Council Bluffs, IA — Nassau Community College was represented by multiple wrestlers at the 2026 NJCAA National Championships, highlighted by a strong All-American performance from Mora Peterson at 117 pounds, along with hard-fought efforts from Faith Juwana at 103 and Karen Ramirez at 145 in extremely competitive brackets.
Peterson places 6th at 117 pounds
Mora Peterson put together the top finish for Nassau, earning 6th place after a long run through the championship bracket.
Peterson opened with an 11-1 technical fall over Aris Fry of Big Bend in the Round of 32, then edged Abigail Verdejo Rivero of Indian Hills 5-4 in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Peterson won on criteria in a 6-6 match against Libby Norton of Indian Hills to advance to the semifinals and secure All-American contention.
She fell in the semifinals to eventual finalist Laila Mirza of Carl Albert State, then dropped a 6-1 decision to Kaylee Young of Snow in the consolation semifinals. Peterson closed her tournament in the 5th-place match, falling 7-2 to Hailey Medina of Iowa Western to finish 6th nationally.
Peterson went 3-3 on the day in one of the toughest weights in the tournament.
Juwana earns win at 103 pounds
At 103 pounds, Faith Juwana battled through a large bracket and picked up a strong consolation win.
After receiving a first-round bye, Juwana scored a 13-2 technical fall over Azariah Martin of Andrew in the consolation round to stay alive in the tournament. She later fell to Chasey Karabell of Indian Hills in the next round, ending her run short of placement.
Despite the early exit, Juwana showed offensive ability and toughness, earning bonus points in her victory and competing well against a deep national field.
Ramirez competes at 145 pounds
Karen Ramirez represented Nassau at 145 pounds and faced a difficult draw in a loaded bracket.
Ramirez dropped her opening match to Hadassah Lopez of Andrew, then fell to Rilee Phillips of Carl Albert State in the consolation round, ending her tournament early. The 145-pound weight class featured multiple returning All-Americans and proved to be one of the deepest divisions at the championships.
Strong showing for Nassau
With Peterson earning a 6th-place finish and Juwana and Ramirez gaining national tournament experience, Nassau continued to show progress on the national stage. Competing at the NJCAA Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the trio faced some of the best junior college wrestlers in the country and represented the program with toughness throughout the event.
Nassau Results
Finishes 20th in the country
