UWW Junior Nationals Preview

UWW Junior Nationals is a fusion of the best college-age women and high school juniors and seniors (born 2000-03). The women’s division will be wrestled all the way through finals on Friday, November 12. The champion at each weight earns a bid to the 2021 Senior World Team Trials, and the 2021 Junior World Team Trials if age-eligible. There are 134 wrestlers pre-registered and the group features a mix of past Cadet, Junior and U23 World members, plus NAIA and NCAA champions and All-Americans. 

The lower weights—50, 53, 55, 57 and 59 kg—make up 70% of the total online entries, and the 50 kg field is 29 wrestlers deep.

2019 U23 World Team members Emily Shilson and Felicity Taylor are entered at 50 kg. Top contenders with Shilson and Taylor are No. 1 ranked high school senior Samara Chavez, NCAA No. 1 Pauline Granados, true freshman Rayana Sahagun (Jamestown) and Chloe Ayers (Princeton Wrestling Club). 

Flashback to the first weekend in March, Pauline Granados (McKendree, DII) launched Emmanuel’s Iesha Washington to become the first 101-pound champion at the inaguaral NCWWC. Directly following that match Emily Shilson (Augsburg, DIII) became the 109-pound champion with a headlock in a final versus Tiffin’s Sugey Ceja. Outside of an injury default after a match with Sarah Hildebrandt, Shilson has been on a roll again this fall. She secured wins over standout freshman Stefana Jelacic (Lourdes) and Campbellsville’s senior Charlotte Fowler. McKendree’s Felicity Taylor is a two-time college national runner-up. Taylor and Shilson were supposed to wrestle at the annual Beat The Street New York fundraiser in September, but NCAA guidelines forced Taylor to withdraw her name from the bout. 

No. 1 ranked high school senior Samara Chavez just showed her strength at Senior Nationals. She went all out versus Alyssa Lampe, a two-time World Bronze Medalist and 2019 Senior National champion, dropping in the quarters, 11-10. Also registered at the weight is true freshman Rayana Sahagun (Jamestown) and Chloe Ayers, who placed 3rd at Super 32s last month. Ayers represents the Princeton Wrestling Club. No matter what way you spin it, the weight is stacked.

The top three contenders at 53 kg are Alisha Howk, Tiare Ikei and Marissa Gallegos. Howk (Sunkist Kids/Victory School of Wrestling) was on the 2018 Junior World team, 2019 Junior Pan-Am team and has been consistent at the senior level–3rd at 2020 Senior Nationals, 4th at 2019 Senior Nationals and 4th at the 2019 U.S. Open (55 kg). Tiare Ikei was the 2019 U.S. Open champion after winning the final bout over senior-level star Katherine Shai, but Howk has a head-to-head win over Ikei at Bill Farrell, 10-4. 

NCAA All-American and No. 3 ranked Marissa Gallegos (Colorado Mesa, DII) is right in the mix for the top spot. She was 6th at Senior Nationals in 2019 at 57 kg and had a significant win over Gracie Figueroa. And if that’s not enough of a bracket, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Felicity Taylor bumped up to her normal 53 kg weight class for the junior division—she wrestles 116 pounds in college. More entrants to watch include Texas Wesleyan’s Camille Fournier, McKendree transfer Aliyah Rollins, Jamestown’s Josie Bartishofski and Grand View’s Chloe Clemons. 

The top two ranked contenders at 55 kg are NCAA No. 5 Asia Nguyen-Smith (North Central, DIII) and NCAA No. 6 Vayle-Rae Baker (Augsburg, DII/Twin Cities RTC). Their match at the NCWWC was scored 8-2 in favor of Nguyen-Smith, but this is a rematch in the making. Baker is a two-time Cadet World team member and graduate of Wyoming Seminary prep, 2019. Tateum Park (Augsburg, DIII), Grace Pauls (East Stroudsburg, DII) and No. 2 ranked high school senior Adrienna Turner are other entrants to watch. 

Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise Wrestling) shocked wrestling fans in Iowa with an upset over Alli Ragan (Sunkist Kids WC) at 57 kg, but she’s joined by seasoned competitor Cam Guerin, the returning 2019 Junior World team member that found a home at McKendree this season. Mia Macaluso (East Stroudsburg, DII) is also registered at the weight.

Another returning Junior World team member, Michaela Beck (Sunkist Kids WC), might be the headline at 59 kg. She’s joined on the entry list by Jerzie Estrada, a four-time Fargo finalist and champion, NCAA No. 4 Phoenix Dubose (King, DII), Sophia Smith (OCU) and high school entries No. 3 (132) Devin Patton (2020: 3rd  at Preseason Nationals, 2nd at Super 32) and No. 5 (138) Amor Tuttle (Twin Cities RTC). That’s a solid 59 kg entry list. 

The second half of the weight classes have smaller brackets but just as much talent. Junior World Silver Medalist Macey Kilty is looking to solidify her domestic spot at 62 kg. She’s registered alongside No. 1 ranked high school seniors Kylie Welker (144) and Chloe Ogden (138), plus Bri Csontos (Titan Mercury WC/Columbia WC). 62 kg also includes 2019 Fargo runner-up Viktorya Torres, a freshman at King University. McKendree sophomore Salome Walker and Marisol Nugent (Lehigh Valley RTC) are expected to headline 65 kg and Alexis Gomez (Grand View) might go untouched in the junior division at 68 kg. 

Wyoming Seminary’s Kennedy Blades—a two-time Fargo champion and Cadet World team member—is in the mix at 72 Kg with two-time college All-American Joye Levendusky (McKendree, DII) and Augsburg’s All-American Marlynne Deede (Twin Cities RTC). This weight should be a battle. In a similarly sized bracket full of power, 76 kg has NCAA No. 1 Yelena Makoyed (North Central, DIII), 2018 Junior World team member Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury WC), Tristan Kelly (Colorado Mesa, DII), NAIA No. 1 ranked Kaylynn Albrecht (Wayland) and No. 3 ranked high school senior—2020 Super 32 champ and Texas Wesleyan commit—Brittyn Corbishley.

Visit our UWW Junior and U23 Nationals hub for complete coverage and information for the weekend in Omaha.