Northern Michigan University’s Alissa Caltagirone competes in a women’s wrestling meet held in Marquette. (Photo courtesy of NMU)

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Three members of the women’s wrestling team at Northern Michigan University picked up third-place finishes at the North Central College Invitational held Sunday.

The Wildcats were warming up for their lone home meet of the season, the Northern Duals to be held starting at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Vandament Arena.

Schools NMU is expected to compete against are Alma, Tiffin, Siena Heights and Carthage.

After that, Northern has one more meet before the calendar turns to 2026, a Dec. 30 date at the Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

In another Chicago suburb on Sunday, Wildcats junior Alissa Caltagirone, sophomore Sophia Bassino and freshman Alyssa Keane were major point contributors after each finished third in their weight divisions.

Competing in a field of more than 30 schools, Northern finished seventh with 49.5 points.

Caltagirone, competing at 145 pounds, posted a 4-2 record by advancing in early rounds. She clinched third with a 10-2 decision in her final match.

Keane, wrestling in what was called the 138-B division, went 4-1, three of her wins coming by technical fall, including a dominant 10-0 victory in just 2:26 in the third-place match.

Bassino, a 160-pound competitor, was also 4-1, and prevailed in a tight third-place match that finished 11-11 before a tiebreaker was applied.

Other Wildcats also scored points for their team. Sophomore Abbie Miles at 180 won a pair of matches to finish sixth overall, junior Zhivanna Magdaleno also won twice at 117, while sophomore Clarissa Wangen picked up one victory at 180.

For the entire team, NMU wrestlers posted a 17-15 record.

Host North Central won the team title with 139 points, with Iowa and Providence tying for second with 76.5 points apiece.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.