Texas beats California, 34-20, to win Women’s Junior National Duals
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by Gary Abbott
FARGO, N.D. - The top two powers in Junior level wrestling in recent seasons have been California and Hawaii. These states have the most high school girls on the mat, and have produced many star athletes.
Texas won the first Women's Junior Duals in 2005 and California has won the Women's Junior Duals for the last two years. There was no surprise that the team title came down to a battle between these two powers once again at the 2008 Women's Junior National Duals.
Fueled by three pins going into the upper weight classes, Texas defeated California, 34-20 in the championship match. Now both states have won two Junior National Duals titles in their rivalry for women's wrestling supremacy.
"I was very pleased with their performance," said Texas head coach Amy McNeese. "They worked as a team, trained hard and spent all summer working. They pulled together when it counted."
U.S. Nationals runner-up Tessa Plana started the pinning streak at 146 pounds, putting away Moria Fernandez with a headlock at 146 pounds. The Texas run of pins continued with Cara Stratton pinning Holly Thein at 152 pounds and Brittany Roberts decking Paloma Herbert at 165 pounds.
After a California pin at 190 pounds by Angela Vyborny, the dual ended with another Texas win, as Junior Nationals champion Yadima Nwaiwu of Texas ended the meet with a final victory at 220 pounds.
"Tessa's victory was a turning point for us, and Yadima finalized the victory for us," said McNeese. "This win will help Texas women's wrestling grow and grow and grow."
The tournament was initially split up into three pools. Each pool had three state teams and a developmental team. When the pool competition ended, the top team in each pool went into the championship pool for places 1-3, the second team into the next pool for places 4-6 and the third team in the other pool for places 7-9. Each of the developmental teams went into their own pool.
The three teams in the championship pool were California, Texas and Hawaii, the states recognized for the strongest high school women's wrestling programs.
The first match in the Championship pool featured Texas against Hawaii. The match started with two wins by Hawaii from Keiko Akamine at 95 pounds and Brittani Dinong at 102 pounds. Texas then reeled off seven straight wins, including pins by Emily Martin at 109, Mia Provence at 116 pounds and Tessa Plana at 139 pounds. Texas closed the scoring with two forfeits, to win 42-13.
The second match featured defending champion California beat Hawaii, 33-24. Wins by Victoria Anthony at 102 pounds, Ariel Green at 116 pounds and four-time Junior Nationals champion Tatiana Padilla by a pin at 132 pounds helped fuel the win.
With the two losses in the Championship Pool, Hawaii placed third in the tournament. Kansas placed fourth, Ohio was fifth and Wisconsin was sixth.
JUNIOR NATIONAL WOMEN'S DUALS
At Fargo, N.D., July 22
CHAMPIONSHIP POOL DUAL MEETS
Texas 34, California 24
95 Ofelia Valdez (Texas #1) won by forfeit
102 Victoria Anthony (California) over Neda Hassani (Texas #1) Pin 0:24
109 Samantha Lopez (California) over Emily Martin (Texas #1) Dec 0-1,1-0,4-0
116 Mia Provence (Texas #1) over Ariel Green (California) Dec 6-0,2-1
124 Kirsten Strickler (Texas #1) over Brazil Marquez (California) Dec 4-3,6-6,3-2
132 Stephanie Han (Texas #1) over Ashley Mathews (California) Dec 3-0,2-0
139 Tatiana Padilla (California) over Brenda Mendoza (Texas #1) Pin 0:17
146 Tessa Plana (Texas #1) over Moriah Fernandez (California) Pin 8-1,1:42
153 Karra Stratton (Texas #1) over Holly Thein (California) Pin 1-2,1:37
165 Brittney Roberts (Texas #1) over Paloma Herbert (California) Pin 5-0,0:45
190 Angela Vyborny (California) over Jami Moore (Texas #1) Pin 6-0,1:01
220 Yadinma Nwaiwu (Texas #1) over Hannah Collins (California) TF 6-0,7-0
Texas #1 42, Hawaii 13
95 Keiko Akamine (Hawaii) over Ofelia Valdez (Texas #1) TF 6-0,6-0
102 Brittni Dinong (Hawaii) over Neda Hassani (Texas #1) Dec 4-0,1-1,7-0
109 Emily Martin (Texas #1) over Keri Watase (Hawaii) Pin 2-0,1:31
116 Mia Provence (Texas #1) over Kailin Curran (Hawaii) Pin 2-1,1:32
124 Kirsten Strickler (Texas #1) over Chaelynn Tan (Hawaii) Dec 5-0,6-0
132 Stephanie Han (Texas #1) over Jenny Ojerio (Hawaii) Dec 0-3,2-0,1-1
139 Tessa Plana (Texas #1) over Kuu`ipo Badayos (Hawaii) Pin 4-1,1:53
146 Laura Ponshock (Texas #1) over Ahnjahlee Akuna (Hawaii) Pin 6-4,0:52
153 Karra Stratton (Texas #1) by forfeit
165 Leya-Justina Luafalemana (Hawaii) over Brittney Roberts (Texas #1) Pin 1-0,4:29
190 Jami Moore (Texas #1) won by forfeit
220 Yadinma Nwaiwu (Texas #1) won by forfeit
California 33, Hawaii 24
95 Erin Uehara (Hawaii) won by forfeit
102 Victoria Anthony (California) over Brittni Dinong (Hawaii) Pin 0:28 5.00 0
109 Caronne Rozet (Hawaii) over Samantha Lopez (California) Dec 1-1,2-1 1 3.00
116 Ariel Green (California) over Kailin Curran (Hawaii) Inj 5.00 0
124 Megan Yamaguchi (Hawaii) over Brazel Marquez (California) Dec 0-6,5-1,4-3 1 3.00
132 Tatiana Padilla (California) over Raquel Pa`aluhi (Hawaii) Pin 6-0,0:36 5.00 0
139 Kuu`ipo Badayos (Hawaii) over Brittany David (California) Inj 0 5.00
146 Ahnjahlee Akuna (Hawaii) over Moriah Fernandez (California) Dec 6-6,6-0 1 3.00
153 Abigail Pederson (California) won by forfeit
165 Leya-Justina Luafalemana (Hawaii) over Paloma Herbert (California) Pin 7-0,0:34 0 5.00
190 Hannah Collins (California) won by forfeit
220 Angela Vyborny (California) won by forfeit
1st - Texas, 2nd - California, 3rd - Hawaii
4th-6th PLACE MATCHES
Ohio 30, Wisconsin 19
Kansas 25, Wisconsin 25
Kansas 31, Ohio 17
4th - Kansas, 5th - Ohio, 6th - Wisconsin
7th-9th PLACE MATCHES
New York 26, Kansas 2 25
Michigan 32, Texas 2 22
Michigan 29, New York 24
7th - Michigan; 8th - New York; 9th - Texas 2
DEVELOPMENTAL MATCHES
Developmental 3 - Puerto Rico 28, Developmental 2 South Carolina 18
Developmental 1- New Jersey 38, Developmental 3 Puerto Rico 20
Developmental 1 - New Jersey 29, Developmental 2 South Carolina 24
POOL A
California 28, Developmental 2-SC 27
Ohio 26, New York 17
California 32, Ohio 14
Developmental 2-SC 37, New York 19
California 31, New York 22
Ohio 26, Developmental 2-SC 26
POOL B
Texas-1 34, Developmental 1-NJ 23
Wisconsin 27, Michigan 26
Texas-1 40, Wisconsin 14
Developmental 1-NJ 44, Michigan 13
Texas-1 41, Michigan 13
Developmental 1-NJ 45, Wisconsin 15
POOL C
Kansas 25, Developmental 3-PR 18
Hawaii 35, Texas-2 18
Kansas 42, Texas-2 17
Hawaii 34, Developmental 3-PR 11
Hawaii 29, Kansas 8
Developmental 3-PR 39, Texas-2 17
Texas won the first Women's Junior Duals in 2005 and California has won the Women's Junior Duals for the last two years. There was no surprise that the team title came down to a battle between these two powers once again at the 2008 Women's Junior National Duals.
Fueled by three pins going into the upper weight classes, Texas defeated California, 34-20 in the championship match. Now both states have won two Junior National Duals titles in their rivalry for women's wrestling supremacy.
"I was very pleased with their performance," said Texas head coach Amy McNeese. "They worked as a team, trained hard and spent all summer working. They pulled together when it counted."
U.S. Nationals runner-up Tessa Plana started the pinning streak at 146 pounds, putting away Moria Fernandez with a headlock at 146 pounds. The Texas run of pins continued with Cara Stratton pinning Holly Thein at 152 pounds and Brittany Roberts decking Paloma Herbert at 165 pounds.
After a California pin at 190 pounds by Angela Vyborny, the dual ended with another Texas win, as Junior Nationals champion Yadima Nwaiwu of Texas ended the meet with a final victory at 220 pounds.
"Tessa's victory was a turning point for us, and Yadima finalized the victory for us," said McNeese. "This win will help Texas women's wrestling grow and grow and grow."
The tournament was initially split up into three pools. Each pool had three state teams and a developmental team. When the pool competition ended, the top team in each pool went into the championship pool for places 1-3, the second team into the next pool for places 4-6 and the third team in the other pool for places 7-9. Each of the developmental teams went into their own pool.
The three teams in the championship pool were California, Texas and Hawaii, the states recognized for the strongest high school women's wrestling programs.
The first match in the Championship pool featured Texas against Hawaii. The match started with two wins by Hawaii from Keiko Akamine at 95 pounds and Brittani Dinong at 102 pounds. Texas then reeled off seven straight wins, including pins by Emily Martin at 109, Mia Provence at 116 pounds and Tessa Plana at 139 pounds. Texas closed the scoring with two forfeits, to win 42-13.
The second match featured defending champion California beat Hawaii, 33-24. Wins by Victoria Anthony at 102 pounds, Ariel Green at 116 pounds and four-time Junior Nationals champion Tatiana Padilla by a pin at 132 pounds helped fuel the win.
With the two losses in the Championship Pool, Hawaii placed third in the tournament. Kansas placed fourth, Ohio was fifth and Wisconsin was sixth.
JUNIOR NATIONAL WOMEN'S DUALS
At Fargo, N.D., July 22
CHAMPIONSHIP POOL DUAL MEETS
Texas 34, California 24
95 Ofelia Valdez (Texas #1) won by forfeit
102 Victoria Anthony (California) over Neda Hassani (Texas #1) Pin 0:24
109 Samantha Lopez (California) over Emily Martin (Texas #1) Dec 0-1,1-0,4-0
116 Mia Provence (Texas #1) over Ariel Green (California) Dec 6-0,2-1
124 Kirsten Strickler (Texas #1) over Brazil Marquez (California) Dec 4-3,6-6,3-2
132 Stephanie Han (Texas #1) over Ashley Mathews (California) Dec 3-0,2-0
139 Tatiana Padilla (California) over Brenda Mendoza (Texas #1) Pin 0:17
146 Tessa Plana (Texas #1) over Moriah Fernandez (California) Pin 8-1,1:42
153 Karra Stratton (Texas #1) over Holly Thein (California) Pin 1-2,1:37
165 Brittney Roberts (Texas #1) over Paloma Herbert (California) Pin 5-0,0:45
190 Angela Vyborny (California) over Jami Moore (Texas #1) Pin 6-0,1:01
220 Yadinma Nwaiwu (Texas #1) over Hannah Collins (California) TF 6-0,7-0
Texas #1 42, Hawaii 13
95 Keiko Akamine (Hawaii) over Ofelia Valdez (Texas #1) TF 6-0,6-0
102 Brittni Dinong (Hawaii) over Neda Hassani (Texas #1) Dec 4-0,1-1,7-0
109 Emily Martin (Texas #1) over Keri Watase (Hawaii) Pin 2-0,1:31
116 Mia Provence (Texas #1) over Kailin Curran (Hawaii) Pin 2-1,1:32
124 Kirsten Strickler (Texas #1) over Chaelynn Tan (Hawaii) Dec 5-0,6-0
132 Stephanie Han (Texas #1) over Jenny Ojerio (Hawaii) Dec 0-3,2-0,1-1
139 Tessa Plana (Texas #1) over Kuu`ipo Badayos (Hawaii) Pin 4-1,1:53
146 Laura Ponshock (Texas #1) over Ahnjahlee Akuna (Hawaii) Pin 6-4,0:52
153 Karra Stratton (Texas #1) by forfeit
165 Leya-Justina Luafalemana (Hawaii) over Brittney Roberts (Texas #1) Pin 1-0,4:29
190 Jami Moore (Texas #1) won by forfeit
220 Yadinma Nwaiwu (Texas #1) won by forfeit
California 33, Hawaii 24
95 Erin Uehara (Hawaii) won by forfeit
102 Victoria Anthony (California) over Brittni Dinong (Hawaii) Pin 0:28 5.00 0
109 Caronne Rozet (Hawaii) over Samantha Lopez (California) Dec 1-1,2-1 1 3.00
116 Ariel Green (California) over Kailin Curran (Hawaii) Inj 5.00 0
124 Megan Yamaguchi (Hawaii) over Brazel Marquez (California) Dec 0-6,5-1,4-3 1 3.00
132 Tatiana Padilla (California) over Raquel Pa`aluhi (Hawaii) Pin 6-0,0:36 5.00 0
139 Kuu`ipo Badayos (Hawaii) over Brittany David (California) Inj 0 5.00
146 Ahnjahlee Akuna (Hawaii) over Moriah Fernandez (California) Dec 6-6,6-0 1 3.00
153 Abigail Pederson (California) won by forfeit
165 Leya-Justina Luafalemana (Hawaii) over Paloma Herbert (California) Pin 7-0,0:34 0 5.00
190 Hannah Collins (California) won by forfeit
220 Angela Vyborny (California) won by forfeit
1st - Texas, 2nd - California, 3rd - Hawaii
4th-6th PLACE MATCHES
Ohio 30, Wisconsin 19
Kansas 25, Wisconsin 25
Kansas 31, Ohio 17
4th - Kansas, 5th - Ohio, 6th - Wisconsin
7th-9th PLACE MATCHES
New York 26, Kansas 2 25
Michigan 32, Texas 2 22
Michigan 29, New York 24
7th - Michigan; 8th - New York; 9th - Texas 2
DEVELOPMENTAL MATCHES
Developmental 3 - Puerto Rico 28, Developmental 2 South Carolina 18
Developmental 1- New Jersey 38, Developmental 3 Puerto Rico 20
Developmental 1 - New Jersey 29, Developmental 2 South Carolina 24
POOL A
California 28, Developmental 2-SC 27
Ohio 26, New York 17
California 32, Ohio 14
Developmental 2-SC 37, New York 19
California 31, New York 22
Ohio 26, Developmental 2-SC 26
POOL B
Texas-1 34, Developmental 1-NJ 23
Wisconsin 27, Michigan 26
Texas-1 40, Wisconsin 14
Developmental 1-NJ 44, Michigan 13
Texas-1 41, Michigan 13
Developmental 1-NJ 45, Wisconsin 15
POOL C
Kansas 25, Developmental 3-PR 18
Hawaii 35, Texas-2 18
Kansas 42, Texas-2 17
Hawaii 34, Developmental 3-PR 11
Hawaii 29, Kansas 8
Developmental 3-PR 39, Texas-2 17
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