no reason she can't compete with the best of them."

The team will kick off their season Nov. 13 in Grand Junction, Colo. in a tournament hosted by Colorado Mesa.