UWW U23 Finals Review, Kilty Named Outstanding Wrestler

Omaha, Neb. — Day two and both divisions of women’s wrestling in Omaha is a wrap. Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC) and Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids WC) doubled up their titles in the Junior and U23 divisions at 50 and 62 kg, respectively, and Kilty was awarded the U23 Outstanding Wrestling Award. 

50 kg
Quick off the whistle, Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC / Twin Cities RTC) was able to end all of her matches with a fall or superiority at 50 kg in the U23 division. Not only did she win the Junior title on Friday, but she is also repeated as U23 champion from 2019. Shilson went 4-0 for the day with wins over NCAA No. 6 Aleeah Gould (King) and NAIA No. 3 Ashley Gooman (Midland) to make the finals. In the final bout versus Samara Chavez (Spartan Mat Club), Shilson was able to score on multiple attacks and round out the championship bout with exposure points. Chavez, the No. 1 ranked high school wrestler at 112 pounds, defeated Nina Pham (Wayland) in the quarters and Maria Vidales (Emmanuel) in the semis—both highly ranked college wrestlers. 

53 kg
Both finalists at 53 kg in the U23 division defeated Junior finalists in their semifinal matches to advance. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids WC / Badger RTC) defeated Junior Champion and Outstanding Wrestler Tiare Ikea (Titan Mercury WC). In the final bout, Heaton scored offensively and defensively. She led 2-0 at the end of the first period and secured another takedown off the whistle in the second. Her opponent, King University Junior Cheyenne Sisenstein, is a college nationals finalist. Sisenstein was on Heaton’s legs multiple times but didn’t have enough to overcome the five-time age level World team member. Sisenstein defeated Junior Finalist Felicity Taylor in the semifinals. 

55 kg
Allison Petix, a senior at King University, grabbed the 55 kg championship from NCAA No. 3 contender Marissa Gallegos (Co. Mesa). Gallegos held a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period after an explosive double, but Petix kept working forward and sealed the match 6-2. Petix won the Missouri Valley Open in 2019 and placed 5th at the inaugural NCAA championship. Gallegos placed third in the Junior division on Friday. 

57 kg
After highly competitive semifinal bouts Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise Wrestling) and Abby Nette (Sunkist Kids WC)  met in the finals at 57 kg. Mota-Pettis wrestled Alexia Ward, an NCAA Champ, in the semis and sealed that bout with an 8-0 decision. Nette, a senior national team member, outwrestled NCAA No. 4 Lauren Mason (SFU) 7-2. Mota-Pettis controlled the championship bout, earning a 12-1 superiority after a sequence that led to a trap-arm gut wrench. The standout from Texas was a finalist in last night’s Junior division where she wrestled a contentious match with Cameron Guerin (McKendree). The only point Mota-Pettis gave up was a push-out from Nette.

59 kg
Desiree Zavala started the day with an 11-0 tech over OCU’s Sophia Smith and another stellar tech over three-time Hawaii state champ Paige Respicio. On the other end of the bracket, Koral Sugiyama (Twin Cities RTC / Victory School of Wres.) wrestled outstanding matches leading into the finals—she threw Junior champ Gracie Figueroa (Titan Mercury WC) in three separate sequences. In the 59 kg finals match, Zavala (Wayland) exploded into a blast double and transitioned to a leg lace before points were confirmed; with two tight leg laces Zavala teched Sugiyama, 10-0. 

62 kg
Macey Kilty never stops moving her feet or working to better her position. She spent a lot of time across both days this weekend controlling her opponents in a 2-on-1 position, or attacking to a single leg, or running her feet on a double. She didn’t give up any points in the U23 division. In fact, the only points she gave up the entire weekend was from Kylie Welker’s takedown in the finals of the Junior division. Kilty won that final 8-2, and she still has another year of junior eligibility left. In the U23 division it was the same story. Finalist Ana Luciano put up a fight but Kilty secured her points with a purpose. Luciano is a junior at King University. The two-time WCWA All-American is ranked No. 5 in the NCAA preseason poll at 136 pounds, and she posted wins over teammate Alyssa Aceval and SEM student Kendall Bostelman. 

65 kg
King had five finalists in the U23 division and two of them were in at 65 kg where junior Ashlynn Ortega wrestled freshman Viktorya Torres. The match highlighted both wrestlers movements, and Ortega’s ability to chain wrestle effectively. Ortega, a two-time college All-American, scored key points putting moves together, including a down-block she turned into a double on the edge early in the second period. Torres wrestled hard but Ortega won the championship match 11-0.

68 kg
The 68 kg brackets were wrestled round robin style in both the Junior and U23 divisions. Both days showcased a clear winner. In the Junior division that was Grand View freshman Alexis Gomez, in U23, Skylar Grote. Grote (Lehigh Valley RTC) recently wrestled at Senior Nationals in Iowa and claimed dominant wins over WCWA Champion and age-group World team member Rachel Watters and 2019 NAIA Champion Marilyn Garcia. 

72 kg
In another teammate final, Kayla Marano defeated Ophelia Lara, 11-0 at 72 kg. Marano’s first points came off an attack from Lara–she stuffed Lara’s head and hit the corner to secure 2 points. Kayla Marano is a senior at Emmanuel College. She’s a two-time WCWA All-American and 2015 Cadet World Team member. 

76 kg
The 76 kg bracket had a final match between the No. 2 and No. 3 senior national team members. Precious Bell, the No. 2, matched with Dymond Guilford, No. 3, after a competitive semifinal with NCAA No. 1 Yelena Makoyed. Guilford defeated two-time collegiate All-American Joye Levendusky (12-2) to make the finals. Guilford racked up 8 points in the first period of the championship bout with three takedowns and a lace, but Precious controlled the over-under position and executed a front trip, putting Guilford to her back. Guilford rolled through before the clock ran out making the first period score 8-4. The two centered for second period and Dymond capitalized on an attack from Bell, picking up the fall. 

All of the matches for UWW Junior and U23 Nationals were completed on Friday and Saturday with Transition Wrestling’s Gabby Lord-Klein live on the mic with FloWrestling during the championship bouts. This article, and many others, was written in partnership with Sugiyama Productions.