Moreno wins third national championship and has sights set on Olympic team
Somerton – A perfect season closed on Saturday for local athlete Carolina Moreno, as she won her third national championship in college wrestling and earned the right to compete in the trials for the national Olympic team.
It was last Saturday in North Dakota when Moreno once again climbed to the top of the podium representing Southern Oregon University (SOU), after finishing undefeated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship.
Moreno first won the title at 123 pounds in her first year at SOU in the 2021-2022 season and repeated that achievement in the 20222023 season.
For this season, she moved up to the 130-pound division to experiment with that weight, having her best campaign so far, ending undefeated in 28 fights and 5 in the championship on Friday and Saturday.
“I’m happy, but it was somewhat surreal, more than winning another national championship, my goal was to see how I would do in another higher weight division, with stronger fighters, and prepare for other tournaments. Now I know more of what I’m capable of and that gives me more confidence,” Moreno commented in a phone interview.
The former Kofa wrestler, a two-time Arizona champion, had to train with weights for the season that started in August and gain weight to fit into the new division, with the imminent challenge of facing opponents with more strength.
Seeing the results, everything indicates that the transition was more than successful, but also enjoyable for the local athlete.
“As I grow, I enjoy fighting more, I let things flow more, I feel less nervous because I know what I can do
guaranteed.
As news of the deal with Williams broke, the Cardinals also announced they were releasing veteran offensive lineman D.J. Humphries, who will likely miss at least part of next season with a torn ACL.
Humphries has been a mainstay for the Cardinals at left tackle since he was drafted in 2015 out of Florida, starting all 98 games he played. He was a four-time team captain and made the Pro Bowl in 2021.
The affable, 30-year-old Humphries was popular in the Cardinals’ clubhouse and the team’s longest-tenured player at nearly a decade.
“One of the realest, been a pleasure brother,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said on social media. “Hope all Cardinals fans appreciate @74_ hump!”
Williams missed his rookie season with the Bengals in 2019 because of a shoulder injury, but bounced back to start the next three seasons at left tackle. He moved over to right tackle during the most recent season, starting all 17 games.
The Cardinals drafted Paris Johnson Jr. with the sixth overall pick in last year’s draft and the rookie had a strong season, starting all 17 games at right tackle. Johnson could move to the left side after Humphries’ departure with Williams playing right tackle.