King seeks to repeat as WCWA champs, with OCU & Campbellsville in hunt
Share:
by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
Haley Augello, pictured locking up an opponent at the 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial, is one of three King University stars who are returning WCWA women’s college national champions. Photo by John Sachs – Tech-Fall.com
The largest WCWA Women’s College Nationals ever will be held on Friday and Saturday at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Mo., and the defending champion King University team is looking for a repeat.
2014 national team champion King has been ranked No. 1 all season, and won the NWCA National Duals title in January, defeating Oklahoma City in the finals, 24-17. Oklahoma City is ranked No. 2 and Campbellsville No. 3 in the final team rankings of the season, both hoping to turn the tables on King when it counts most.
Individual returning WCWA champions include Emily Webster of Oklahoma City (101), Haley Augello of King (116), Sarah Hildebrandt of King (123) and Julia Salata of King (155).
Webster, a three-time WCWA champion, is looking to become the third four-time WCWA champion, joining Simon Fraser stars Victoria Anthony and Helen Maroulis who won their fourth gold medals last year.
Eight 2014 WCWA runners-up are also in the mix, including Darby Huckle of Simon Fraser (101), Breonnah Neal of King (109), Amy Fearnside of Jamestown (116), Cady Chessin of Menlo (123), Shai Mason of Jamestown (136), Amanda Hendey of King (143), Kayla Aggio of Oklahoma City (143) and Victoria Francis of Lindenwood (170). Neal was at Campbellsville last year, but transferred to King.
Last year, Jason Moorman’s King team edged OCU by just two points, going four-for-six in the championship finals. OCU made it a race with its team depth, but lost seven third-place matches, which may have prevented them from winning the event through the consolation rounds.
For the King Tornado, Webster, Augello and Salata enter the nationals as No. 1 ranked wrestlers, while Hildebrandt is No. 2 behind Senior National Team member Jacarra Winchester of Missouri Valley. Of the two returning runners-up, Hendey is currently ranked No. 1 and Neal is No. 2.
It could be freshmen who help push King over the top this year, as Marina Doi (101) and Jessi Kee (130) enter the event with No. 2 national rankings. Other ranked freshmen for King included Regina Doi (No. 5 at 101), Rachel Hale (No. 7 at 130), Evonne Evien (No. 8 at 170) and Jackie Williams (No. 4 at 191).
“I feel like we are wrestling well now. We had a few compete well at the Dave Schultz International, and we took some girls who didn’t go to the Bearcat Open at McKendree and we won a few titles. They feel good, but you never know. It’s the nationals. They are healthy and hungry. Of our 10 starters, six are underclassmen. If we wrestle to our full potential, we can do well. We have to focus on performing to our highest level in each match rather than watching the team scores. On paper, I see it coming down to us and Oklahoma City,” said Moorman.
Oklahoma City’s clear leader is the senior Webster, but they will also be counting on sophomore Cody Pfau (No. 1 at 109), senior Shelby Morrison (No. 4 at 116), senior Breanna Delgado (No. 4 at 130), junior Kayla Aggio (No. 2 at 143), senior Demi Strub (No. 2 at 170) and senior Heather O’Connor (No. 3 at 191).
Last year, OCU had 14 All-Americans, and enter with 13 ranked wrestlers this season. With King’s heavy hitters, Archie Randall’s Stars will need to do very well with their depth again to take the title. Oklahoma City won four straight WCWA titles from 2009-2012, and was second the last two years.
“In the rankings, we are sitting at No. 2 now. But, look at the parity. There are so many good kids. We have to have our kids wrestle well for us to win it. Every team has someone who can make the finals. We will try to get as many points as we can on the front side. But the most important part is how you do on the backside. The consolations will be the key to winning. Our girls are still wrestling the same weights they have been all year. Most of the other teams are moving people around. We are going straight at it,” said Randall.
Campbellsville boasts the top freshman in the WCWA so far this year, No. 1 ranked Kayla Miracle at 130. A Junior and Cadet World medalist, Miracle has also won some Senior-level tournaments already this year. She is the daughter of head coach Lee Miracle, who led Campbellsville to sixth place in its first year as a program at the 2014 WCWA Nationals.
Also holding a No. 1 ranking for Campbellsville is sophomore 191-pounder Tiara Scott, who was third at the nationals last year at this weight. Sophomore Rosemary Flores, who was third last year at 130, is ranked No. 3 at the weight going into the nationals. Another sophomore, Hanna Hall, holds a No. 4 ranking at 155.
“We are peaking at the right time. We have everybody healthy and everybody at the right weight. We will move people up and down to score the most points we can. It is going to be fun. We will try to win. This team feels good and we are where we need to be. I expect good things to happen, although we are the underdogs. Hopefully, it will be a great tournament for us,” said Lee Miracle.
Simon Fraser, the 2013 WCWA champions, was third last year and holds the No. 4 team ranking going into nationals. Mike Jones’ team lost four national champions to graduation last year, and comes into the nationals without a No. 1 ranked athlete for the first time in years. Their highest ranked athlete is No. 2 Bailey Halvorson at 155 pounds. For this year’s Clan team to do well, they will need to depend on depth rather than putting athletes into the finals.
There should be some very good battles among other teams to try to crack into the top four this year, as the balance among programs has been apparent all season. Lindenwood is ranked No. 5, with McKendree and Wayland Baptist tied at No. 6 in the team rankings. Jamestown is No. 8, the Cumberlands at No. 9 and host Missouri Baptist at No. 10.
This is the 12th year that a women’s college national tournament has been held, and only five teams have ever won. Oklahoma City leads with its four titles, followed by the University of the Cumberlands with three and Missouri Valley with two. Simon Fraser and King have won the team title once.
The 116-pound class is loaded, with returning finalists Augello and Fearnside holding the top two rankings. There are six returning All-Americans projected to compete in this class, including two athletes who were third last year, Diaysha Moore of Lindenwood and Nikkie Brar of Simon Fraser. Moore was third at 123, while Brar was third at 116.
Another division with six returning All-Americans expected to enter is 136 pounds. Monica Ramirez of Lindenwood, who was fourth here last year, holds the No. 1 position. Other All-Americans projected for this weight class are Forrest Molinari of King, Shai Mason of Jamestown, Cheyenne Youngblood of Missouri Baptist, Rachel Young of Oklahoma City and Gabby Klein of Waldorf.
This year, new programs that will enter the WCWA for the first time include Ottawa University of Kansas, Life University of Georgia, Lyon University of Arkansas and Warner Pacific College of Oregon. Coming in, Ottawa has the highest team ranking at No. 12 and the highest ranked individual wrestler from a new program, No. 2 ranked Brandy Lowe, a freshman competing at 191 pounds. It will be a big test for the new programs to see how high they can climb in the standings on their first try.
It will also be fun to see how many freshman can earn All-American status, with 29 ranked freshman in the final rankings for the year. The only freshman to win a title last year was King’s Augello, who will look for No. 2 in her quest to be a four-timer.
The one constant theme is the depth which has quickly developed in women’s college wrestling.
“We are seeing that the depth of women’s college wrestling is there. In each weight class, instead of one or two top wrestlers, there are six of seven in there. Because of that, there is parity among the teams,” said Coach Lee Miracle of Campbellsville.
“That is what makes it exciting and nerve-wracking. You have to rely on other teams to take out the competition. There will be upsets, and we hope the upsets go in our favor. The larger the tournament gets, the more upsets tend to happen,” said King coach Jason Moorman.
“It will be a great tournament to watch and go to. It is loaded. There are so many good women competing now,” said Coach Archie Randall of OCU.
To watch all of the WCWA National Championship action, fans can go to the Spartan Digital Network at portal.stretchinternet.com/mobap. There they can find the free, live broadcast, provided by Missouri Baptist, all the way through the finals.
February WCWA individual rankings
February WCWA team rankings
The largest WCWA Women’s College Nationals ever will be held on Friday and Saturday at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Mo., and the defending champion King University team is looking for a repeat.
2014 national team champion King has been ranked No. 1 all season, and won the NWCA National Duals title in January, defeating Oklahoma City in the finals, 24-17. Oklahoma City is ranked No. 2 and Campbellsville No. 3 in the final team rankings of the season, both hoping to turn the tables on King when it counts most.
Individual returning WCWA champions include Emily Webster of Oklahoma City (101), Haley Augello of King (116), Sarah Hildebrandt of King (123) and Julia Salata of King (155).
Webster, a three-time WCWA champion, is looking to become the third four-time WCWA champion, joining Simon Fraser stars Victoria Anthony and Helen Maroulis who won their fourth gold medals last year.
Eight 2014 WCWA runners-up are also in the mix, including Darby Huckle of Simon Fraser (101), Breonnah Neal of King (109), Amy Fearnside of Jamestown (116), Cady Chessin of Menlo (123), Shai Mason of Jamestown (136), Amanda Hendey of King (143), Kayla Aggio of Oklahoma City (143) and Victoria Francis of Lindenwood (170). Neal was at Campbellsville last year, but transferred to King.
Last year, Jason Moorman’s King team edged OCU by just two points, going four-for-six in the championship finals. OCU made it a race with its team depth, but lost seven third-place matches, which may have prevented them from winning the event through the consolation rounds.
For the King Tornado, Webster, Augello and Salata enter the nationals as No. 1 ranked wrestlers, while Hildebrandt is No. 2 behind Senior National Team member Jacarra Winchester of Missouri Valley. Of the two returning runners-up, Hendey is currently ranked No. 1 and Neal is No. 2.
It could be freshmen who help push King over the top this year, as Marina Doi (101) and Jessi Kee (130) enter the event with No. 2 national rankings. Other ranked freshmen for King included Regina Doi (No. 5 at 101), Rachel Hale (No. 7 at 130), Evonne Evien (No. 8 at 170) and Jackie Williams (No. 4 at 191).
“I feel like we are wrestling well now. We had a few compete well at the Dave Schultz International, and we took some girls who didn’t go to the Bearcat Open at McKendree and we won a few titles. They feel good, but you never know. It’s the nationals. They are healthy and hungry. Of our 10 starters, six are underclassmen. If we wrestle to our full potential, we can do well. We have to focus on performing to our highest level in each match rather than watching the team scores. On paper, I see it coming down to us and Oklahoma City,” said Moorman.
Oklahoma City’s clear leader is the senior Webster, but they will also be counting on sophomore Cody Pfau (No. 1 at 109), senior Shelby Morrison (No. 4 at 116), senior Breanna Delgado (No. 4 at 130), junior Kayla Aggio (No. 2 at 143), senior Demi Strub (No. 2 at 170) and senior Heather O’Connor (No. 3 at 191).
Last year, OCU had 14 All-Americans, and enter with 13 ranked wrestlers this season. With King’s heavy hitters, Archie Randall’s Stars will need to do very well with their depth again to take the title. Oklahoma City won four straight WCWA titles from 2009-2012, and was second the last two years.
“In the rankings, we are sitting at No. 2 now. But, look at the parity. There are so many good kids. We have to have our kids wrestle well for us to win it. Every team has someone who can make the finals. We will try to get as many points as we can on the front side. But the most important part is how you do on the backside. The consolations will be the key to winning. Our girls are still wrestling the same weights they have been all year. Most of the other teams are moving people around. We are going straight at it,” said Randall.
Campbellsville boasts the top freshman in the WCWA so far this year, No. 1 ranked Kayla Miracle at 130. A Junior and Cadet World medalist, Miracle has also won some Senior-level tournaments already this year. She is the daughter of head coach Lee Miracle, who led Campbellsville to sixth place in its first year as a program at the 2014 WCWA Nationals.
Also holding a No. 1 ranking for Campbellsville is sophomore 191-pounder Tiara Scott, who was third at the nationals last year at this weight. Sophomore Rosemary Flores, who was third last year at 130, is ranked No. 3 at the weight going into the nationals. Another sophomore, Hanna Hall, holds a No. 4 ranking at 155.
“We are peaking at the right time. We have everybody healthy and everybody at the right weight. We will move people up and down to score the most points we can. It is going to be fun. We will try to win. This team feels good and we are where we need to be. I expect good things to happen, although we are the underdogs. Hopefully, it will be a great tournament for us,” said Lee Miracle.
Simon Fraser, the 2013 WCWA champions, was third last year and holds the No. 4 team ranking going into nationals. Mike Jones’ team lost four national champions to graduation last year, and comes into the nationals without a No. 1 ranked athlete for the first time in years. Their highest ranked athlete is No. 2 Bailey Halvorson at 155 pounds. For this year’s Clan team to do well, they will need to depend on depth rather than putting athletes into the finals.
There should be some very good battles among other teams to try to crack into the top four this year, as the balance among programs has been apparent all season. Lindenwood is ranked No. 5, with McKendree and Wayland Baptist tied at No. 6 in the team rankings. Jamestown is No. 8, the Cumberlands at No. 9 and host Missouri Baptist at No. 10.
This is the 12th year that a women’s college national tournament has been held, and only five teams have ever won. Oklahoma City leads with its four titles, followed by the University of the Cumberlands with three and Missouri Valley with two. Simon Fraser and King have won the team title once.
The 116-pound class is loaded, with returning finalists Augello and Fearnside holding the top two rankings. There are six returning All-Americans projected to compete in this class, including two athletes who were third last year, Diaysha Moore of Lindenwood and Nikkie Brar of Simon Fraser. Moore was third at 123, while Brar was third at 116.
Another division with six returning All-Americans expected to enter is 136 pounds. Monica Ramirez of Lindenwood, who was fourth here last year, holds the No. 1 position. Other All-Americans projected for this weight class are Forrest Molinari of King, Shai Mason of Jamestown, Cheyenne Youngblood of Missouri Baptist, Rachel Young of Oklahoma City and Gabby Klein of Waldorf.
This year, new programs that will enter the WCWA for the first time include Ottawa University of Kansas, Life University of Georgia, Lyon University of Arkansas and Warner Pacific College of Oregon. Coming in, Ottawa has the highest team ranking at No. 12 and the highest ranked individual wrestler from a new program, No. 2 ranked Brandy Lowe, a freshman competing at 191 pounds. It will be a big test for the new programs to see how high they can climb in the standings on their first try.
It will also be fun to see how many freshman can earn All-American status, with 29 ranked freshman in the final rankings for the year. The only freshman to win a title last year was King’s Augello, who will look for No. 2 in her quest to be a four-timer.
The one constant theme is the depth which has quickly developed in women’s college wrestling.
“We are seeing that the depth of women’s college wrestling is there. In each weight class, instead of one or two top wrestlers, there are six of seven in there. Because of that, there is parity among the teams,” said Coach Lee Miracle of Campbellsville.
“That is what makes it exciting and nerve-wracking. You have to rely on other teams to take out the competition. There will be upsets, and we hope the upsets go in our favor. The larger the tournament gets, the more upsets tend to happen,” said King coach Jason Moorman.
“It will be a great tournament to watch and go to. It is loaded. There are so many good women competing now,” said Coach Archie Randall of OCU.
To watch all of the WCWA National Championship action, fans can go to the Spartan Digital Network at portal.stretchinternet.com/mobap. There they can find the free, live broadcast, provided by Missouri Baptist, all the way through the finals.
February WCWA individual rankings
February WCWA team rankings
