BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— The Montreat women's wrestling team entered the postseason portion of its 2023-24 schedule on Friday as the Cavaliers sent a pair of athletes to the Mid-South Conference (MSC) Women's Wrestling Championships in Bowling Green, Ky. Thanks to Trinity Howard's third-place performance that clinched her spot at the NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships, the Cavs tallied 13.0 points and finished tenth as a squad.
 
Howard started her tournament run at 123 with a bye straight into the quarterfinal round. There, the Queen Creek, Ariz. native registered a 12-8 decision victory that vaulted her into the semifinals.
 
While Howard dropped a 9-6 decision to the nation's fifth-ranked wrestler and eventual MSC champion, she rebounded with back-to-back triumphs. The sophomore first notched a tech fall against the No. 12-ranked competitor at 123 before seizing a 10-8 decision win in the third-place bout. With her top-3 finish, Howard clinched an automatic berth to the national tournament, earned Third Team All-Conference and scored all 13.0 points for the Cavaliers.
 
"Trinity wrestled great today," said Montreat wrestling coach Jim Connaghan. "She has been putting in a lot of work, and it's showing. I'm excited to see what happens at nationals."
 
Charlotte Wheeler also competed at the MSC Championships, wrestling twice in the 130-lb weight class. A native of Gainesville, Ga., Wheeler suffered defeat via pin (1:23) in the championship bracket before receiving a bye and dropping a matchup via tech fall (11-1) in the consolation rounds.
 
For a complete look at the results from the MSC Women's Wrestling Championships, click here.
 
With an automatic qualifying berth in hand, Howard now shifts her focus to the second annual NAIA Women's Wrestling National Championships, which are slated for March 8-9 in Jamestown, N.D.