2017 WCWA Women’s College Nationals weight-by-weight preview
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
Kayla Miracle, shown working an ankle lace on Randi Beltz at the 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International, seeks her third WCWA national title for Campbellsville University. Photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com
The 2017 WCWA Women’s College Nationals is set for this weekend, Feb. 10-11, at Oklahoma City University.
Friday also kicks off USA Wrestling’s third-annual Women’s Wrestling Week. The focus of this year’s celebration will include the history of women’s college wrestling as well as the history of official state high school championships in girls’ wrestling.
The field includes eight WCWA individual national titles, with two wrestlers each going for her third, Olympian Haley Augello of King and Kayla Miracle of Campbellsville. There are as many as 42 returning All-Americans from 2016 expected.
King University seeks its fourth-consecutive WCWA team title, looking to match Oklahoma City University’s run from 2009-2012. There is a tradition of many teams adjusting their lineups and moving athletes to new weights classes for the nationals.
This tournament is expected to be the largest in history, as six new colleges added women’s wrestling programs this season. FloWrestling will be broadcasting all of the action.
Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the tournament’s talented competitors.
101 pounds
Leading the pack at 101 pounds is returning national champ Marina Doi, a junior at King. Doi is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation at the weight with an unblemished 12-0 record on the season. She owns wins over three top-eight wrestlers, including Sarah Allen and Maia Phanthadera of the Cumberlands and McKenzie Bacich of Campbellsville.
Marina is a two-time WCWA finalist, finishing second at the 2015 WCWA Championships.
Right behind her in the rankings is her twin sister and teammate Regina Doi, who is No. 2. She finished eighth at the 2015 WCWA Championships before turning in a fifth-place finish at last year’s tournament. Regina holds an 8-0 record with half of her wins coming by technical fall. The Doi sisters both placed at the 2017 U.S. Senior Nationals in December, with Marina taking third and Regina finishing sixth.
Three-time All-American and senior for the University of the Cumberlands, Sarah Allen, returns for her final WCWA championships. Ranked No. 3 entering the tournament, Allen has improved upon each performance at nationals, going from seventh to fifth to second, respectively.
Other 2016 All-Americans returning to the field are Hiba Salem of Menlo College, who finished sixth, and Kayla Walker of McKendree, who finished eighth.
Also posing a threat at 101 pounds are Cumberlands junior Maia Phanthadera and Lindenwood-Belleville’s sophomore Juliana Olivo.
109 pounds
With 2016 national champion Cody Pfau taking a redshirt year after transferring to Emmanuel from Oklahoma City, the 109-pound weight class will see a new champion.
King senior Breonnah Neal is the top-ranked wrestler at 109 pounds. She is a two-time finalist, winning silver medals in 2014 and 2016. During her sophomore season, she finished third at the weight. Neal boasts a 16-0 record with 12 tech falls, wrestling at both 109 and 116 pounds.
No. 2 Amy Fearnside, a senior at Jamestown, returns to the WCWAs after an Olympic redshirt year in 2016. Fearnside was a WCWA finalist in 2014 and finished third in 2015, both at 116 pounds. Her lowest finish at the tournament came in 2013, her freshman year, when she recorded a fourth-place finish. Fearnside is also a 2014 University World silver medalist.
Also entering the 109 bracket is No. 8 Cassidy Jasperson of Oklahoma City, who finished fourth last year at 123 pounds. Earlier this year, Jasperson took third at the U.S. Senior Nationals.
Four 2016 All-Americans could return to the field in Cindy Calixto of Emmanuel, Daisy Santos of King, Tori Degginger of Lindenwood and Andrey Diaz of Lindenwood. Santos is a two-time All-American, finishing sixth in 2015 and 2016.
Others to watch include Ciera McCrae of Simon Fraser and Kimberly Straub of Lindenwood-Belleville.
116 pounds
After taking an Olympic redshirt year during the 2015-16 season to train at the Olympic Training Center, Olympian Haley Augello returns to the WCWA stage, seeking another title.
Augello, a junior for King, is a two-time national champion, taking the 116-pound bracket by storm in 2014 and 2015. Should she win a third title, she will become only the seventh three-timer.
Standing in her way is two-time WCWA finalist Abby Lloyd, a junior from Simon Fraser. Lloyd is 34-1 on the season with her lone loss coming to Canada’s Breanne Barry at the SFU Clan International.
Three-time All-American Cady Chessin seeks her first championship in her final season at Menlo College. Chessin spent her first two years competing at 123, where she finished second and fifth, respectively. Last year, she moved down to 116 and took third.
Christy Powell, a senior from Missouri Valley, is ranked No. 4 at the weight and is in the hunt for her first top-eight finish at the event.
A freshman looking to make an impact at the weight is McKendree’s Theresa Rankin. She was a 2014 Cadet World Team member, representing the USA in Snina, Slovakia. She also owns two top-five finishes at the Junior Body Bar Women’s Nationals.
2016 All-American Madelynn McIlwain of Southern Oregon will also be in the mix. Challengers include ranked wrestlers Tricia Martin of Jamestown and Jathiya Isaac of Wayland Baptist.
123 pounds
Hanna Grisewood of King University leads the 123-pound weight class with the No. 1 ranking. Her highest finish came in 2014, when she made an appearance in the 123-pound finals, where she fell to two-time WCWA champ Sarah Hildebrandt. Competing down at 116 pounds last year, she finished sixth.
Rachel Archer of Oklahoma City University also moved up to 123 pounds and holds the No. 5 ranking. She earned a bid to the U.S. World Team Trials with a seventh-place finish at U.S. Senior Nationals in December.
In the hunt for a title is Wayland Baptist senior Tarkyia Mensah. The two-time WCWA All-American has a win over Archer last spring for her second Women’s University Nationals championship.
Two other All-Americans, Bianca Arizpe of Menlo College and Dominique Parrish of Simon Fraser, also return at 123 pounds. Parrish has put together a strong season, coming into nationals ranked No. 3
Campbellsville freshman Andribeth Rivera could make an impact at the weight. Rivera competes internationally for Puerto Rico and recently entered the Dave Schultz Memorial International, where she fell in the consolation semifinals.
Not to be overlooked is Missouri Baptist junior Tamara Tillman, who has been successful on the USA Wrestling circuit for many years.
130 pounds
Campbellsville junior Shelby Hall is the highest returning placer at 130 pounds, finishing third in 2016. Just a year before, Hall took fifth at 123 pounds. She is joined by Alexia Ward of McKendree, who finished eighth at the weight last year as a freshman.
Two-time WCWA champion Kayla Miracle of Campbellsville holds the No. 1 ranking here, but is expected to jump up to 136 for the nationals.
Moving up to 130 pounds this year is Megan Black, a Junior at McKendree and a WCWA finalist at 123 pounds. The 2012 Junior Nationals champ took seventh in December’s U.S. Senior Nationals. With Kayla Miracle registered at 136 pounds, Black heads into the tournament as the favorite.
Also stepping up to this weight is Jennifer Anderson, a 2016 All-American at 123 pounds. A senior for Simon Fraser, Anderson competed at 130 pounds in the 2015 WCWA tournament, finishing fifth.
Southern Oregon had two ranked wrestlers at this weight class, No. 6 Alejandra Rodriguez and No. 6 Kalyn Schwartz.
136 pounds
Two-time WCWA champion Kayla Miracle of Campbellsville is in search of her third national title as a junior. Although she holds the No. 1 ranking at 130 pounds, Miracle is expected to wrestle at 136. She has changed weights often during her college career with great success.
In addition to her 2012 Cadet World silver and 2014 Junior World bronze, Miracle has racked up several accolades on the Senior level. So far for the 2017 Senior season, she has produced championship performances at the U.S. Senior Nationals and Dave Schultz Memorial International. Last year, Miracle finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 58 kg/128 lbs.
Looking to knock off Miracle is Francesca Giorgio of Simon Fraser University. Giorgio has two top-five finishes at nationals, including a third-place finish in 2016 and fifth in 2015. Her most recent feat was a bronze medal at the Canada Cup in June.
Moving up to 136 pounds are 130-pound All-Americans Nicole Depa of Simon Fraser and Koral Sugiyama of Campbellsvile. Both are sophomores. Sugiyama is a former Cadet World Team member.
Freshmen Gabby Garcia of King and Solin Piearcy of Menlo College are the nation’s No. 4 and No. 5 ranked wrestlers and look to shake things up. Garcia was a 2014 Junior Nationals champion, while Piearcy was a two-time Junior Nationals All-American.
Senior Cheyenne Youngblood of Missouri Baptist is ranked No. 6 at this weight class, and placed third at the 2015 WCWA Nationals at 143 pounds.
143 pounds
No. 1 ranked and returning champion Mallory Velte enters the field at 143 pounds. Velte earned a spot the U.S. Women’s National Team this past year in two weights, at both an Olympic weight (63 kg) and a non-Olympic weight (60 kg). On top of that, she won University Nationals and placed third at U.S. Senior Nationals.
Back to challenge Velte is Maggie Douma of Oklahoma City, the 2016 WCWA finalist at 143 pounds. Douma is ranked No. 7 in the nation, but has a history of wrestling well at the big-time events.
No. 2 ranked Jessi Kee of King placed at Senior Nationals, taking fifth. She enters at 143 pounds after finishing fifth at 136 pounds last year. She was also a WCWA runner-up at 130 pounds in 2015.
The bracket is filled with tough competition as two other 143-pound All-Americans are expected to compete. Carly Jaramillo of Southwest Oregon Community College finished sixth at 143 pounds, while Marina Briceno took eighth. Earlier this year, Briceno earned a bid to compete at the U.S. World Team Trials with a seventh-place finish at U.S. Senior Nationals.
Sarah Bollinger, who wrestles for Missouri Baptist, fell to Kee in the fifth-place match at last year’s WCWAs at 136 pounds.
Veterans Montana Drum and Jasmine Bailey hold the No. 3 and No. 4 national rankings, respectively. Drum, a senior for Missouri Baptist, is a two-time All-American at 123 pounds, placing in 2014 and 2015. McKendree junior Bailey snagged an eighth-place finish in 2015 at 136 pounds.
Freshmen Desiree Zavala of Southern Oregon University and Skylar Grote of Lafayette College could be a factor as the nation’s No. 5 and No. 6 ranked wrestlers. Both have been very successful in USA Wrestling’s age-group programs.
155 pounds
Highlighting the 155-pound weight class is 2016 Olympic Trials champion Tamyra Mensah of Wayland Baptist. She recently became only the sixth American woman to win the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, Mensah stays active on the Senior scene. In December, she finished second at U.S. Senior Nationals after taking silver at the Golden Grand Prix Final in Azerbaijan.
Mensah is a 2014 WCWA champion, which was the last WCWA tourney she competed in. She took an Olympic redshirt year last season. In 2013, she finished third, improving on her 2012 fourth-place finish.
Four of the eight 2016 WCWA placers at 155 pounds return.
Two-time All-American Niauni Hill of Lindenwood-Belleville is the highest returning placer from 2016, taking third. She defeated Campbellsville’s Michelle Organ in the third-place match. Organ is also expected to compete at this weight again.
Menlo College’s Iman Kazem and Southwest Oregon CC’s Tatum Sparks wrap up the 2016 AAs at 155 pounds, with Kazem placing fifth last year and Sparks placing sixth.
Bumping up from 143 pounds is Warner Pacific sophomore Kiera Gabaldon, who took fourth at WCWAs in 2016.
Looking to stir the pot is OCU freshman Rachel Watters, who placed sixth at U.S. Senior Nationals. Watters won the Junior National Championships this past summer and has been a member of two Junior World Teams. Ranked No. 4 coming into nationals, Watters past performances indicate that she is capable of winning the title here.
McKendree had a pair of ranked wrestlers at 155 pounds, No. 5 Alexandria Glaude and No. 6 Andrea Sennett.
170 pounds
The top-two ranked wrestlers at 170 pounds have both moved up from 155 pounds. Both were WCWA finalists last season.
Forrest Molinari of King, last year’s champion at 155 pounds, defeated Jessika Rottier of Cumberlands in the WCWA finals, 7-0. However, Rottier holds the No. 1 ranking at 170 pounds, while Molinari follows at No. 2 at this time.
Molinari is a three-time All-American with third and fourth-place finishes in 2014 and 2015, respectively. She also represented Team USA at the 2015 Junior World Championships. Rottier was second in the 2016 USA Wrestling University Nationals and has a long resume of USA Wrestling age-group achievements.
Hanna Hall of Campbellsville is gearing up for her final WCWA championship. She is a two-time finalist, finishing second at 170 pounds in 2016 and 155 pounds in 2015. Her first All-America honor came in 2014 when she placed fourth at 143 pounds.
Two 2017 Senior National place winners enter the field in Brandy Lowe of McKendree, who took third, and Brittany Marshall of Wayland Baptist, who placed fourth. Marshall is the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation, while Lowe is No. 5. Lowe was also a WCWA runner-up in 2015 at 190 pounds, competing for Ottawa.
191 pounds
Paige Baynes, a sophomore from Lindenwood, leads the pack as the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 191 pounds. She finished sixth at the 2016 WCWA tournament.
No. 2 Payten Smith from Simon Fraser is a returning 2016 finalist. Earlier this year, Smith won gold at the SFU Clan International.
Third-ranked Kierra Boyce is a senior from Wayland Baptist and a three-time WCWA All-American. She seeks to improve upon her third-place finish from 2016. Boyce is also a 2012 Fargo Junior Nationals champion.
Fellow Junior Nationals champ Monica Mason of Oklahoma City wraps up the 2016 All-Americans at 191 pounds. Mason, a sophomore from OCU, finished seventh at last year’s WCWAs and currently holds a No. 4 national ranking.
Nadine Fiege of Life, who took sixth at the 2016 WCWAs at 170 pounds, moves up in weight for 2017. Fiege took the Junior Nationals title in 2013.
Others to watch are Darcie Manning O’Brien of Missouri Baptist and Jesse Grubbs of Campbellsville.
The 2017 WCWA Women’s College Nationals is set for this weekend, Feb. 10-11, at Oklahoma City University.
Friday also kicks off USA Wrestling’s third-annual Women’s Wrestling Week. The focus of this year’s celebration will include the history of women’s college wrestling as well as the history of official state high school championships in girls’ wrestling.
The field includes eight WCWA individual national titles, with two wrestlers each going for her third, Olympian Haley Augello of King and Kayla Miracle of Campbellsville. There are as many as 42 returning All-Americans from 2016 expected.
King University seeks its fourth-consecutive WCWA team title, looking to match Oklahoma City University’s run from 2009-2012. There is a tradition of many teams adjusting their lineups and moving athletes to new weights classes for the nationals.
This tournament is expected to be the largest in history, as six new colleges added women’s wrestling programs this season. FloWrestling will be broadcasting all of the action.
Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the tournament’s talented competitors.
101 pounds
Leading the pack at 101 pounds is returning national champ Marina Doi, a junior at King. Doi is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation at the weight with an unblemished 12-0 record on the season. She owns wins over three top-eight wrestlers, including Sarah Allen and Maia Phanthadera of the Cumberlands and McKenzie Bacich of Campbellsville.
Marina is a two-time WCWA finalist, finishing second at the 2015 WCWA Championships.
Right behind her in the rankings is her twin sister and teammate Regina Doi, who is No. 2. She finished eighth at the 2015 WCWA Championships before turning in a fifth-place finish at last year’s tournament. Regina holds an 8-0 record with half of her wins coming by technical fall. The Doi sisters both placed at the 2017 U.S. Senior Nationals in December, with Marina taking third and Regina finishing sixth.
Three-time All-American and senior for the University of the Cumberlands, Sarah Allen, returns for her final WCWA championships. Ranked No. 3 entering the tournament, Allen has improved upon each performance at nationals, going from seventh to fifth to second, respectively.
Other 2016 All-Americans returning to the field are Hiba Salem of Menlo College, who finished sixth, and Kayla Walker of McKendree, who finished eighth.
Also posing a threat at 101 pounds are Cumberlands junior Maia Phanthadera and Lindenwood-Belleville’s sophomore Juliana Olivo.
109 pounds
With 2016 national champion Cody Pfau taking a redshirt year after transferring to Emmanuel from Oklahoma City, the 109-pound weight class will see a new champion.
King senior Breonnah Neal is the top-ranked wrestler at 109 pounds. She is a two-time finalist, winning silver medals in 2014 and 2016. During her sophomore season, she finished third at the weight. Neal boasts a 16-0 record with 12 tech falls, wrestling at both 109 and 116 pounds.
No. 2 Amy Fearnside, a senior at Jamestown, returns to the WCWAs after an Olympic redshirt year in 2016. Fearnside was a WCWA finalist in 2014 and finished third in 2015, both at 116 pounds. Her lowest finish at the tournament came in 2013, her freshman year, when she recorded a fourth-place finish. Fearnside is also a 2014 University World silver medalist.
Also entering the 109 bracket is No. 8 Cassidy Jasperson of Oklahoma City, who finished fourth last year at 123 pounds. Earlier this year, Jasperson took third at the U.S. Senior Nationals.
Four 2016 All-Americans could return to the field in Cindy Calixto of Emmanuel, Daisy Santos of King, Tori Degginger of Lindenwood and Andrey Diaz of Lindenwood. Santos is a two-time All-American, finishing sixth in 2015 and 2016.
Others to watch include Ciera McCrae of Simon Fraser and Kimberly Straub of Lindenwood-Belleville.
116 pounds
After taking an Olympic redshirt year during the 2015-16 season to train at the Olympic Training Center, Olympian Haley Augello returns to the WCWA stage, seeking another title.
Augello, a junior for King, is a two-time national champion, taking the 116-pound bracket by storm in 2014 and 2015. Should she win a third title, she will become only the seventh three-timer.
Standing in her way is two-time WCWA finalist Abby Lloyd, a junior from Simon Fraser. Lloyd is 34-1 on the season with her lone loss coming to Canada’s Breanne Barry at the SFU Clan International.
Three-time All-American Cady Chessin seeks her first championship in her final season at Menlo College. Chessin spent her first two years competing at 123, where she finished second and fifth, respectively. Last year, she moved down to 116 and took third.
Christy Powell, a senior from Missouri Valley, is ranked No. 4 at the weight and is in the hunt for her first top-eight finish at the event.
A freshman looking to make an impact at the weight is McKendree’s Theresa Rankin. She was a 2014 Cadet World Team member, representing the USA in Snina, Slovakia. She also owns two top-five finishes at the Junior Body Bar Women’s Nationals.
2016 All-American Madelynn McIlwain of Southern Oregon will also be in the mix. Challengers include ranked wrestlers Tricia Martin of Jamestown and Jathiya Isaac of Wayland Baptist.
123 pounds
Hanna Grisewood of King University leads the 123-pound weight class with the No. 1 ranking. Her highest finish came in 2014, when she made an appearance in the 123-pound finals, where she fell to two-time WCWA champ Sarah Hildebrandt. Competing down at 116 pounds last year, she finished sixth.
Rachel Archer of Oklahoma City University also moved up to 123 pounds and holds the No. 5 ranking. She earned a bid to the U.S. World Team Trials with a seventh-place finish at U.S. Senior Nationals in December.
In the hunt for a title is Wayland Baptist senior Tarkyia Mensah. The two-time WCWA All-American has a win over Archer last spring for her second Women’s University Nationals championship.
Two other All-Americans, Bianca Arizpe of Menlo College and Dominique Parrish of Simon Fraser, also return at 123 pounds. Parrish has put together a strong season, coming into nationals ranked No. 3
Campbellsville freshman Andribeth Rivera could make an impact at the weight. Rivera competes internationally for Puerto Rico and recently entered the Dave Schultz Memorial International, where she fell in the consolation semifinals.
Not to be overlooked is Missouri Baptist junior Tamara Tillman, who has been successful on the USA Wrestling circuit for many years.
130 pounds
Campbellsville junior Shelby Hall is the highest returning placer at 130 pounds, finishing third in 2016. Just a year before, Hall took fifth at 123 pounds. She is joined by Alexia Ward of McKendree, who finished eighth at the weight last year as a freshman.
Two-time WCWA champion Kayla Miracle of Campbellsville holds the No. 1 ranking here, but is expected to jump up to 136 for the nationals.
Moving up to 130 pounds this year is Megan Black, a Junior at McKendree and a WCWA finalist at 123 pounds. The 2012 Junior Nationals champ took seventh in December’s U.S. Senior Nationals. With Kayla Miracle registered at 136 pounds, Black heads into the tournament as the favorite.
Also stepping up to this weight is Jennifer Anderson, a 2016 All-American at 123 pounds. A senior for Simon Fraser, Anderson competed at 130 pounds in the 2015 WCWA tournament, finishing fifth.
Southern Oregon had two ranked wrestlers at this weight class, No. 6 Alejandra Rodriguez and No. 6 Kalyn Schwartz.
136 pounds
Two-time WCWA champion Kayla Miracle of Campbellsville is in search of her third national title as a junior. Although she holds the No. 1 ranking at 130 pounds, Miracle is expected to wrestle at 136. She has changed weights often during her college career with great success.
In addition to her 2012 Cadet World silver and 2014 Junior World bronze, Miracle has racked up several accolades on the Senior level. So far for the 2017 Senior season, she has produced championship performances at the U.S. Senior Nationals and Dave Schultz Memorial International. Last year, Miracle finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 58 kg/128 lbs.
Looking to knock off Miracle is Francesca Giorgio of Simon Fraser University. Giorgio has two top-five finishes at nationals, including a third-place finish in 2016 and fifth in 2015. Her most recent feat was a bronze medal at the Canada Cup in June.
Moving up to 136 pounds are 130-pound All-Americans Nicole Depa of Simon Fraser and Koral Sugiyama of Campbellsvile. Both are sophomores. Sugiyama is a former Cadet World Team member.
Freshmen Gabby Garcia of King and Solin Piearcy of Menlo College are the nation’s No. 4 and No. 5 ranked wrestlers and look to shake things up. Garcia was a 2014 Junior Nationals champion, while Piearcy was a two-time Junior Nationals All-American.
Senior Cheyenne Youngblood of Missouri Baptist is ranked No. 6 at this weight class, and placed third at the 2015 WCWA Nationals at 143 pounds.
143 pounds
No. 1 ranked and returning champion Mallory Velte enters the field at 143 pounds. Velte earned a spot the U.S. Women’s National Team this past year in two weights, at both an Olympic weight (63 kg) and a non-Olympic weight (60 kg). On top of that, she won University Nationals and placed third at U.S. Senior Nationals.
Back to challenge Velte is Maggie Douma of Oklahoma City, the 2016 WCWA finalist at 143 pounds. Douma is ranked No. 7 in the nation, but has a history of wrestling well at the big-time events.
No. 2 ranked Jessi Kee of King placed at Senior Nationals, taking fifth. She enters at 143 pounds after finishing fifth at 136 pounds last year. She was also a WCWA runner-up at 130 pounds in 2015.
The bracket is filled with tough competition as two other 143-pound All-Americans are expected to compete. Carly Jaramillo of Southwest Oregon Community College finished sixth at 143 pounds, while Marina Briceno took eighth. Earlier this year, Briceno earned a bid to compete at the U.S. World Team Trials with a seventh-place finish at U.S. Senior Nationals.
Sarah Bollinger, who wrestles for Missouri Baptist, fell to Kee in the fifth-place match at last year’s WCWAs at 136 pounds.
Veterans Montana Drum and Jasmine Bailey hold the No. 3 and No. 4 national rankings, respectively. Drum, a senior for Missouri Baptist, is a two-time All-American at 123 pounds, placing in 2014 and 2015. McKendree junior Bailey snagged an eighth-place finish in 2015 at 136 pounds.
Freshmen Desiree Zavala of Southern Oregon University and Skylar Grote of Lafayette College could be a factor as the nation’s No. 5 and No. 6 ranked wrestlers. Both have been very successful in USA Wrestling’s age-group programs.
155 pounds
Highlighting the 155-pound weight class is 2016 Olympic Trials champion Tamyra Mensah of Wayland Baptist. She recently became only the sixth American woman to win the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, Mensah stays active on the Senior scene. In December, she finished second at U.S. Senior Nationals after taking silver at the Golden Grand Prix Final in Azerbaijan.
Mensah is a 2014 WCWA champion, which was the last WCWA tourney she competed in. She took an Olympic redshirt year last season. In 2013, she finished third, improving on her 2012 fourth-place finish.
Four of the eight 2016 WCWA placers at 155 pounds return.
Two-time All-American Niauni Hill of Lindenwood-Belleville is the highest returning placer from 2016, taking third. She defeated Campbellsville’s Michelle Organ in the third-place match. Organ is also expected to compete at this weight again.
Menlo College’s Iman Kazem and Southwest Oregon CC’s Tatum Sparks wrap up the 2016 AAs at 155 pounds, with Kazem placing fifth last year and Sparks placing sixth.
Bumping up from 143 pounds is Warner Pacific sophomore Kiera Gabaldon, who took fourth at WCWAs in 2016.
Looking to stir the pot is OCU freshman Rachel Watters, who placed sixth at U.S. Senior Nationals. Watters won the Junior National Championships this past summer and has been a member of two Junior World Teams. Ranked No. 4 coming into nationals, Watters past performances indicate that she is capable of winning the title here.
McKendree had a pair of ranked wrestlers at 155 pounds, No. 5 Alexandria Glaude and No. 6 Andrea Sennett.
170 pounds
The top-two ranked wrestlers at 170 pounds have both moved up from 155 pounds. Both were WCWA finalists last season.
Forrest Molinari of King, last year’s champion at 155 pounds, defeated Jessika Rottier of Cumberlands in the WCWA finals, 7-0. However, Rottier holds the No. 1 ranking at 170 pounds, while Molinari follows at No. 2 at this time.
Molinari is a three-time All-American with third and fourth-place finishes in 2014 and 2015, respectively. She also represented Team USA at the 2015 Junior World Championships. Rottier was second in the 2016 USA Wrestling University Nationals and has a long resume of USA Wrestling age-group achievements.
Hanna Hall of Campbellsville is gearing up for her final WCWA championship. She is a two-time finalist, finishing second at 170 pounds in 2016 and 155 pounds in 2015. Her first All-America honor came in 2014 when she placed fourth at 143 pounds.
Two 2017 Senior National place winners enter the field in Brandy Lowe of McKendree, who took third, and Brittany Marshall of Wayland Baptist, who placed fourth. Marshall is the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation, while Lowe is No. 5. Lowe was also a WCWA runner-up in 2015 at 190 pounds, competing for Ottawa.
191 pounds
Paige Baynes, a sophomore from Lindenwood, leads the pack as the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 191 pounds. She finished sixth at the 2016 WCWA tournament.
No. 2 Payten Smith from Simon Fraser is a returning 2016 finalist. Earlier this year, Smith won gold at the SFU Clan International.
Third-ranked Kierra Boyce is a senior from Wayland Baptist and a three-time WCWA All-American. She seeks to improve upon her third-place finish from 2016. Boyce is also a 2012 Fargo Junior Nationals champion.
Fellow Junior Nationals champ Monica Mason of Oklahoma City wraps up the 2016 All-Americans at 191 pounds. Mason, a sophomore from OCU, finished seventh at last year’s WCWAs and currently holds a No. 4 national ranking.
Nadine Fiege of Life, who took sixth at the 2016 WCWAs at 170 pounds, moves up in weight for 2017. Fiege took the Junior Nationals title in 2013.
Others to watch are Darcie Manning O’Brien of Missouri Baptist and Jesse Grubbs of Campbellsville.
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