Wrestlers · College
Sabrina Nauss
4x Michigan state champion and Brighton boys team captain; national runner-up at 180 pounds in 2025 and at 207 in 2026
Brighton, MI · Brighton HS · Grand Valley State University
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 10, 2026
Sabrina Nauss wrestled at Brighton High School in Michigan, where she captained the boys varsity team and managed the varsity football team. She won four Michigan High School Athletic Association state titles and went undefeated through four regional tournaments. She was Michigan's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winner in 2024, carried a 3.98 grade point average and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. She was ranked first in the country at 190 pounds and seventh pound for pound.
She won national titles at the Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, taking the 16U title at 180 pounds in 2021 and both the 16U and Junior titles in 2022. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame counts four Fargo national titles for her and Grand Valley State's roster counts five. She placed third at the 2021 World Team Trials and fourth in 2023.
She went to Grand Valley State in the program's first season and made the national final as a freshman. She won her regional 3-0, pinned Paige Maher of Simon Fraser in the quarterfinals and beat Shenita Lawson of North Central College 17-14 in the semifinals at the 2025 NCWWC. Kylie Welker of Iowa ended the 180-pound final in 58 seconds. She finished the season 26-3 with 15 falls, the quickest in 33 seconds.
As a sophomore she moved up to 207 pounds and won the NCAA regional at Tiffin, pinning Caroline Ward of North Central College in the final. At the first NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships in Coralville she pinned Zaria Robinson of Mount Olive, Josephine Larson of Sacred Heart and Ward again, each inside two minutes. Tristan Kelly of McKendree took the final 11-0. Grand Valley State finished fourth as a team in only its second season, and she went 23-5, running her college record to 49-8. She is a two-time All-American and is still a Laker at 207 pounds.
She wrestles at 207 pounds for Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan, where she has reached the national final in each of her first two seasons.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-24 | High school | MHSAA State Championships | 1st (four times) | Four-time MHSAA state champion for Brighton High School and an undefeated four-time MHSAA regional champion; she captained the boys varsity team and was a manager for the varsity football team | |
| 2021-24 | Age group | Junior and 16U Nationals, Fargo | 1st | In 2021 she won the 16U title at 180 pounds and took third at Junior. In 2022 she won both the 16U and Junior titles at 180, which USA Wrestling counted as her third Fargo national title. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame counts four Fargo national titles in all and Grand Valley State's roster bio counts five. She was ranked first in the country at 190 pounds and seventh pound for pound. | |
| 2021 | Age group | World Team Trials | 3rd | Grand Valley State's roster bio records the placement without naming an age group. | |
| 2023 | Age group | World Team Trials | 4th | The National Wrestling Hall of Fame calls her a four-time World Team Trials All-American | |
| 2024-25 | College | NCWWC regional | 180 lb | 1st | 3-0. Her first season at Grand Valley State, the program's first |
| 2024-25 | College | NCWWC, Coralville, Iowa | 180 lb | 2nd | 26-3 on the season. She pinned Paige Maher of Simon Fraser University in 1:30 in the quarterfinals and beat Shenita Lawson of North Central College 17-14 in the semifinals, then lost the final to Kylie Welker of Iowa by 10-0 technical fall in 58 seconds; she went 4-1 at the tournament and had 15 falls and eight technical falls on the season, with her quickest pin in 33 seconds |
| 2025-26 | College | NCAA Super Region 4 Championships, Tiffin, Ohio | 207 lb | 1st | 4-0. Feb. 20 and 21, 2026, her second regional title; she went 4-0 with four pins, the fastest in 18 seconds, and finished it by pinning Caroline Ward of North Central College in 1:15 in the final. Grand Valley State finished second to North Central and qualified eight of its ten wrestlers. |
| 2025-26 | College | NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, Coralville, Iowa | 207 lb | 2nd | 23-5 on the season. March 6 and 7, 2026, the first NCAA championships in the sport; seeded second, she pinned Zaria Robinson of Mount Olive in 1:28, pinned Josephine Larson of Sacred Heart in 1:35 and pinned third-seeded Caroline Ward of North Central College in 1:54, then lost the final to Tristan Kelly of McKendree by 11-0 technical fall. She went 3-1 over the two days as Grand Valley State placed fourth as a team in its second season, and she came out of the weekend a two-time All-American at 49-8 for her college career. |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/16167 · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, 2024 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, Michigan: Sabrina Nauss was an undefeated four-time MHSAA regional champion and four-time MHSAA state champion for Brighton High School; she captained the high school boys varsity wrestling team and was a team manager for the varsity football team; she was a four-time Fargo national champion ranked No. 1 nationally at 190 pounds and seventh pound for pound, and a four-time World Team Trials All-American on the USA national team; a National Honor Society member with a 3.98 grade point average who volunteered for Habitat for Humanity
- https://gvsulakers.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/sabrina--nauss/18142 · Grand Valley State University roster bio: Nauss finished her sophomore season with a 23-5 record and 49-8 career mark, a 7-3 dual record, 15 falls, six technical falls and one decision, and became a two-time national runner-up in the 207-pound weight class and a two-time regional champion; as a freshman in 2024-25 she went 26-3 with 15 falls, eight technical falls and three decisions, her quickest pin in 33 seconds, won the regional 3-0 and finished national runner-up at 180 pounds with a 4-1 record; prior to GVSU she was a five-time Fargo national champion, a four-time MHSAA state champion, third at the 2021 World Team Trials and fourth at the 2023 World Team Trials, with no age group given for either trials. This page counts five Fargo titles while the National Wrestling Hall of Fame counts four.
- https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13883772-finals-in-the-books-at-2025-womens-college-nationals · FloWrestling results from the 2025 women's college nationals: at 180 pounds, Kylie Welker (Iowa, 27-0) beat Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State, 26-3) by technical fall, 10-0 in 58 seconds, in the final; in the semifinals Nauss (26-2) beat Shenita Lawson (North Central College, 29-6) 17-14, and in the quarterfinals Nauss (25-2) pinned Paige Maher (Simon Fraser University) in 1:30
- https://gvsulakers.com/news/2026/3/8/womens-wrestling-womens-wrestling-takes-fourth-at-inaugural-ncaa-nc-womens-wrestling-national-championship.aspx · March 8, 2026 Grand Valley State release, datelined Coralville, Iowa: the Lakers took fourth at the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling National Championship 'as only a second-year program', which makes 2024-25 the program's first season; at 207 pounds Nauss went 3-1 and finished runner-up at 23-5, a two-time All-American and two-time national runner-up, with the bracket printed in initials as '#2 Sabrina Nauss pinned #15 Z. Robinson (MTOL), Fall 1:28', 'pinned #7 J. Larson (SHU), Fall 1:35', 'pinned #3 C. Ward (NCC), Fall 1:54' and '#1 T. Kelly (MCK) tech fall win over #2 Sabrina Nauss, TF 11-0'
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/march/08/mckendree-takes-inaugural-ncaa-women-s-wrestling-championships-behind-three-individual-champions · March 8, 2026 USA Wrestling: at the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, Tristan Kelly of McKendree beat second-seeded Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State by 11-0 technical fall at 207 pounds; Nauss is described as a returning national finalist at 180 pounds
- https://gvsulakers.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster · Grand Valley State's women's wrestling roster page is published as the 2025-26 roster on Sept. 9, 2026, with no 2026-27 roster posted, so no class year or remaining eligibility is claimed here
- https://gvsulakers.com/news/2026/2/21/womens-wrestling-womens-wrestling-claims-four-regional-champions-and-runner-up-finish.aspx · Feb. 21, 2026 Grand Valley State release from Tiffin, Ohio: after Day 2 of the NCAA Regional Championship the Lakers finished runner-up to North Central with 173 points and eight of the 10 Lakers qualified for the national championship; at 207 pounds Nauss went 4-0 and won her second regional title, pinning S. Picarski (Alma) in 0:18, E. Lorenzon (HI) in 1:13, I. Anaya (Manchester) in 0:31 and C. Ward (North Central) in 1:15; the release closes that the Lakers wrestle next on March 6 for the first day of the national championship
- https://sacredheartpioneers.com/news/2026/3/7/womens-wrestling-daley-and-larson-earn-all-american-honors-at-inaugural-ncaa-nc-womens-wrestling-championship · March 7, 2026 Sacred Heart release: Josephine Larson (207) earned All-America honors at the inaugural NCAA NC Women's Wrestling National Championship, pinning York's Peyton Fries at 1:08 to reach the quarterfinals, where she was pinned by Grand Valley State's Sabrina Nauss, and finishing eighth; this is the release that gives the first name and school behind the 'J. Larson (SHU)' in the Grand Valley State bracket. The Sacred Heart dateline reads Cedar Falls, Iowa, while Grand Valley State and USA Wrestling both place the championship in Coralville.
- https://umotrojans.com/news/2026/3/7/ncaa-womens-wrestling-championships.aspx · March 7, 2026 University of Mount Olive release: Mount Olive's five qualifiers at the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships included Zaria Robinson (207) ranked 15th, who fell to Grand Valley State's Sabrina Nauss in the opening round; this is the release that gives the first name and school behind the 'Z. Robinson (MTOL)' in the Grand Valley State bracket
- https://www.themat.com/news/athlete-of-week/2022/july/26/sabrina-nauss-selected-as-usa-wrestling-athlete-of-the-week · July 26, 2022 USA Wrestling: Nauss was named Athlete of the Week after doubling up at the USMC Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, N.D., winning the Junior and 16U women's freestyle national titles at 180 lbs and going 11-0 across both brackets; 'Overall, Nauss now owns three Fargo titles, adding to her 2021 16U national championship'
- https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/sports/high-school/wrestling/2021/08/03/hartland-brighton-girls-win-national-wrestling-championships-fargo/5470379001/ · Aug. 3, 2021 Livingston Daily Press and Argus: Nauss, entering her sophomore year at Brighton, won the 16-and-under title at 180 pounds at the Fargodome and placed third moving up an age group at junior, losing 14-13 in the junior quarterfinals to Alivia White of Washington; the 2020 tournament had been canceled
- https://gotiffindragons.com/news/2025/10/7/womens-wrestling-tiffin-to-host-ncaa-super-region-4-championships.aspx · Oct. 7, 2025 Tiffin University release: Tiffin hosted the NCAA Super Region 4 Women's Wrestling Championships on Feb. 20-21, 2026 in the Heminger Center, a 20-team field that included Grand Valley State, Alma, Hiram, Manchester and North Central, with qualifiers advancing to the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships March 6-7 in Coralville, Iowa
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/08/led-by-three-champions-iowa-repeats-as-ncwwc-champions-women-s-wrestling-now-moves-on-to-ncaa-status · March 8, 2025 USA Wrestling, datelined Coralville, Iowa: Iowa repeated as champions at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships at Xtream Arena, where No. 1 seed Kylie Welker of Iowa beat No. 2 seed freshman Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State by 10-0 technical fall in the 180-pound final
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