8 Collegiate programs qualified women for the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh, NC
Of the ten competitive weight class champions at the U.S. Open, six women secured spots for the Final X best of three matches that will determine the 2019 U.S. World Team: Whitney Condor (50kg), Jacarra Winchester (55kg), Becka Leathers (57kg), Alli Ragan (59kg), Forest Molinari (65kg), and Alyvia Fiske (72kg). The four remaining spots were reserved and accepted by 2018 world medalists at their respective weights: Sarah Hildebrandt (53kg), Mallory Velte (62kg), Tamyra Mensah Stock (68kg) and Adeline Gray (76kg).
Final X challengers meeting these ten ladies will be determined at the World Team Trials Challenge tournament in Raleigh, NC, May 17 – 19.
The landscape of the World Team Trials Challenge tournament could look like this: top 5 from the U.S. Open, the Pan American representative, the WCWA National champion, the highest placer at the northeast regional, the highest placer at Dave Schultz, the highest placer at the Grand Prix of Germany, the U23 WWT champion and the Junior WTT champion.
There’s a big opportunity for women to adjust their performances, draw a different bracket and fight back for a spot to challenge the ten women that have already secured their positions in the Final X matchups.
In general, athletes with more exposure to international competition – on both ends of the age spectrum – went after their attacks and transitioned directly to a series of finishes at a much higher rate than their peers. The second huge difference was that athletes with more years of exposure to freestyle wrestling definitely took advantage of ending matches or creating a large gap with par terre performances.
So where did those Collegiate women positioned to make an impact, actually make an impact? Over 30 collegiate women earned All American status – that’s approximately 40% of the placers at the tournament, so not bad. There were a lot of early career wrestlers that used the U.S. Open to break into Senior level competition for the first time ever – we want to preface by applauding their courage and drive, regardless of their placement status. Now, let’s explore a weight-by-weight review of the champs and the collegiate women’s placement performances.
50 kg – Champ, Whitney Condor (Army WCAP) – secured Final X Rutgers
Whitney Condor was not playing games this weekend, and made sure to shut down phenomenal offensive attempts by Erin Golston in the final matchup at 50kg.
Alleida Martinez, 7th (Menlo/TMWC) and Maria Vidales 8th (Emmanuel/Lions Wrestling Club) were the only two collegiate women to place at the weight. Although not in the top 5 at the U.S. Open, fans will most likely see Martinez on the mats at the WTT Challenge tournament since she qualified through her win as the 2019 WCWA National champion.
Both women were knocked off the championship side of the bracket in the quarterfinals. Martinez, to eventual 3rd place Victoria Anthony and Vidales to eventual 2nd place Erin Golston. Martinez took her second, and final, loss to high school star Emily Shilson. Fans can look forward to more years of Martinez v. Shilson if they both stay at 109lbs for the collegiate season. Martinez, the 2019 WCWA and NAIA champ is completing her freshman year at Menlo College, while Shilson is slated to start for Augsburg University in the fall.
53kg – Champ, Tiare Ikei (EAP) – secured finalist at WTT Challenge Tournament
Outstanding Wrestler and probably most exciting to watch overall was 17yo Tiare Ikei. Ikei’s movement and continuation to finishes were excellent throughout the entire tournament.
Gracie Figueroa 3rd (Menlo/TMWC) and Madison Angelito 7th (Cumberlands) were the only collegiate women to place at 53kg. Figueroa lost a 9-3 match to Menlo Alum and 5 x senior national team member Katherine Shai (Fulp-Allen), who placed 2nd. Fans should expect to see Figueroa and Shai battling for the top spot at the WTT Challenge tournament in Raleigh. Figueroa was the WCWA national champion and NAIA Invitational runner-up at 116lbs.
55kg – Champ, Jacarra Winchester (TMWC) – secured Final X Lincoln
Jacarra teched her way through the quarters, semis and final matchup, displaying pure dominance at 55kg.
Simon Fraser teammates Dominique Parrish, 3rd and Alexandra Hedrick 6th, were the only two collegiate women to place at the weight. Parrish, seeded 2nd, was upset in the first round by unseeded Army/WCAP Villaescusa, but came back to win FIVE matches in a row to finish 3rd. Fans should expect to see Parrish battling for the Final X spot at the WTT Challenge tournament. Parrish was the 2019 WCWA National champion and Patricia Miranda medal recipient.
57kg – Champ, Becka Leathers (TMWC) – secured Final X Rutgers
Becka Leathers earned her spot to Final X by teching her way to the finals where she edged out Jenna Burket of the Army/WCAP program.
Placers 5 – 8 were all collegiate peers at 57kg: Allison Petix 5th (King), Koral Sugiyama 6th (Campbellsville), Dajan Treder 7th (Providence) and Sierra Brown Ton 8th (Colorado Mesa).
The Petix vs. Sugiyama match happened once on each side of the bracket, and they were close! Petix avenged a quarterfinal 6-6 criteria loss to Sugiyama during their placement matchup with a criteria win, 8-8 in the placement round. Meanwhile, Treder, a senior at University of Providence teched Colorado Mesa’s freshman Brown Ton for 7th.
59kg – Champ, Alli Ragan (HWC) – secured Final X Lincoln
Ragan is back at it with a secured spot at Final X Lincoln! With four matches, Ragan was on the mat less than 7 minutes – almost 5 of which were during the finals.
Collegiate wrestlers Abby Nette 2nd (Emmanuel), Daishea Jamie 7th (OCU) and Alayna Swilley 8th (SWOCC) placed at 59kg.
#3 seed Abby Nette pinned and teched her way to meet Alli Ragan in the finals. A 2019 WCWA National Champ, Nette maintained position on her feet, handfought hard and got to her offense – she knew where she wanted to go this weekend. Nette maintained her offensive style against the eventual champ, putting Ragan into a short scramble situation in the first minute of the finals before falling to a tech in the second period. Fans can look forward to watching Nette at the WTT Challenge tournament.
62kg – Champ, Kayla Miracle (HWC) – secured finalist at WTT Challenge Tournament
Kayla Miracle teched her way through the Open, picking up a fall along the way.
Alexis Porter 3rd (McKendree), Brenda Reyna 4th (McKendree), Amber Strong 6th (Colorado Mesa) and Bridgette Duty 8th (Cumberlands) all represented their universities well this weekend.
McKendree teammates Porter and Reyna both lost to eventual 2nd place Desiree Zavala of Team Takedown. Porter was 3rd at 136 at the WCWA National tournament while Reyna was 2nd at 130. Fans should look forward to these ladies showing up ready to go at the WTT challenge tournament.
65kg – Champ, Forrest Molinari (HWC) – secured Final X Rutgers
Molinari maintained poise throughout the entire day to finish off with the title. She’s ready for whoever earns the Final X spot to challenge her in Rutgers.
Collegiate place winners Nicole Joseph 4th (King) and Destiny Lyng 5th (OCU) should both be present at the WTT Challenge tournament. This was a small weight, but packed with extremely talented athletes. Joseph and Lyng both dropped matches to Macey Kilty, a 2018 Cadet World Champ, on their path to placing but never ended up head to head.
Both of these ladies wrestle at 136lbs during the collegiate season – Joseph placed 2nd and Lyng placed 7th at the WCWA National Championships.
68kg – Champ, Randi Beltz (Army/WCAP) – secured finalist at WTT Challenge Tournament
Beltz worked her way through the tournament, edging out each competitor with perseverance. Young college star Laurent could not keep up with the Army/WCAP athlete. Beltz will look to secure a spot at the Final X next month in Raleigh.
5 of 8 placers at 68kg are collegiate wrestlers: Jayden Laurent 2nd (Lakeland), Ashlynn Ortega 3rd (King) Kayla Marano 4th (Emmanuel), Anna Naylor 6th (Cumberlands) and Ophelia Lara 8th (Emmanuel).
Laurent and Ortega are both finishing up their freshman seasons where they compete at 143lbs in the WCWA. They did not meet up at the National Tournament this year – Laurent was the champion and Ortega placed 3rd. With how close the semifinal match was, Fans should be excited to see both of these ladies working to edge the other out in the coming months and years.
Meanwhile, we can’t overlook Emmanuel’s senior Kayla Marano – she only fell in the semis to champ Randi Beltz 10-9. Fans should expect to see Marano back at it next month.
72kg – Champ, Alyvia Fiske (Simon Fraser) – secured Final X Rutgers
#5 seed Alyvia Fiske really put it together this weekend with 4 straight wins. She is the first of two 2019 U.S. Open Champs that represent the collegiate wrestling world.
Other collegiate placers at the weight include Iman Kazem 3rd (Menlo), Rachel Watters 5th (OCU), Dymond Guilford 7th (Missouri Baptist), Myranda Velaquez 8th (Jamestown)
Fiske edged out Victoria Francis 5-4 to secure a spot at Final X Rutgers. This is a weight where the WTT Challenge tournament will be a true battle for collegiate stars – Kazem, Watters and Guilford all have what it takes to win a spot at Final X to challenge Fiske for the World Team spot. At the WCWA National tournament, Kazem placed 2nd at 155, and Guilford was the champ at 170.
76kg – Champ, Precious Bell (Menlo) – secured finalist at WTT Challenge Tournament
#5 seed Precious Bell was the second and final collegiate representative to take home a championship title at the 2019 Open.
Bell teched her way to the finals where she pinned collegiate peer Hannah Gladden in the second period. The win secured Bell a spot in the WTT Challenge tournament finals, where if she wins, she will take on Adeline Gray at Final X Lincoln. Fans can expect to see a full battle at the WTT Challenge tournament between this set of talented young women.
6 of the 8 place winners this weekend were collegiate competitors including Precious Bell 1st (Menlo), Hannah Gladden 2nd (Emmanuel), Kori Bullock 3rd (McKendree), Kenya-Lee Sloan 5th (Campbellsville), Paige Baynes 6th (Wayland), Payton Rigert 7th (Cumberlands)
A total of 33 collegiate women wrestler’s came away from the weekend with USA Wrestling All American status.
53 kg
1st – Tiare Ikei (EAP) TF Katherine Shai (TMWC), 14-4
3rd – Gracie Figueroa (TMWC) win by forfeit Cody Pfau (TMWC)
5th – Peyton Prussin (Valkyrie) dec. Marissa Ritchie (Team JGold), 10-6
7th – Madison Angelito (Univ. of the Cumberlands) TF Kierstien Bush (Sanderson
Wrestling Academy), 10-0
55 kg
1st – Jacarra Winchester (TMWC) TF Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP), 10-0
3rd – Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids) TF Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids), 10-0
5th – Shauna Isbell-Kemp (TMWC) dec. Alexandra Hedrick (TMWC), 4-3
7th – Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids) win by injury default Samantha Klingel
(Army/WCAP)
57 kg
1st – Becka Leathers (TMWC) dec. Jenna Burkert (Army WCAP), 7-5
3rd – Cameron Guerin (TMWC) fall Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids), 0:57
5th – Allison Petix (Team Tornado) dec. Koral Sugiyama (Campbellsville Univ.),
8-8
7th – Dajan Treder (Univ. of Providence) TF Sierra Brown-Ton (Colorado Mesa),
12-2
59 kg
1st – Alli Ragan (Sunkist Kids) TF Abigail Nette (Lion WC), 10-0
3rd – Lauren Mason (Burnaby Mountain WC) dec. Lauren Louive (NYAC), 2-2
5th – Megan Black (TMWC) fall Maya Porter (Journeymen WC), 1:52
7th – Daishea Jaime (Aries WC/OKRTC) TF Alayna Swilley (SWOCC), 10-0
62 kg
1st – Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) TF Desiree Zavala (Team Takedown), 10-0
3rd -Alexis Porter (NYAC) win by injury default Brenda Reyna (TMWC)
5th – Alexandria Liles (Army/WCAP) fall Amber Strong (Colorado Mesa), 1:22
7th – Natalia Hinojo (Aries WC/OKRTC) win by forfeit Bridgette Duty (Univ. of
Cumberlands)
65 kg
1st – Forrest Molinari (TMWC) dec. Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids), 5-1
3rd – Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids) TF Nicole Joseph (Team Tornado), 11-0
5th – Destiny Lyng (Aries WC/OKRTC) win by forfeit Julia Salata (NYAC)
7th – Gabrielle Garcia (Pounders) fall Melissa Jacobs N (Minnesota Storm), 1:56
68 kg
1st – Randi Beltz (Army WCAP) dec. Jayden Laurent (TMWC), 10-1
3rd – Ashlynn Ortega (Team Tornado) dec. Kayla Marano (Lions WC), 6-1
5th – Skylar Grote (NYAC) TF Anna Naylor (Univ. of Cumberlands), 10-0
7th – Marilyn Garcia (Unattached) TF Ophelia Lara (Lions WC), 12-2
72 kg
1st – Alyvia Fiske (TMWC) dec. Victoria Francis (TMWC), 5-4
3rd – Iman Kazem (Menlo College) TF Lena Flanagan (Team Takedown), 13-2
5th – Rachel Watters (NYAC/OKRTC) win by forfeit Alexis Gomez (Gomez Wrestling)
7th – Dymond Guilford (Missouri Baptist) TF Myranda Velazquez (Jamestown Taz
WC), 10-0
76 kg
1st – Precious Bell (unattached) df. Hannah Gladden (Lion WC), fall
3rd – Korinahe Bullock (TMWC) dec. Nahiela Magee (Army/WCAP), 4-4
5th – Kenya-Lee Sloan (Campbellsville) win by forfeit Paige Baynes (Wayland
Baptist)
7th – Payton Rigert (Univ. of Cumberlands) win by injury Leilani
Camargo-Naone (C4 Wrestling)
Outstanding Wrestler – Tiare Ikei (EAP)
Division I team standings
1. Titan Mercury WC – 101 points
2. Sunkist Kids – 69 points
Division II team standings
1. Army WCAP – 30 points
2. New York AC – 29 points
Feature photo by Jim Thrall @ MatFocus
