NAIA College Preview Series: #6 Cumberlands

Photo courtesy of University of the Cumberlands Athletics.

by Jeremy Eusterwiemann
Twitter: @wiems19

University of the Cumberlands check in at #6 according to the NAIA Coaches Poll. For the Patriots there were some great things that happened throughout last year's season. That is not to say that there wasn’t some disappointment along the way. The Patriots had their eyes set on a top 5 finish at the National Tournament, but they finished the year sixth. The finish is not something to hang your head about, but without a couple of injuries and untimely sickness, you can't help but wonder what could have been. Heading into this season, the Patriots lost a few key seniors, but these women are poised to step in and tackle whatever comes their way. A healthy squad, a very solid transfer, and freshmen that are ready to make an impact have these coaches excited. The race to the top 5 in the country is going to be a real battle, one that will make this winter one to remember.

Here is an interview with Patriot Assistant Coach Sarah Allen.

1. What are your reflections on last season?
Coach Donnie and I believe last season went well despite having to deal with Covid-19 and dealing with our athletes being in quarantine for parts of the season. We were able to still compete at all of the tournaments we had scheduled and a lot of our athletes were able to get in over 20 matches. We placed 6th at Nationals and we were wanting to place in the top 5, so we were a little disappointed in that. We, however, had five girls place at Nationals with one of them, Bridgette Duty, being a national champ at 130 pounds. We also won the NWCA NAIA Academic Award which we are very proud of because we stress academics to the team. We also won a Champions of Character award from our athletic department and are very proud of that because we strive for our athletes to be servant leaders and to give back to the community.

2. Talk about your returning class. Who are some of the women you have high expectations for this year?
We lost two of our seniors that placed at Nationals last year—Ashley Ikner and national champ Bridgette Duty. We are returning most of our team from last season. We have Jesse Kirby at 191 who placed at WCWA Nationals and NAIA Nationals back in 2019. 2020 Nationals were canceled so she didn't get to wrestle, and last year she was out due to injury, so we're excited to have her back on the mat and competing.

We have Angie Castanada at 101 pounds that was out the majority of the last season year due to injury and her only tournament to wrestle at was Nationals and she placed 8th. We're looking forward to seeing how she does this season.

We also have Elizabeth Dosado that wrestled very well last season at 101 pounds and won the Mid-South Conference tournament. Her nerves just got the best of her at Nationals. We have high hopes that she will continue to have a great season this year.

We have Jaine Stephens at 109 that had a decent season last year, but towards the end, she dealt with being sick and an injury and was one match away from placing at Nationals. I think this season she will have a great shot at placing there.

We have Alexis Medina that was injured her freshman and sophomore year, but will be on the mat wrestling 116/123 pounds. She works hard and we know that she will have a great season.

We brought in transfer Aliyah Yates at 136 pounds. She is a WCWA runner-up and won the Community College National Championships. When you lose a national champion in your line-up you have to find somebody to replace them and Aliyah Yates is that person. We have high hopes that she can be on the hunt for a national title this season. We also have Cindy Pelayo that has been out the last two seasons from injuries, but we think she could do very well at 143 pounds.

We have Chamira Cooper returning National Placer at 170 pounds. She's coming off a fantastic season and we have high hopes that she can be in the finals when it comes time to go to Nationals.

We have Ariana Pereria as well at 170 pounds that we have high expectations for.

At 191 pounds we also have returning National placer MaQuoia Bernabe that we believe will do very well this season. She and Jesse Kirby push each other in the wrestling room to get better every day.

3. Talk about your incoming freshman class. Who do you expect an immediate contribution from?
We brought in a Kentucky native Courtney Pittman that we have worked with since she was in middle school and is a 2x state champion that we think could really help us at duals at 123/130 pounds and can have a great season.

Another Kentucky native that we brought in that could do very well is Ashley Courtney. We've worked with her since she was in middle school and we think she will have a great season this year.

4. How do you feel about your preseason?
Preseason we have been taking it slow with our athletes as we do not want to overwork them. We have a great group of girls that are a family and push each other to get better every day. It's pretty exciting when you have two national placers Jesse Kirby (191 pounds) and Chamira Cooper (170 pounds) start off a practice team dual and have over 10 points each on the scoreboard before the match is over.

5. Talk about some of your team's goals this season. Are there any specific events you're excited about?
Some team goals for this season are to place top 4 at National Duals; top 4 at Nationals; have at least seven of our athletes place at Nationals; and win the NWCA NAIA Academic Award again this season.

6. What are some things you've built into your program that you credit for the success you've had so far?
One thing that we have built into our program that I think has helped our team be successful is we give our girls a recovery day on most Wednesdays. Our athletes can go for a run, do yoga, get in their own type of workout, or just focus on rest and school work. We have found giving them the day off from practice has been beneficial. We also run a study hall two days a week where all of our freshmen and any returner with a 3.0 GPA or below have to attend. This study hall gives the girls a quiet study place to work on homework.

Lastly, I think our one big family culture helps our team out tremendously. We have athletes from all over the country and some are far away from home so it helps that we have created a family atmosphere on our team. Our girls are very supportive of one another and are always cheering each other on.

7. Who are some of the personalities in the room that are providing leadership and shaping your culture?
We have Jaine Stephens as one of our team captains and she is like a momma duck to the team. She always makes sure that everyone is doing okay mentally and physically. She also isn't afraid to speak up to the team when something needs to be said.

We also have Jesse Kirby as a team captain and she leads by example. She works hard in the classroom, on the mat, is very involved in community service projects, and is willing to help the team and coaches with anything that is needed.

We also have “success squad leaders”—Kaelynn Dougherty, Jaky Esquivel, Elizabeth Dosado, and MaQuoia Bernabe—who [each] lead groups of 5-6 girls on the team. They make sure that the girls are getting their school work done, and check on their groups to make sure they're doing mentally okay. We try to ensure leadership skills in all of our athletes so that they can be leaders in their careers, go back home and coach, and or become college coaches someday.

8. Anything else you’d like to mention?
We are very excited for this season and can't wait for our athletes to be on the mat competing.

Cumberlands began their season at the Falcon Invite last weekend in Wichita, Kansas, and had five finish in the top three, including Chamira Cooper, who won the title at 170.