Ladies from 13 more states moving forward—we’re not over Fargo, part 2
This article is part 2 of a quick spotlight for seniors that competed at Fargo for the last time. A recap from part 1:
“Choosing if and where to go to college is a really big deal. These ladies worked to find a program that fit their academic, athletic and financial needs. This might be the biggest decision these young ladies will make for the next four years.
This is a fun time for us at Transition Wrestling, because we exist to capture the college years. It’s the growth that happens during the transition from high school to college – from college to the real world – that’s really transformational and that’s what it’s actually all about. Do you ever wonder who our world team members were before they become the women and personalities they are today? We want to make sure those stories get captured and it starts right here.”
Team Arkansas was represented by one lone senior at Fargo. Skye Williams (127 pounds) will stay in state to further her wrestling and academic career at Lyon College. Arkansas sanctioned girls wrestling earlier this year.
Arizona also had one senior competing at Fargo. Jennifer Curry placed 6th at 164 pounds, capturing All-American status. Jennifer is headed all the way to Kansas to wrestle for Baker University. Arizona sanctioned girls wrestling in 2018.
Two of Hawaii’s four finalists were seniors. Tiare Ikei (117 pounds) and Kelani Corbett (180 pounds) were crowned champions at the end of day two. Ikei will be staying at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, while Corbett will make the move to Arkansas further her academic and athletic career at Lyon College. Rita Morales (117 pounds) is jumping all the way to South Carolina to further her career at Presbyterian College. Hawaii sanctioned girls wrestling in 1988.
Kentucky had three seniors on their national team—all of which have chosen the opportunity to stay in state. Jaine Stephens (106 pounds) and Destiny Cory-Eldridge (112 pounds) will be teammates at the University of the Cumberlands, while Carley O’neil (138 pounds) will head to Campbellsville University. These programs are just two hours away from each other. Kentucky has not sanctioned girls wrestling yet.
Both of Ohio’s senior Fargo reps are headed to Kentucky, but to neighboring programs. Andrea Schlabach went 5-2, placing 7th as an All-American at 127 pounds. She’s headed to the University of the Cumberlands, while Cassandra Smith (138 pounds) is headed to Campbellsville University. Ohio has not yet sanctioned girls wrestling.
Team Oregon is seeing four ladies from their national team join 3 different in state programs this year! Kyleigh Lopez had an impressive 5-2 run at 122 pounds and will be at Southern Oregon University in the fall. Emily Mitchell (180 pounds) is headed to Eastern Oregon University, while Grace Miller (144 pounds) and Lilian Restrepo (152 pounds) will be teammates at Umpqua Community College. Oregon sanctioned girls wrestling in 2018.
The 2019 Fargo team champions, Washington, had seven seniors on their lineup, and they’re all wrestling at the next level at different programs. Kaylee Moore went 5-0 on her way to claiming the 132-pound title. She’s headed to Minnesota to join the first-year program at Augsburg University. Payton Stroud placed 3rd at 122 pounds, only dropping 1 of her 6 matches to the eventual champion. Payton is headed to Illinois to wrestle at McKendree University. Phoenix Dubose wrestled an impressive 6-2 tournament to place 5th as an All-American. Phoenix is moving to Bristol Tennessee where she’ll join the program at King University. Krista Warren won six matches to join her teammates as an All-American at 144 pounds, placing 5th. She’s moving one state down where she’ll be at Southern Oregon University. Mireya Sanchez went 3-2 at 127 pounds and will stay in state to attend Big Bend Community College. Stephanie Blankenship (112 pounds) will join the program at Warner Pacific University in Oregon, and Hannah Petersen (106 pounds) will move all the way to North Dakota where she’ll wrestle under Shauna Kemp at the University of Jamestown. Washington sanctioned girls wrestling in 2007.
Team Texas was another state with a large senior class—matching Washington with seven seniors. Xochitil Mota-Pettis was the 127-pound champion, winning 7 matches to make it to the top. She says she’ll be training, but we haven’t been able to confirm where. Gabrielle Holloway worked her way through the tournament with pins and superiorities to join Xochitil as the champion at 225 pounds. Holloway will be furthering her career at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. Ashley Lekas went 6-1 to place 3rd overall. Lekas is taking a development year to focus on training and development. Destiny Baltierra (200 pounds) is en route to Gaffney South Carolina to join the new program at Limestone College under Brandy Green. Valerie Carreon signed to McKendree University at Fargo with her TX team around her. She went 5-2 at 100 pounds to place 8th as an All-American. Jacqueline Ghent (122 pounds) will join Holloway at Campbellsville, and Hunter Robinson (152-pounds) is en route to Grand View University, Iowa’s first year program. Texas sanctioned girls wrestling in 1999.
We’re still working to figure out where Montana’s Persephone Sandoval is headed for sure. She wrestled in the 200-pound weight class in Fargo. Montana has not sanctioned girls wrestling yet, but the university of providence is located in Great Falls.
Alabama, New Jersey and Wyoming did not have any senior girls at Fargo. There was one senior from South Dakota, but she wrestled for North Dakota. Of the four, New Jersey is the only state sanctioned, and they are starting a women’s program at New Jersey City University in 2020.
See anyone missing or corrections to be made? Let us know! We do our best, but this info is difficult to gather. We’ll be wrapping up Fargo this week and then looking toward the collegiate season!
The majority of state sanctioning information was grabbed from Wrestle Like a Girl’s resources page, here.
