Team race looks wide open as WCWA grows stronger

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The 2017-18 women’s college season is here and the country is loaded with talent.

Four-time defending WCWA national championship team King University returns five of its nine All-Americans from last season, including two 2017 national champions, one finalist and one other top-eight finisher.

Leading the way for the Tornado is three-time national champion Haley Augello, who returned to college competition last season after taking an Olympic redshirt year in 2016 and representing Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This past summer, Augello suited up for the Red, White and Blue once again, wrestling for the U.S. at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, where she produced an eighth-place finish. This season, Augello is expected to take a redshirt.

Also expected to redshirt is 2017 WCWA finalist at 143 pounds Jessi Kee.

Returning for powerhouse King is two-time national champ Marina Doi, who defeated her twin sister Regina Doi in the WCWA finals last February. The Dois enter their junior years at the lightest weight class, 101 pounds.

All-American at 109 pounds Aleeah Gould is back this year for King. Also back on the mat this year is three-time All-American Daisy Santos, who did not compete last season.

“We will be having Kee, Augello, and Garcia redshirting this season, and have a lot of new faces,” King head coach Jason Moorman said. “It is a little bit of a rebuilding year, but we do have Marina Doi looking for her third WCWA National Championship, while Regina Doi, Daisy Santos (coming off redshirt), and Nicole Joseph look to build on past success.  We are also excited to see what Vickie Espinoza, who redshirt last season due to injury, and transfer Clarc Walker are going to do on the mat this season.”

With 10 returning All-Americans on the roster, McKendree is in a good position to make a run at a team title.

Leading the Bearcats is two-time WCWA runner-up and three-time All-American Megan Black. A formidable opponent, Black has made her mark at 123 pounds. In her two years at McKendree, Black has only been handed nine losses.

The Bearcats will unleash three past All-Americans who took redshirts last season, including Tayler Resuriz, Alexis Porter and Cassandra Herkleman. All three wrestlers are two-time All-Americans.

Other notable returners are 2015 WCWA runner-up and 2017 All-American Brandy Lowe at 170, two-time All-Americans Jasmine Bailey at 136 and Nahiela Magee at 170, 2017 All-Americans Janelle Fuamatu at 170 and Alex Glaude at 155 and 2016 All-American Alexia Ward at 130.

Glaude represented the USA this summer at Junior Worlds, where she took ninth at 67 kg.

“We’re excited about this season. I’m looking forward to the kids that have been around since the start of the program that they finish where they want,” McKendree coach Sam Schmitz said. “We’ve got some really good kids on this team and good students. They’re just good people, and I’m excited to just enjoy them and this season and to see what happens. Competition around country is going to be fun. Everyone is really solid and there’s some parity among teams, so it should be a good year.”

Runner-up team Simon Fraser University is stacked, bringing back all but one of its eight All-Americans from 2017.

The Clan boasts two-time national champion and 2017 U.S. World Team member Mallory Velte, who will wrestle at 139 pounds in her senior campaign. After a 14th-place finish at the World Championships in August, Velte is expected to compete at the U23 World Team Trials in October.

SFU also returns 2017 national champ at 191 pounds, Payten Smith, and national finalists Dominique Parrish at 123 pounds and Nicole Depa at 136 pounds.

Other returning All-Americans include Abby Lloyd at 116, Ashley Osachuk at 130 and Fran Girogio at 136.

“We have an excellent mix of new, young talent and experienced and accomplished seniors. We are excited for this lineup and to see what it can do,” Simon Fraser coach Justin Abdou said.

Entering her senior year, Kayla Miracle headlines the Campbellsville Tigers’ roster as a returning three-time national champion at 136 pounds. Miracle also holds the No. 2-spot on this year’s U.S. Women’s Freestyle National Team. Miracle looks to join a short list of four-time WCWA champions.

The only three wrestlers to do it are two-time World Team member Victoria Anthony of Simon Fraser, 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Helen Maroulis, who won two at Missouri Baptist before transferring to Simon Fraser, and Emily Webster of Oklahoma City University. Anthony and Maroulis claimed their fourth titles in 2014, while Webster followed up with her fourth championship in 2015.

Campbellsville also brings recent elite international experience to the field with three wrestlers, all from different nations, who competed at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland, this summer. Incoming freshmen Grace Bullen and McKayla Campbell join the squad. 2017 Senior European champion and World No. 5 Bullen represented Norway at 59 kg and took third in Junior Worlds, while Campbell of USA finished 13th at 48 kg.

Rising sophomore and 2017 WCWA champion at 123 pounds, Andribeth Rivera, suited up for Puerto Rico at Junior Worlds and took 14th at 55 kg.

Two-time WCWA champion at 191 pounds Tiaria Scott, who took last year off, will return to the mat for the Tigers as well as five other returning All-Americans.

“I think we are definitely contenders for the national championship,” Campbellsville coach Lee Miracle said. “With eight returning All-Americans, several athletes that finished on the All-American bubble last year and some great incoming freshman talent, we have a team that can win it all. We just need to stay healthy and continue to improve in every position throughout the year and some great things could happen for us.”

Oklahoma City University’s roster is decorated with six past All-Americans, including the 2016 WCWA champion at 130 pounds Natalia Hinojo, who returns to action for the Stars after a redshirt season last year.

Other All-Americans include two-timers Maggie Douma at 143, Cassidy Jasperson at 109 and Monica Mason at 191, 2015 All-American Yvonne Galindo at 143 and three-time Junior World Team member and 2017 All-American Rachel Watters at 170.

Top freshmen include Mariah Lomas, Raven Guidry, Leiana Nacapuy, Monica Mendoza, Cierra Foster, Erin Redford and McKyla Kerr, who are all expected to appear in the starting lineup.

Watters competed in this year’s Junior Worlds, recording a 10th place finish at 72 kg.

With Jasperson and Douma expected to redshirt, OCU is set to put incoming freshmen in their places.

OCU will once again host the WCWA National Championships in February.

“We’re looking forward to our returning All-Americans going back for individual national titles this year,” OCU coach Matt Stevens said. “We expect to be one of the top teams in duals and the individual tournament, and we’ll be relying on a lot of our young talent to step up for us. We’ll also be shooting for a national title like we do every year.”

Menlo College, which finished fifth as a team at WCWAs, returns five All-Americans holding seven All-America honors, including two-time All-Americans Hiba Salem and Iman Kazem. Other top-eight finishers include Kait Fitzpatrick, Solin Piearcy and Solove Naufahu.

Menlo landed two transfers in Evonne Evien of King University and Alexa Christoforatos of Florida State-Jacksonville as well as several incoming recruits such as two-time Hawaii state champion Angela Peralta and California state champions Tiana Jackson and Shelley Avelino.

“We are focused on bettering our fifth-place finish last year and competing for a national championship,” Menlo coach Joey Bareng said. “The intensity in our room is at an all-time high. With 32 athletes on the roster (largest in program history), we have many able bodies to work with. The talent in the room this year is at a new level with most of our team returning and the addition of our incoming class. The leadership is amazing and the student athletes are focused. 2017-2018 the season looks promising for Menlo College.”

Four of Wayland Baptist University’s seven 2017 All-Americans will suit up for the Pioneers.

Entering her junior year, two-time All-American Brittany Marshall leads the way, followed by fellow All-Americans Jathiya Isaac at 116, Mayra Ramirez at 109 and Rozlynn Vasquez at 101.

Incoming freshman Asia Ray will add raw talent to the team. With only three years of wrestling experience, Ray has made a name for herself as one of the top-three Junior wrestlers in the world at 105 pounds after bringing home a bronze medal from the 2017 Junior World Championships this summer.

Also competing at Junior Worlds is incoming freshman and Puerto Rico native Gabriela Ramos Diaz, who finished eighth in the world. Earlier in the summer, she competed at the Junior Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru, where she produced a bronze-medal performance at 112 pounds.

The University of the Cumberlands returns four 2017 All-Americans, including 2017 WCWA champion and 2016 runner-up at 170 pounds Jessika Rottier, who is entering her junior year as a Patriot.

Two-time All-American Hannah Gladden will close out her collegiate career this season, looking to improve on a career-best fourth-place finish.

Other All-Americans returning are Courteney Tompkins at 191 and Maia Phanthadara at 101.

In what was considered a rebuilding year, Missouri Valley, one of only five teams to win a WCWA team title, produced four 2017 All-Americans. The Vikings will return three of them, including Alicia Reyes (130), Anna Poyner (136) and Alyssa Cantu (191). Also back in the lineup is 2015 All-American Jasmin Perez, who finished seventh at 101. She is expected to move up to 109 pounds this season.

Entering only its second year as a program, Grays Harbor is a team on the rise, snagging valuable transfers and top-level freshmen.

Transferring in from Lindenwood is 2017 WCWA finalist at 191 Paige Baynes and joining the Lady Chokers from Southern Oregon is 2017 All-American at 143 Desiree Zavala, who took third at WCWAs. The addition of Baynes and Zavala brings Grays Harbor’s returning All-American count to three as the squad also boasts its first All-American Kacie Moorehouse, who finished eighth last year at 170.

Notable freshmen include 2015 Cadet World champion and 2016 Cadet World silver medalist Ronna Heaton of South Dakota, 2017 Junior Women’s Freestyle Nationals finalist Nina Pham of California and two-time Junior Women’s Freestyle Nationals All-American Brittany Wynn of California.

Another up-and-coming team is Emmanuel College, entering its third year as a program. The team has expanded from 27 wrestlers on the roster last year to nearly 40 wrestlers on the 2017-18 squad.

In 2016-17, its second year of competition, Emmanuel finished 12th as a team with two All-Americans. The Lions return one of those in Maria Valdez, who took third at 109 pounds. However, their lineup becomes a little more powerful with All-American transfers, including two-time WCWA champion and three-time All-American Cody Pfau from Oklahoma City University and eighth-place finisher at 116 pounds last year Fayth Woodward from Southwestern Oregon CC.

Pfau transferred to Emmanuel College last year but took a redshirt year. The senior looks for her third WCWA title in 2018. The Lions also picked up King transfer Alexis Bleau.

Emmanuel College’s wrestling program is a family affair with spouses Kristie and Link Davis acting as co-head coaches of the program. The two successfully recruited their daughter Kayla Marano, who is an incoming freshman and is expected to make an impact at 143 pounds. Marano is a 2015 Cadet World bronze medalist.

Other schools returning 2017 All-Americans are Eastern Oregon, Life University, Lyon College, Missouri Baptist and Southern Oregon.

Several second-year programs are looking for their first All-Americans, including Bacone College and MacMurray College. Brewton-Parker College is a second-year team that will compete for the first time this year.

Some key tournaments to look out for start as early as the first week in October, with the U23 World Team Trials scheduled for Oct. 6-8 in Rochester, Minn.

Also highlighting the 2017-18 season is the Oklahoma City University Open on Oct. 21, USA Wrestling’s Dave Schultz Memorial International on Nov. 9-12 in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Missouri Valley Open on Nov. 17-18 in Marshall, Mo., NWCA National Duals on Jan. 5-6 in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Bearcat Open, hosted by McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., on Jan. 20 and finally, the WCWA National Championships in Oklahoma City on Feb. 9-10.

Several programs across the nation have hired new head coaches, including successful female wrestlers such as two-time World Team member and six-time National Team member Jessica Medina, who takes over the Ferrum College program, 2005 World Team member and 2007 Pan American bronze medalist Ashley Sword-Buster, who is at the helm of Life University, and 2012 WCWA champion Shauna Isbell, who heads the team at the University of Jamestown.

Other new head coaches include Kevin Corbett at Lyon College, Alberto Quiros at MacMurray College and Dana Vote at Midland University.  

Simon Fraser men’s wrestling coach Justin Abdou will now head both the men’s and women’s programs after the legendary Mike Jones retired after last season. Abdou will be assisted by 2017 World bronze medalist Justina DiStasio.

There are five new programs entering the 2017-18 season: Central Christian College coached by Don Schreiman, Nassau Community College coached by Sam Thomas, Umpqua Community College coached by Asia DeWeese, University of Providence coached by Tony DeAnda and Westminster College coached by Mike Eierman. The WCWA continues to grow, bringing its total to 37 programs.