Figueroa, Liles outlast opponents in best-of-three finals at UWW Cadet World Team Trials in Irving, Texas

Gracie Figueroa defeats Michaela Beck in three matches in the 56 kg finals. Photo by Ray Shoaf, Wrestling Texas.

UWW Cadet World Team members interviews

IRVING, Texas – The Irving Convention Center was lit up on Saturday night with exciting UWW Cadet performances to determine USA’s 2017 Cadet World Team at the 2017 UWW Women’s Nationals in Irving, Texas.

Highlighting the night were the finals series at 56 kg/123.2 lbs. and 60 kg/132 lbs., which were both forced to three matches.

At 60 kg, Alex Liles of Texas dominated 2016 World bronze medalist Macey Kilty in the first bout, notching an 11-1 technical fall. Kilty came back to take the second match with a 2-0 win.

In the third match, Liles led 4-2 with seconds left in the bout. Kilty capitalized and scored a takedown at the buzzer to tie it 4-4, but thanks to two two-pointers for Liles, the Texas native won the match on criteria.

“I was so nervous! I didn’t know I had criteria at that point,” Liles said. “It was a great match. [Kilty] is a great wrestler. I’ve been battling and training like crazy to prepare for this. It feels awesome.”

Securing the spot on her second Cadet World Team, Liles will return to the Cadet World Championships for the first time since 2015 in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

Gracie Figueroa will make her second-consecutive trip to the World Championships, after taking the 56 kg spot in three bouts over Michaela Beck.

Similar to Liles’ run, Figueroa won a solid first match, 6-0, but Beck forced the series to three matches with a 4-2 decision in bout two.

Figueroa, a 2016 World bronze medalist, shut the New Yorker down in the third match, 7-0, to get a shot at a World title.

“In the second match, I wasn’t wrestling my match. I was wrestling her match,” Figueroa said. “After I lost, I had to get back in the zone and fix my mistakes. I came back harder in the third one. I scored, 7-0, got my shots and I’ve got to keep it like that.”

Joining Figueroa to look for another World medal is bronze medalist Alara Boyd, the UWW Junior World Team Trials champion at 65 kg.

Boyd blew past 2016 Cadet national champion Hannah Ramos with two tech falls. Just in her finals series, Boyd scored 29 points between the two matches, winning 13-3 and 16-4.

Breaking through on Saturday night was Alisha Howk of Missouri, who was crowned the U.S. World Team member at 52 kg/114.4 lbs.

Howk took out 2016 Junior freestyle champion Cameron Guerin in two matches, winning 10-5 and 6-6, respectively. In the second match, the win came down to a successful challenge from Howk and her corner to tie the bout at 6-6 and win on criteria.

“It was amazing,” Howk said. “This is the farthest I’ve ever gone in my wrestling. I’ve head about [Guerin] before and I knew that no matter what, it was going to be tough. I knew that with the training I’ve been getting from one of my newer coaches, I just had to relax and wrestle the way I had wrestled all day, and it ended up being exactly what I needed.”

Also winning spots on the Cadet World Team included Caitlyn Walker (40 kg), Emily Shilson (43 kg), Olivia Shore (46 kg), Vayle Baker (49 kg) and Kelani Corbett (70 kg).

Other champions from the night came at non-World weights with Kenya-Lee Sloan (Knoxville, Tenn./TN Girls) winning at 78 kg and Sierra Adams-Gregory (Lakewood, Calif./Social Butterfly) taking the crown at 84 kg.

The Cadet tournament had an exciting growth in number of entrants with 257 this year, compared to last year’s 240.

The 2017 Women’s Nationals will continue tomorrow with the UWW Junior World Team Trials. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT. Watch all the action live on Flowrestling.org and follow USA Wrestling on Twitter @USAWrestling for updates throughout the day.

2017 UWW CADET WOMEN’S WORLD TEAM TRIALS
May 20, 2017 at Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas

UWW Cadet best two-of-three finals results
40 kg/88 lbs.: Caitlyn Walker (Hatboro, Pa./Team Pennsylvania) dec. Kristal Betanzo (Hillsborough, Calif./Coastside Grapplers), two matches to none
Bout one – Walker wins by forfeit over Betanzo
Bout two – Walker wins by forfeit over Betanzo

43 kg/94.6 lbs.: Emily Shilson (Maple Grove, Minn./Minnesota Storm) dec. Samara Chavez (Arlington, Texas/Rockstar WC), two matches to none
Bout one – Shilson tech. fall Chavez, 10-0
Bout two – Shilson tech. fall Chavez, 14-4

46 kg/101.2 lbs.: Olivia Shore (St. Paris,Ohio/Ohio National Team) dec. Angel Rios (TNWC), two matches to none
Bout one – Shore dec. Rios, 4-4
Bout two – Shore dec. Rios, 3-0

49 kg/107.8 lbs.: Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa./Team Pennsylvania) dec. Tilynne Vasquez (Kalispell, Mont./Team Montana), two matches to none
Bout one – Baker dec. Vasquez, 4-2
Bout two – Baker dec. Vasquez, 5-1

52 kg/114.4: Alisha Howk (Blue Springs, Mo./Western Stars WC) dec. Cameron Guerin (Yakima, Wash./Team Takedown), two matches to none
Bout one – Howk dec. Guerin, 10-5
Bout two – Howk dec. Guerin, 6-6

56 kg/123.2 lbs.: Gracie Figueroa (Selma, Calif./unattached) dec. Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y./Team New York), two matches to one
Bout one – Figueroa dec. Beck, 6-0
Bout two – Beck dec. Figueroa, 4-2
Bout three – Figueroa dec. Beck, 7-0

60 kg/132 lbs.: Alexandria Liles (Allen, Texas/Best Trained) dec. Macey Kilty (Stratford, Wisc./Team Wisconsin), two matches to one
Bout one – Liles tech. fall Kilty, 11-1
Bout two – Kilty dec. Liles, 2-0
Bout three – Liles dec. Kilty, 4-4

65 kg/143 lbs.: Alara Boyd (Muncie, Ind./CIA) dec. Hannah Ramos (Kenosha, Wisc./Team Wisconsin), two matches to none
Bout one – Boyd tech. fall Ramos, 13-3
Bout two – Boyd tech. fall Ramos, 16-4

70 kg/154 lbs.: Kelani Corbett (Mililani, Hawaii/Team Hawaii) dec. Tiyahna Askew (Lawrenceville, Ga./Team Georgia), two matches to none
Bout one – Corbett tech. fall Askew, 10-0
Bout two – Corbett tech. fall Askew, 16-4

Cadet Nationals non-World weight finals results
78 kg/171.6 lbs.: Kenya-Lee Sloan (Knoxville, Tenn./TN Girls) dec. Anna Castro (Fontana, Calif./IEWC), 2-2
84 kg/184.8 lbs. : Sierra Adams-Gregory (Lakewood, Calif./Social Butterfly) fall Kaylee Seabolt (Dahlonega, Ga./Georgia); 0:26

Cadet medal matches

UWW Cadet - 43 KG
3rd Place Match - Genesis Quirarte (California Dream WC) won by fall over Amelia Lewis (Pride Wrestling) (Fall 3:46)
5th Place Match - Pauline Granados (IE Wrestling Club) won by decision over Brooklyn Courtney (Olympus Wrestling out of Fight) (Dec 8-4)
7th Place Match - Jessica Corredor (Florida Jets) won by tech fall over Hope Parrotte (Team Illinois) (TF 10-0)

UWW Cadet - 46 KG
3rd Place Match - Angelina Gomez (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) won by fall over Joanne Ortiz (KT Kidz Wrestling Club) (Fall 3:10)
5th Place Match - Xiaolin Mai (Team Hawaii) won by decision over Alice Todryk (Sapper) (Dec 8-2)
7th Place Match - Nichole Moore (Team Kansas - Krusaders) won by decision over Sofia Martinez (Ayala Smash) (Dec 8-2)

UWW Cadet - 49 KG
3rd Place Match - Tiare Ikei (Team Hawaii) won by decision over Viktorya Torres (Victory Wrestling-Central WA) (Dec 2-2)
5th Place Match - Camille Fournier (Spartan Mat Club) won by fall over Jaslynn Gallegos (Colorado Brighton Bulldogs) (Fall 1:55)
7th Place Match - Kierstien Bush (somar WC/BDB) won by fall over Tehani Soares (Battle Born Girls WC) (Fall 0:13)

UWW Cadet - 52 KG
3rd Place Match - Alleida Martinez (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) won by tech fall over Amanda Walker (Team Pennsylvania) (TF 10-0)
5th Place Match - Stefana Jelacic (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) won by fall over Merijah Morales (Team Selma) (Fall 0:31)
7th Place Match - Gabrielle Skidmore (Team Wisconsin) won by decision over Macy Higa (Team Hawaii) (Dec 5-3)

UWW Cadet - 56 KG
3rd Place Match - Kaden Campbell (SOT Academy) won by fall over Leilah Castro (Ohio National Team) (Fall 1:05)
5th Place Match - Louisa Schwab (Team Illinois) won by decision over Payton Stroud (White River Hornets) (Dec 9-2)
7th Place Match - Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Spring Klein Wrestling Club) won by fall over Ashton Cadman (Team Wisconsin) (Fall 2:46)

UWW Cadet - 60 KG
3rd Place Match - Cara J Broadus (KT Kidz Wrestling Club) won by decision over Brianna Csontos (Virginia Women`s National Team) (Dec 9-6)
5th Place Match - Kaylee Moore (Team Takedown) won by injury default over Clarise Palmer (Maryland Womens National Team) (Inj. 0:42)
7th Place Match - Avia Bibeau (Team Pennsylvania) won by injury default over Dalia Garibay (Palomino Academy) (Inj. 0:00)

UWW Cadet - 65 KG
3rd Place Match - Jayden Laurent (Team Wisconsin) won by tech fall over Hunter Robinson (College Park) (TF 11-1)
5th Place Match - Jerzie Estrada (SOT Academy) won by fall over Joye Levendusky (TEAM NY) (Fall 1:42)
7th Place Match - Hailey Finn (JOURNEYMEN WRESTLING CLUB) won by decision over Grace Kristoff (Team Illinois) (Dec 5-4)

UWW Cadet - 70 KG
3rd Place Match - Alexis Gomez (gomez wrestling academy) won by decision over Kiana Pugh (Team Wisconsin) (Dec 10-2)
5th Place Match - Sydnee Kimber (907 Wrestling) won by fall over Jillian Bruno (Team Pennsylvania) (Fall 1:01)
7th Place Match - Hailey Cancelleri (New York) won by injury default over Tristan Kelly (SOT Academy) (Inj. 0:00)

UWW Cadet - 78 KG
1st Place Match - Kenya-Lee Sloan (TN Girls USA Wrestling) won by decision over Anna Castro (IE Wrestling Club) (Dec 2-2)
3rd Place Match - Nia Crosdale (TEAM NY) won by decision over Sarah Engedal (Team Wisconsin) (Dec 2-0)
5th Place Match - Emily Velazquez (No Mercy Scool of Wrestling) won by fall over Daniella Seely (Unattached) (Fall 2:38)
7th Place Match - Natalie Kemp (Team Wisconsin) won by tech fall over Shania Gowan (Florida Jets) (TF 10-0)

UWW Cadet - 84 KG
1st Place Match - Sierra Adams-gregory (Social Butterfly) won by fall over Kaylee Seabolt (Team Georgia) (Fall 0:26)
3rd Place Match - Jesse Kirby (Virginia Women`s National Team) won by fall over Bianca Rosales (Mile High Wrestling Club) (Fall 0:27)
5th Place Match - Gabrielle Hamilton (Team Illinois) won by fall over Gabrielle Neal (Team Tennessee) (Fall 1:36)
7th Place Match - Haley Brown (Team Tennessee) won by decision over Catherine Palmieri (Team Tennessee) (Dec 8-6)

UWW Cadet - 100 KG
Round 1 - Alyssa Marinaccio (MD Eagles Wrestling) won by fall over Sydney Fenus (Weatherford Highschool wrestli) (Fall 0:59)
Round 1 - Gabrielle Holloway (Team Leonidas Wrestling Club) won by decision over ShaMia Wells (Western Stars Wrestling) (Dec 8-4)
Round 2 - Alyssa Marinaccio (MD Eagles Wrestling) won by fall over Gabrielle Holloway (Team Leonidas Wrestling Club) (Fall 3:19)
Round 2 - ShaMia Wells (Western Stars Wrestling) won by fall over Sydney Fenus (Weatherford Highschool wrestli) (Fall 2:31)
Round 3 - ShaMia Wells (Western Stars Wrestling) won by fall over Alyssa Marinaccio (MD Eagles Wrestling) (Fall 0:57)
Round 3 - Gabrielle Holloway (Team Leonidas Wrestling Club) won by decision over Sydney Fenus (Weatherford Highschool wrestli) (Dec 8-0)