UPDATE: Men’s finals at UWW Junior World Team Trials and Women’s UWW Junior Nationals finals now set
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Jason Nolf of the Nittany Lion WC works on an ankle lace against Joe Smith of the Titan Mercury WC at 74 kg at the UWW Junior World Team Trials. Photo by Jim Thrall.
Women’s freestyle report
The finals series have been set for the Body Bar UWW Junior Nationals in women’s freestyle in the eight World Championships weight classes.
Four defending champions will compete in the Championship Series, including 2015 Junior World bronze medalist Becka Leathers of the OKCU/Gator RTC at 55 kg/121 lbs. As a freshman for Oklahoma City University in 2015-16, Leathers won the WCWA Nationals at 123 pounds.
The other defending champions who reached the finals were Marina Doi of the Titan Mercury WC at 44 kg/97 lbs., Kayla Miracle of the Sunkist Kids at 59 kg/121 lbs. and Rachel Watters of OKCU Gator RTC at 72 kg/158 lbs. Doi and Miracle were WCWA National champions this year, while Watters is finishing her senior year in high school.
Finalists were determined this morning, as the semifinal winners in each weight class advanced to the finals series. It will be a best-of-three Championships series in the eight World Championships weight classes. Winners will compete at the UWW Junior World Championships in France later this summer.
There will be on final at a non-World Championships weight, 79.5 kg/175 lbs., which will be determined with a one-match finals.
BODY BAR UWW JUNIOR WOMEN’S NATIONALS
At Irving, Texas, March 22
Championship Series finals matches
44 kg/97 lbs. – Marina Doi (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Naomi Chavez (Maverick Elite)
48 kg/105 lbs. – Aleeah Gould (Titan Mercury WC) vs. McKayla Campbell (Ohio National Team)
51 kg/112 lbs. – Brenda Reyna (Vandit Wrestling Academy) vs. Autumn Gordon (Lancaster)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Becka Leathers (OKCU Gator RTC) vs. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) vs. Elissa Douglass of Vici WC
63 kg/138 lbs. – Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) vs. Francesca Giorgio (Simon Fraser)
67 kg/147 lbs. – Alexis Porter (McKendree Univ.) vs. Jessica Kee (King Univ.)
72 kg/158 lbs. – Rachel Watters (OKCU Gator RTC) vs. Hanna Gladden (Gator/OKCU RTC)
79.5 kg/175 lbs. – Nadine Fiege (Life Running Eagles) vs. Kacie Moorehouse (Bandit Wrestling Academy)
Men’s freestyle report
IRVING, Texas - The best-of-three Championship Series for the final four weight classes at the UWW Junior Freestyle World Team Trials have been set, after the conclusion of the morning Challenge Tournament.
The UWW Junior Nationals champion in each of the weights advanced directly to the finals series, to face the winner of the Challenge Tournament on Sunday afternoon in a best-of-three series.
Winners will represent the USA at the UWW Junior World Championships in France later this summer.
At 55 kg/121 lbs., national champion Daton Fix of Team BIG will face Challenge Tournament champion Austin Gomez of the Gomez Wrestling Academy. Gomez scored a 10-0 technical fall over Austin Assad of the Michigan RTC in the challenge tournament finals.
Fix was a bronze medalist at the 2015 UWW Cadet World Championships, and has been a UWW Junior Nationals champion for the last two years. Gomez was third at the 2016 UWW Junior Nationals in Las Vegas in April.
At 60 kg/132 lbs., national champion Mitchell McKee of the Minnesota Storm will face North Dakota State’s Seth Gross of the Jackrabbit WC in the finals series. Gross scored a 12-2 technical fall over Nick Lee of MCWC/Miron in the Challenge Tournament finals.
McKee won the 2016 UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle and was second at the 2015 UWW Junior Nationals. McKee pinned Gross in the finals of the 2016 UWW Nationals in 2:15 in Las Vegas in April.
2014 Cadet World champion and 2015 Junior World Team member Mark Hall of the Minnesota Storm will battle Penn State All-American Jason Nolf of the Nittany Lion WC in the finals series at 74 kg/163 lbs. Nolf defeated Penn State teammate Vincenzo Joseph of the Nittany Lion WC in the Challenge Tournament finals, 5-2.
Hall was a 2014 UWW Cadet World champion and was ninth in the 2015 UWW Junior World Championships. Hall beat Nolf in the finals of the 2015 UWW Junior National finals 13-8. Nolf did not wrestling in this year’s UWW Junior Nationals.
2015 Junior World Team member Zahid Valencia of the Sunkist Kids will draw Penn State All-American Bo Nickal of the Nittany Lion WC in the finals series. Nickal stopped UWW Junior Nationals runner-up Bobby Steveson of the Minnesota Storm in the semifinals, 12-2 by technical fall.
Valencia is a freshman at Arizona State University, where he took a redshirt year this season. Valencia was 10th at the 2015 UWW Junior World Championships, and won the UWW Junior Nationals for the second straight year. Nickal did not compete in the UWW Junior Nationals this year. Nickal was fifth in the 2013 Cadet World Championships.
All four of the UWW Junior National champions competing in the Championship Series later today competed Thursday night at the Beat the Streets “United in the Square” event against Iran in Times Square. Winning their matches against Iran’s top Junior wrestlers were Fix, McKee and Valencia.
The men’s freestyle finals are set for 2:00 p.m. while the UWW Junior Nationals women’s finals will follow at 3:30 p.m. The finals will be shown live on Flowrestling.
UWW JUNIOR FREESTYLE JUNIOR WORLD TEAM TRIALS
At Irving, Texas
Best-of-three Championship Series pairings
55 kg/121.25 lbs. – National champion Daton Fix (Team BIG) vs. Austin Gomez (Gomez Wrestling Academy)
60 kg/132 lbs. – National champion Mitchell McKee (Minnesota Storm) vs. Seth Gross (Jackrabbit WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. – National champion Mark Hall (Minnesota Storm) vs. Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC)
84 kg/185 lbs. – National champion Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids) vs. Bo Nickal (Nittany Lion WC)
Women’s freestyle report
The finals series have been set for the Body Bar UWW Junior Nationals in women’s freestyle in the eight World Championships weight classes.
Four defending champions will compete in the Championship Series, including 2015 Junior World bronze medalist Becka Leathers of the OKCU/Gator RTC at 55 kg/121 lbs. As a freshman for Oklahoma City University in 2015-16, Leathers won the WCWA Nationals at 123 pounds.
The other defending champions who reached the finals were Marina Doi of the Titan Mercury WC at 44 kg/97 lbs., Kayla Miracle of the Sunkist Kids at 59 kg/121 lbs. and Rachel Watters of OKCU Gator RTC at 72 kg/158 lbs. Doi and Miracle were WCWA National champions this year, while Watters is finishing her senior year in high school.
Finalists were determined this morning, as the semifinal winners in each weight class advanced to the finals series. It will be a best-of-three Championships series in the eight World Championships weight classes. Winners will compete at the UWW Junior World Championships in France later this summer.
There will be on final at a non-World Championships weight, 79.5 kg/175 lbs., which will be determined with a one-match finals.
BODY BAR UWW JUNIOR WOMEN’S NATIONALS
At Irving, Texas, March 22
Championship Series finals matches
44 kg/97 lbs. – Marina Doi (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Naomi Chavez (Maverick Elite)
48 kg/105 lbs. – Aleeah Gould (Titan Mercury WC) vs. McKayla Campbell (Ohio National Team)
51 kg/112 lbs. – Brenda Reyna (Vandit Wrestling Academy) vs. Autumn Gordon (Lancaster)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Becka Leathers (OKCU Gator RTC) vs. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) vs. Elissa Douglass of Vici WC
63 kg/138 lbs. – Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) vs. Francesca Giorgio (Simon Fraser)
67 kg/147 lbs. – Alexis Porter (McKendree Univ.) vs. Jessica Kee (King Univ.)
72 kg/158 lbs. – Rachel Watters (OKCU Gator RTC) vs. Hanna Gladden (Gator/OKCU RTC)
79.5 kg/175 lbs. – Nadine Fiege (Life Running Eagles) vs. Kacie Moorehouse (Bandit Wrestling Academy)
Men’s freestyle report
IRVING, Texas - The best-of-three Championship Series for the final four weight classes at the UWW Junior Freestyle World Team Trials have been set, after the conclusion of the morning Challenge Tournament.
The UWW Junior Nationals champion in each of the weights advanced directly to the finals series, to face the winner of the Challenge Tournament on Sunday afternoon in a best-of-three series.
Winners will represent the USA at the UWW Junior World Championships in France later this summer.
At 55 kg/121 lbs., national champion Daton Fix of Team BIG will face Challenge Tournament champion Austin Gomez of the Gomez Wrestling Academy. Gomez scored a 10-0 technical fall over Austin Assad of the Michigan RTC in the challenge tournament finals.
Fix was a bronze medalist at the 2015 UWW Cadet World Championships, and has been a UWW Junior Nationals champion for the last two years. Gomez was third at the 2016 UWW Junior Nationals in Las Vegas in April.
At 60 kg/132 lbs., national champion Mitchell McKee of the Minnesota Storm will face North Dakota State’s Seth Gross of the Jackrabbit WC in the finals series. Gross scored a 12-2 technical fall over Nick Lee of MCWC/Miron in the Challenge Tournament finals.
McKee won the 2016 UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle and was second at the 2015 UWW Junior Nationals. McKee pinned Gross in the finals of the 2016 UWW Nationals in 2:15 in Las Vegas in April.
2014 Cadet World champion and 2015 Junior World Team member Mark Hall of the Minnesota Storm will battle Penn State All-American Jason Nolf of the Nittany Lion WC in the finals series at 74 kg/163 lbs. Nolf defeated Penn State teammate Vincenzo Joseph of the Nittany Lion WC in the Challenge Tournament finals, 5-2.
Hall was a 2014 UWW Cadet World champion and was ninth in the 2015 UWW Junior World Championships. Hall beat Nolf in the finals of the 2015 UWW Junior National finals 13-8. Nolf did not wrestling in this year’s UWW Junior Nationals.
2015 Junior World Team member Zahid Valencia of the Sunkist Kids will draw Penn State All-American Bo Nickal of the Nittany Lion WC in the finals series. Nickal stopped UWW Junior Nationals runner-up Bobby Steveson of the Minnesota Storm in the semifinals, 12-2 by technical fall.
Valencia is a freshman at Arizona State University, where he took a redshirt year this season. Valencia was 10th at the 2015 UWW Junior World Championships, and won the UWW Junior Nationals for the second straight year. Nickal did not compete in the UWW Junior Nationals this year. Nickal was fifth in the 2013 Cadet World Championships.
All four of the UWW Junior National champions competing in the Championship Series later today competed Thursday night at the Beat the Streets “United in the Square” event against Iran in Times Square. Winning their matches against Iran’s top Junior wrestlers were Fix, McKee and Valencia.
The men’s freestyle finals are set for 2:00 p.m. while the UWW Junior Nationals women’s finals will follow at 3:30 p.m. The finals will be shown live on Flowrestling.
UWW JUNIOR FREESTYLE JUNIOR WORLD TEAM TRIALS
At Irving, Texas
Best-of-three Championship Series pairings
55 kg/121.25 lbs. – National champion Daton Fix (Team BIG) vs. Austin Gomez (Gomez Wrestling Academy)
60 kg/132 lbs. – National champion Mitchell McKee (Minnesota Storm) vs. Seth Gross (Jackrabbit WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. – National champion Mark Hall (Minnesota Storm) vs. Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC)
84 kg/185 lbs. – National champion Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids) vs. Bo Nickal (Nittany Lion WC)
