ALFRED, NY – Utica University's women's wrestling team returned to action Sunday, competing at the Alfred State Pioneer Invite in its first event of the new year. The Pioneers saw five wrestlers in action, achieving a sole win on the day. Utica now eyes a series of meets beginning next weekend.

Utica's top finish of the event came at 145 pounds, where Hannah Kusmierczak (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) earned the team's lone victory of the day. Kusmierczak recorded a hard-fought 12-5 fall victory over Emily Brown of Alfred State, securing the win 5:24 into her second bout of the day. She also faced opponents from Bridgeport, Lackawanna, and Ithaca as she worked through one of the tournament's deeper brackets.

Across the rest of the lineup, the Pioneers battled a challenging mix of opponents from programs including Lackawanna, Bridgeport, Heidelberg, Ithaca, and Maine Maritime. Paityn Billard (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) competed through four bouts at 180 pounds, while Octavia Dragotta (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) and Dakoda House (Oneonta, NY/Cherry Valley Springfield) each saw mat time within the 124-pound bracket. Jackie Mace (Montour Falls, NY/Odessa-Montour) was the final active Pioneer of the day, competing in the 131-pound class.

The Pioneer Invite marked Utica's final regular-season tournament of the year, as the team now shifts its focus to a stretch of tri- and quad-meet competitions beginning next weekend. On Sunday, January 18th, the squad will travel to Ithaca College to face both the host school, and Onondaga Community College. Action is set to begin at 12:00 pm in Ithaca's Ben Light Gymnasium.