Third-seeded Kaelani Shufeldt of North Central College faced Chloe Dearwester of Presbyterian on Friday. Shufeldt led the match 2-0 in the first period when suddenly, her opponent yelled out in pain and grabbed her arm.
The referee immediately stopped the match for an injury timeout. Upon examining Dearwester, he noticed bite marks on her arm and disqualified Shufeldt for “brutality.”
North Central Carolina Men’s Wrestling’s X account shared a clip that appears to show Dearwester putting her left arm up to her own mouth moments before the referee examined the injury.
“We were disqualified for biting her….clear evidence that she bit herself. @NCAA do the right thing,” the account posted.
Former two-time national champion Julia Salata condemned the incident, emphasizing how damaging it is to the sport’s historic moment.
“This call was disgraceful & embarrassing. First ever women’s NCAA championship, an opportunity to showcase the sport on the biggest stage to date, & officials are calling ‘brutality’.”
The controversy has cast a shadow over what should have been a celebration of women’s wrestling reaching a new milestone. Fans and observers are now waiting for the NCAA to review the evidence.
A wrestler may have bitten her own arm, blamed her opponent, and gotten away with it at least temporarily. The video evidence seems clear, but whether the NCAA will overturn the disqualification remains to be seen.
For a sport trying to establish itself on the national stage, this is the last kind of attention anyone wanted.