UPDATE: King repeats as WCWA champions, led by four champions
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – With four individual champions, three runners-up and 13 All-Americans, King University ran away with the team title at the 2015 WCWA Women’s College Nationals, held at Missouri Baptist University. It was their second straight WCWA team title.
All three returning champions from King, Haley Augello (116), Sarah Hildebrandt (123) and Julia Salata (155), defended their titles and became two-time champions with dominant finals matches.
Augello, a sophomore, beat Diaysha Moore of Lindenwood by technical fall, 12-2. Hildebrandt beat her King teammate Hanna Grisewood, 8-0. Salata won by technical fall over Hanna Hall of Campbellsville, 10-0. Hildebrandt and Salata are seniors.
Winning her first WCWA title was King senior Amanda Hendey, who pinned Kayla Aggio of Oklahoma City in 1:07 in the finals at 143 pounds. Hendey was a runner-up last year.
King scored an impressive 269 points, a whopping 73 points more than runner-up Campbellsville with 196 points. Head Coach Jason Moorman was named WCWA Coach of the Year.
“I am very pleased with how we competed. We competed better than we did last year. We were a little sloppy in the semis. There were a few matches we were down, but we had to come back. We did what we needed to do. We performed pretty well in the finals, too. I am real proud of them,” said Moorman.
For the departing King seniors, it was a great way to end impressive college careers, where they were a big part of building a championship program.
“It is awesome. Coach Moorman always emphasizes to us that we are never defending anything, that we are always pursuing everything. Pursuing a second national title, we came through with seven girls in the finals, and we dominated. We had more points going into the medal rounds than we did last year when we won. It was a total team effort and we had the results that we wanted,” said Salata.
Senior Emily Webster of Oklahoma City became only the third wrestler to win four WCWA national titles, scoring an impressive 10-0 technical fall over freshman Marina Doi of King in the 101-pound finals, 10-0. She joins Simon Fraser stars Victoria Anthony and Helen Maroulis, who claimed their fourth titles last year.
Webster was named the WCWA Wrestler of the Year, and was emotional receiving the award, standing alongside her parents with the trophy.
Two of the champions said after their victories that their goals include becoming four-time champions, Augello and Campbellsville freshman Kayla Miracle, the champion at 136 pounds. Miracle moved up a weight for the tournament and won her first title, defeating Shai Mason of Jamestown in the finals, 4-0.
Campbellsville, a second-year program, defeated perennial power Oklahoma City for second place by only one point, 196 to 195. Campbellsville did not secure its second place trophy until the final match of the evening, when Tiara Scott edged Brandy Lowe of Ottawa, 11-8 in an exciting final at 191 pounds. Scott jumped to an early lead, but Lowe tied the match up in the second period. A pushout and a late counter takedown gave Scott the margin of victory and pushed the team into the No. 2 position.
“I knew we had the potential. It was just about going out there and getting it done. The girls wrestled extremely tough the entire tournament. We had so many upset wins. Whenever we were down, we continued to fight. I think the athletes are finally starting to come together as sophomores and freshmen. They are fighting for each other now, and that’s the difference,” said Campbellsville head coach Lee Miracle.
All 10 of the No. 1 seeds coming into the tournament won the gold medal in their weight classes.
Other individual champions winning their first WCWA titles were sophomore Cody Pfau of Oklahoma City (109), senior Jacarra Winchester of Missouri Valley (130) and junior Victoria Francis of Lindenwood (170). Francis was a runner-up last year.
Pfau scored a first-period pin in the finals over Abby Lloyd of Simon Fraser in 2:50. Winchester scored the only takedown to defeat freshman Jessi Kee of King, 2-0. Francis pinned Ashley Miles of McKendree in 2:07 to secure her victory.
It was the largest WCWA Nationals ever, with 21 teams and over 250 athletes competing. It was the 12th year that women’s college wrestling championships have been held.
WCWA WOMEN’S COLLEGE NATIONALS
At Missouri Baptist Univ., St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 13-14
101 pounds
1st - Emily Webster (Oklahoma City) tech. fall Marina Doi (King Univ.), 10-0
3rd – Darby Huckle (Simon Fraser) forfeit over Vanessa Smith (Wayland Baptist)
5th – Sarah Allen (Univ. of the Cumberlands) dec. Tayler Resuriz (McKendree), 8-4
7th – Arelys Valles (Univ. of the Cumberlands) inj. dft. Regina Doi (King Univ.), 0:00
109 pounds
1st - Cody Pfau (Oklahoma City) pin Abby Lloyd (Simon Fraser), 2:50
3rd – Grace Paxton (Univ. of the Cumberlands) pin Breonnah Neal (King Univ.), 5:13
5th – Kait Fitzpatrick (Campbellsville) dec. Ashley Iliff (King Univ.), 15-14
7th – Jazmin Perez (Lyon) inj. dft. Christina Bautista (Missouri Valley College), 2:18
116 pounds
1st - Haley Augello (King Univ.) tech. fall Diaysha Moore (Lindenwood) , 12-2
3rd – Amy Fearnside (Jamestown) dec. Shelby Morrison (Oklahoma City), 7-6
5th –Kalin Knight-Alvarez (Menlo College) dec. Laura Anderson (Simon Fraser), 10-2
7th – Sherri Johnson (Univ. of the Cumberlands) dec. Lauren Richardson (Menlo College), 7-7
123 pounds
1st- Sarah Hildebrandt (King Univ.) dec. Hanna Grisewood (King Univ.), 8-0
3rd – Tarkyia Mensah (Wayland Baptist) tech. fall Bree Rapoza (Missouri Baptist), 12-1
5th – Cady Chessin (Menlo College) dec. Montana Drum (Missouri Baptist), 10-0
7th – Hailey Lily (McKendree) pin Shelby Hall (Campbellsville), 11-0
130 pounds
1st- Jacarra Winchester (Missouri Valley) dec. Jessi Kee (King Univ.), 2-0
3rd – Brieana Delgado (Oklahoma City) dec. Rosemary Flores (Campbellsville), 2-1
5th – Jennifer Anderson (Simon Fraser) tech. fall Talisha Dozier (Southwestern Oregon CC), 12-0
7th – Carla Ponce (Oklahoma City) tech. fall Rizpah Umi (Wayland Baptist), 12-2
136 pounds
1st- Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) dec. Shai Mason (Jamestown), 4-0
3rd – Monica Ramirez (Lindenwood) dec. Forrest Molinari (King Univ.), 6-4
5th –Francesca Giorgio (Simon Fraser) pin Gabby Klein (Simon Fraser), 4:15
7th – Kristin Yamasaki (Univ. of Cumberlands) dec. Jasmine Bailey (McKendree), 7-2
143 pounds
1st- Amanda Hendey (King Univ.) pin Kayla Aggio (Oklahoma City), 1:07
3rd – Cheyenne Youngblood (Missouri Baptist) dec. Hannah Gladden (Campbellsville), 6-3
5th – Cassandra Herkelman (McKendree) tech. fall Heiley Garcia (Oklahoma City), 10-0
7th – Bailey Martinez (Pacific Univ.) forfeit Angeline Fabbri (Lindenwood)
155 pounds
1st- Julia Salata (King Univ.) tech. fall Hanna Hall (Campbellsville), 10-0
3rd – Bailey Halvorson (Simon Fraser) dec. Alexis Porter (McKendree), 7-3
5th –Michelle Organ (Campbellsville) pin Lisa Gonzalez (Lindenwood), 5:02
7th – Niauni Hill (Lindenwood) inj. dft Yvonne Galindo (Oklahoma City), 0:00
170 pounds
1st- Victoria Francis (Lindenwood) pin Ashley Miles (McKendree), 2:07
3rd – Lorrie Ramos (King Univ.) pin Nahiela Magee (Wayland Baptist), 1:12
5th – Clarc Walker (Univ. of the Cumberlands) pin Monika Podgorski (Simon Fraser), 1:36
7th – Gabriela Guzman (Lindenwood) dec. Jesse Grubbs (Lyon College), 13-4
191 pounds
1st- Tiara Scott (Campbellsville) dec. Brandy Lowe (Ottawa), 11-8
3rd – Payton Smith (Simon Fraser) pin Jackie Williams (King Univ.), 1:24
5th – Heather O’Connor (Oklahoma City) dec. Kierra Boyce (Wayland Baptist), 3-1
7th – Alan Jimenez (McKendree) pin Rose Donaldson (Life), 0:33
Wrestler of the Year – Emily Webster, Oklahoma City, 101 pounds
Coach of the Year – Jason Moorman, King
Academic Team of the Year – King University
Team Standings
1. King, 269 pts.
2. Campbellsville, 196
3. Oklahoma City, 195
4. Simon Fraser, 172
5. Lindenwood, 145
6. McKendree, 114
7. Wayland Baptist, 113
8. Univ. of the Cumberlands, 98
9. Jamestown, 95
10. Missouri Baptist, 88
11. Missouri Valley College, 64
12. Menlo College, 61
13. Ottawa, 35
14. Southwestern Oregon CC, 32
15. Lyon College, 25
16. Waldorf College, 25
17. Lindenwood – Belleville, 17
18. Life, 16
19. Pacific Univ., 14
20. Warner Pacific College, 12
21. Midland, 3
All three returning champions from King, Haley Augello (116), Sarah Hildebrandt (123) and Julia Salata (155), defended their titles and became two-time champions with dominant finals matches.
Augello, a sophomore, beat Diaysha Moore of Lindenwood by technical fall, 12-2. Hildebrandt beat her King teammate Hanna Grisewood, 8-0. Salata won by technical fall over Hanna Hall of Campbellsville, 10-0. Hildebrandt and Salata are seniors.
Winning her first WCWA title was King senior Amanda Hendey, who pinned Kayla Aggio of Oklahoma City in 1:07 in the finals at 143 pounds. Hendey was a runner-up last year.
King scored an impressive 269 points, a whopping 73 points more than runner-up Campbellsville with 196 points. Head Coach Jason Moorman was named WCWA Coach of the Year.
“I am very pleased with how we competed. We competed better than we did last year. We were a little sloppy in the semis. There were a few matches we were down, but we had to come back. We did what we needed to do. We performed pretty well in the finals, too. I am real proud of them,” said Moorman.
For the departing King seniors, it was a great way to end impressive college careers, where they were a big part of building a championship program.
“It is awesome. Coach Moorman always emphasizes to us that we are never defending anything, that we are always pursuing everything. Pursuing a second national title, we came through with seven girls in the finals, and we dominated. We had more points going into the medal rounds than we did last year when we won. It was a total team effort and we had the results that we wanted,” said Salata.
Senior Emily Webster of Oklahoma City became only the third wrestler to win four WCWA national titles, scoring an impressive 10-0 technical fall over freshman Marina Doi of King in the 101-pound finals, 10-0. She joins Simon Fraser stars Victoria Anthony and Helen Maroulis, who claimed their fourth titles last year.
Webster was named the WCWA Wrestler of the Year, and was emotional receiving the award, standing alongside her parents with the trophy.
Two of the champions said after their victories that their goals include becoming four-time champions, Augello and Campbellsville freshman Kayla Miracle, the champion at 136 pounds. Miracle moved up a weight for the tournament and won her first title, defeating Shai Mason of Jamestown in the finals, 4-0.
Campbellsville, a second-year program, defeated perennial power Oklahoma City for second place by only one point, 196 to 195. Campbellsville did not secure its second place trophy until the final match of the evening, when Tiara Scott edged Brandy Lowe of Ottawa, 11-8 in an exciting final at 191 pounds. Scott jumped to an early lead, but Lowe tied the match up in the second period. A pushout and a late counter takedown gave Scott the margin of victory and pushed the team into the No. 2 position.
“I knew we had the potential. It was just about going out there and getting it done. The girls wrestled extremely tough the entire tournament. We had so many upset wins. Whenever we were down, we continued to fight. I think the athletes are finally starting to come together as sophomores and freshmen. They are fighting for each other now, and that’s the difference,” said Campbellsville head coach Lee Miracle.
All 10 of the No. 1 seeds coming into the tournament won the gold medal in their weight classes.
Other individual champions winning their first WCWA titles were sophomore Cody Pfau of Oklahoma City (109), senior Jacarra Winchester of Missouri Valley (130) and junior Victoria Francis of Lindenwood (170). Francis was a runner-up last year.
Pfau scored a first-period pin in the finals over Abby Lloyd of Simon Fraser in 2:50. Winchester scored the only takedown to defeat freshman Jessi Kee of King, 2-0. Francis pinned Ashley Miles of McKendree in 2:07 to secure her victory.
It was the largest WCWA Nationals ever, with 21 teams and over 250 athletes competing. It was the 12th year that women’s college wrestling championships have been held.
WCWA WOMEN’S COLLEGE NATIONALS
At Missouri Baptist Univ., St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 13-14
101 pounds
1st - Emily Webster (Oklahoma City) tech. fall Marina Doi (King Univ.), 10-0
3rd – Darby Huckle (Simon Fraser) forfeit over Vanessa Smith (Wayland Baptist)
5th – Sarah Allen (Univ. of the Cumberlands) dec. Tayler Resuriz (McKendree), 8-4
7th – Arelys Valles (Univ. of the Cumberlands) inj. dft. Regina Doi (King Univ.), 0:00
109 pounds
1st - Cody Pfau (Oklahoma City) pin Abby Lloyd (Simon Fraser), 2:50
3rd – Grace Paxton (Univ. of the Cumberlands) pin Breonnah Neal (King Univ.), 5:13
5th – Kait Fitzpatrick (Campbellsville) dec. Ashley Iliff (King Univ.), 15-14
7th – Jazmin Perez (Lyon) inj. dft. Christina Bautista (Missouri Valley College), 2:18
116 pounds
1st - Haley Augello (King Univ.) tech. fall Diaysha Moore (Lindenwood) , 12-2
3rd – Amy Fearnside (Jamestown) dec. Shelby Morrison (Oklahoma City), 7-6
5th –Kalin Knight-Alvarez (Menlo College) dec. Laura Anderson (Simon Fraser), 10-2
7th – Sherri Johnson (Univ. of the Cumberlands) dec. Lauren Richardson (Menlo College), 7-7
123 pounds
1st- Sarah Hildebrandt (King Univ.) dec. Hanna Grisewood (King Univ.), 8-0
3rd – Tarkyia Mensah (Wayland Baptist) tech. fall Bree Rapoza (Missouri Baptist), 12-1
5th – Cady Chessin (Menlo College) dec. Montana Drum (Missouri Baptist), 10-0
7th – Hailey Lily (McKendree) pin Shelby Hall (Campbellsville), 11-0
130 pounds
1st- Jacarra Winchester (Missouri Valley) dec. Jessi Kee (King Univ.), 2-0
3rd – Brieana Delgado (Oklahoma City) dec. Rosemary Flores (Campbellsville), 2-1
5th – Jennifer Anderson (Simon Fraser) tech. fall Talisha Dozier (Southwestern Oregon CC), 12-0
7th – Carla Ponce (Oklahoma City) tech. fall Rizpah Umi (Wayland Baptist), 12-2
136 pounds
1st- Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) dec. Shai Mason (Jamestown), 4-0
3rd – Monica Ramirez (Lindenwood) dec. Forrest Molinari (King Univ.), 6-4
5th –Francesca Giorgio (Simon Fraser) pin Gabby Klein (Simon Fraser), 4:15
7th – Kristin Yamasaki (Univ. of Cumberlands) dec. Jasmine Bailey (McKendree), 7-2
143 pounds
1st- Amanda Hendey (King Univ.) pin Kayla Aggio (Oklahoma City), 1:07
3rd – Cheyenne Youngblood (Missouri Baptist) dec. Hannah Gladden (Campbellsville), 6-3
5th – Cassandra Herkelman (McKendree) tech. fall Heiley Garcia (Oklahoma City), 10-0
7th – Bailey Martinez (Pacific Univ.) forfeit Angeline Fabbri (Lindenwood)
155 pounds
1st- Julia Salata (King Univ.) tech. fall Hanna Hall (Campbellsville), 10-0
3rd – Bailey Halvorson (Simon Fraser) dec. Alexis Porter (McKendree), 7-3
5th –Michelle Organ (Campbellsville) pin Lisa Gonzalez (Lindenwood), 5:02
7th – Niauni Hill (Lindenwood) inj. dft Yvonne Galindo (Oklahoma City), 0:00
170 pounds
1st- Victoria Francis (Lindenwood) pin Ashley Miles (McKendree), 2:07
3rd – Lorrie Ramos (King Univ.) pin Nahiela Magee (Wayland Baptist), 1:12
5th – Clarc Walker (Univ. of the Cumberlands) pin Monika Podgorski (Simon Fraser), 1:36
7th – Gabriela Guzman (Lindenwood) dec. Jesse Grubbs (Lyon College), 13-4
191 pounds
1st- Tiara Scott (Campbellsville) dec. Brandy Lowe (Ottawa), 11-8
3rd – Payton Smith (Simon Fraser) pin Jackie Williams (King Univ.), 1:24
5th – Heather O’Connor (Oklahoma City) dec. Kierra Boyce (Wayland Baptist), 3-1
7th – Alan Jimenez (McKendree) pin Rose Donaldson (Life), 0:33
Wrestler of the Year – Emily Webster, Oklahoma City, 101 pounds
Coach of the Year – Jason Moorman, King
Academic Team of the Year – King University
Team Standings
1. King, 269 pts.
2. Campbellsville, 196
3. Oklahoma City, 195
4. Simon Fraser, 172
5. Lindenwood, 145
6. McKendree, 114
7. Wayland Baptist, 113
8. Univ. of the Cumberlands, 98
9. Jamestown, 95
10. Missouri Baptist, 88
11. Missouri Valley College, 64
12. Menlo College, 61
13. Ottawa, 35
14. Southwestern Oregon CC, 32
15. Lyon College, 25
16. Waldorf College, 25
17. Lindenwood – Belleville, 17
18. Life, 16
19. Pacific Univ., 14
20. Warner Pacific College, 12
21. Midland, 3
