The North Central women's wrestling team entered the season with 19 returning All-Americans. You can move that number to 21 starting next semester. 

And, get this, both are college champions with four combined titles and seven appearances in the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships. 

Cardinal coach Joe Norton is pulling out all the stops as his team attempts to repeat as champions. 

Yelena Makoyed and Alara Boyd announced that they will use their final semester of eligibility. Both had a COVID year and will use it to bolster North Central's already powerful line-up. 

Makoyed won the past three 170-pound NCWWC titles (2021-23) and was named the inaugural USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year last season. She has already qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials at 76 kg and is a contender to make the team after winning four international ranking tournaments. 

"I was pretty dead set on being done competing in college because I didn't want to go back to school," Makoyed said. "The coaches proposed that it would be cool if I got a fourth national title and help the team win a second team title. It didn't take much convincing. I'm in the area anyway so I might as well."

North Central hired Boyd as a graduate assistant on July 21 following a decorated college career. The former McKendree star was a three-time NCWWC (NCAA) finalist and 2021 national champion who was instrumental in three straight team titles (2020-22) for the Bearcats.

Her last college match was a 10-0 win over Lindenwood's Juliana Moreno on January 23 before announcing she would not continue competing due to an ACL tear that required surgery. In addition to her college accolades, Boyd has been a mainstay on the international scene. She qualified for the 202One Olympic Trials, made four age-level World teams, and was a two-time U17 World medalist.

Boyd recently entered the North Central Women's College Open unattached and made quick work of three opponents. The Muncie, Indiana, native notched two techs and a fall before forfeiting to Augsburg's Nina Makem in the finals.

Norton anticipates using Boyd at 143 where she could potentially face former McKendree teammate Emma Bruntil. 

"Last year, I didn't end my season how I wanted to," Boyd said. "I thought I was ready to be done with college wrestling. I wanted to focus on more senior-level wrestling. Then I started watching the girls at practice and then I thought, 'Man, I want to be a part of this.' I wasn't fulfilled with how my college career ended and that pushed me to decide to come back."

Both will compete in the NWCA National Duals on January 5-6 where a four-team race between Iowa, King, McKendree, and North Central is expected.

This sets up an interesting showdown at the 2024 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships on March 8-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Will the return of Makoyed and Boyd be enough to push North Central to its second team title in two years?