GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Nine wrestlers from the University of Providence women's wrestling team have qualified for the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Invitational in Jamestown, North Dakota this weekend.

Ira Navarro (101 lbs.), Ivy Navarro (101 lbs.), Lana Hunt-Waddoups (109 lbs.), Kaelyn Siason (123 lbs.), Brooke Cicierski (130 lbs.), Jenna Awana (143 lbs.), Emily Lorring (143 lbs.), Stasia Hardin (155 lbs.) and Sabrina Perez (170 lbs.) all qualified for the Invitational. The event will kick off on Friday, March 12 and conclude on Saturday.

"I'm excited we get to go," head coach Matt Atwood said. "There's always been some questions on if the National Tournament was going to happen and whether or not we would be able to go. I'm excited they get the opportunity."

This season has been difficult for the Argos, who have only competed in one competition this season – the team participated in the Nampa Collegiate Invite on Feb. 6.

"It's been difficult that we haven't had a lot of matches in this year when some of the other teams have," Atwood said. "We've had eight weeks of practice though, they're prepared. They've been working hard and working out. Right now we're tapering off and keeping everybody healthy and keeping everybody moving correctly."

Atwood said he and assistant coach Yurie Yoneoka, who competed for the team last season, have been preparing the team to embrace the mentality needed to make a deep run in the tournament.

"We've been working a lot on their mentality, their positioning and other stuff," Atwood said. "We know the girls they need to beat and I think we're prepared for those girls."

The tournament will begin Friday at 9 a.m.