Wyoming Seminary’s women’s wrestling team adds five touted freshman, joining its talented returning stars
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
2018 Cadet Nationals freestyle champion Kennedy Blades of Illinois is joining the women's team at Wyoming Seminary. Photo by Jim Thrall, Matfocus.com
Erin Vandiver, head women’s wrestling coach at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa., has announced the roster for its team for the 2018-19 academic year.
"The Olympic Development Program at Wyoming Seminary experienced great success as a first year program. We finished the season with great momentum and have hit the ground running again already. Over the summer, the team participated in USAW’s championship camps, performed well at Fargo and had great representation at the Pan American Championships in Brazil,” said Vandiver.
Vandiver, in her second season with Wyoming Seminary, has added five incoming freshman who are highly touted and have already achieved great things on the national scene.
Leading the incoming freshman class is 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals champion Kennedy Blades of Broadview, Ill. Blades was a 2018 Pan American Cadet champion, and placed second in the 2018 UWW Cadet World Team Trials. She has won many other major age-group national events, including the 2017 Schoolgirl freestyle national title and the 2014 Novice Folkstyle National title.
She is joined by her younger sister and fellow freshman Korina Blades of Broadview, Ill., who was a 2018 Schoolgirl freestyle national champion. Korina Blades was third in the 2017 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals and was a 2014 Novice Folkstyle National champion.
Also joining the program is freshman Ava Bayless of Greenville, Pa., who placed second in both the 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and the 2018 UWWW Cadet Freestyle Nationals.
Another incoming freshman of note is Abbygale Duke of Patterson, N.Y., who was fourth in 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and fifth in the 2018 UWW Cadet Nationals. Duke was third in 2017 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals
Another talented freshman new at Wyoming Seminary is Reece Larramendy of Reno, Nev., a 2017 Schoolgirl Folkstyle Nationals champion. Larramendy was second in 2018 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals and third in the 2017 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals. She also was a 2016 Novice freestyle and folkstyle national champion.
These five young talents joins a team which features five top stars who finished the 2017-18 season with national rankings.
Included are a pair of No. 2 ranked wrestlers from last year, senior Vayle-Rae Baker of Benton, Pa. at 117 pounds and junior Caitlyn Walker of Hatboro, Pa. at 100 pounds
Baker has won the Junior Freestyle Nationals title the last two years, and was second in the 2015 Junior Freestyle Nationals. She was seventh in the 2017 Cadet World Championships and eighth in the 2015 Cadet World Championships. She also won a 2015 Cadet Nationals title and a 2015 Cadet Pan American gold medal.
Caitlyn Walker is a two-time Cadet World Team member, placing fifth in the 2017 Cadet World Championships and seventh in the 2016 Cadet World Championships. She was a 2018 Junior Freestyle Nationals champion and placed sixth in the 2017 Junior Freestyle Nationals.
Also returning is senior Amanda Walker of Hatboro, Pa., who finished last season with a No. 4 national rank at 122 pounds. Amanda Walker was fourth in the 2018 Junior Freestyle Nationals and third in the 2017 Junior Freestyle Nationals. She was also third in the 2018 UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals.
The other two nationally ranked wrestlers from last season are senior Shaina Murray of Watchung, N.J. (No. 7 at 138 pounds) and Sophia Smith of Bismarck, N.D. (No. 12 at 122 pounds).
“Five solid freshman have joined the Blue Knight squad and add a great deal of talent to the roster. These young rising stars are excited to step onto the mat at The Great Hall, ready to push and challenge their teammates. Their work ethic, drive and dedication to self-improvement matches the tone already set by our returning student athletes. The Sem community has already witnessed what an outstanding group of girls we have this past year. The team already feels like a family. The ODP has found a home at Sem. The girls recognize they are important members of the community and they belong at Sem. The support this team has from each other, family, coaches, faculty and sponsors cultivates an ‘All In’ attitude, allowing them to thrive in the classroom and on the mat,” said Vandiver.
The women’s team at Wyoming Seminary is an elite girls developmental program, in cooperation with USA Wrestling. It is supported by Women’s Olympic Wrestling (WOW), sponsored by the Lehman Family, as well as USA Wrestling Women’s Team Leader Jim Bennett and his wife Amy. The program is designed to attract many of the nation’s top high school girl wrestlers, who wish to pursue national and international goals while attending a highly-respected academic institution.
Joining Vandiver as an Assistant Coach for Wyoming Seminary’s women’s team is three-time World champion, five-time World medalist and 2016 Olympian Adeline Gray.
Wyoming Seminary has an aggressive schedule for the upcoming year, which includes a number of international competitions and training camps, major USA Wrestling age-group national events, respected high school tournaments, as well as hosting some elite competitions on their own campus.
Vandiver came to Wyoming Seminary after many years as an Assistant National Women’s Coach for USA Wrestling. In her role there, in addition to coaching resident-athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and on international teams, she also worked with the nation’s top Cadet and Junior level women wrestlers, including coaching U.S. age group World Teams.
Competing under her maiden name Erin Tomeo, she was a member of the 2001 and 2006 U.S. World Teams. She won the 2008 U.S. Open and was a four-time U.S. Open runner-up. Erin wrestled at Lock Haven University as a member of the varsity men’s team for the 2001-2002 season.
WYOMING SEMINARY WOMEN’S WRESTLING
2018-19 roster
Ekta Arora, sophomore, Trucksville, Pa.
Vayle-Rae Baker, senior, Benton, Pa. (No. 2 national rank)
Ava Bayless, freshman, Greenville, Pa.
Kennedy Blades, freshman, Broadview, Ill.
Korina Blades, freshman, Broadview, Ill.
Tiffani Baublitz, sophomore, Stewartstown, Pa.
Julia Dailey, senior, Scranton, Pa.
Abbygale Duke, freshman, Patterson, N.Y.
Reese Larramendy, freshman, Reno, Nev.
Shaina Murray, senior, Watchung, N.J. (No. 7 national rank)
Kate O’Brien, sophomore, Moosic, Pa.
Sophia Smith, sophomore, Bismarck, N.D. (No. 12 national rank)
Amanda Walker, senior, Hatboro, Pa. (No. 4 national rank)
Caitlyn Walker, junior, Hatboro, Pa. (No. 2 national rank)
Note: Rankings from July 2018 National Girls High School Rankings
Erin Vandiver, head women’s wrestling coach at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa., has announced the roster for its team for the 2018-19 academic year.
"The Olympic Development Program at Wyoming Seminary experienced great success as a first year program. We finished the season with great momentum and have hit the ground running again already. Over the summer, the team participated in USAW’s championship camps, performed well at Fargo and had great representation at the Pan American Championships in Brazil,” said Vandiver.
Vandiver, in her second season with Wyoming Seminary, has added five incoming freshman who are highly touted and have already achieved great things on the national scene.
Leading the incoming freshman class is 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals champion Kennedy Blades of Broadview, Ill. Blades was a 2018 Pan American Cadet champion, and placed second in the 2018 UWW Cadet World Team Trials. She has won many other major age-group national events, including the 2017 Schoolgirl freestyle national title and the 2014 Novice Folkstyle National title.
She is joined by her younger sister and fellow freshman Korina Blades of Broadview, Ill., who was a 2018 Schoolgirl freestyle national champion. Korina Blades was third in the 2017 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals and was a 2014 Novice Folkstyle National champion.
Also joining the program is freshman Ava Bayless of Greenville, Pa., who placed second in both the 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and the 2018 UWWW Cadet Freestyle Nationals.
Another incoming freshman of note is Abbygale Duke of Patterson, N.Y., who was fourth in 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and fifth in the 2018 UWW Cadet Nationals. Duke was third in 2017 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals
Another talented freshman new at Wyoming Seminary is Reece Larramendy of Reno, Nev., a 2017 Schoolgirl Folkstyle Nationals champion. Larramendy was second in 2018 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals and third in the 2017 Schoolgirl Freestyle Nationals. She also was a 2016 Novice freestyle and folkstyle national champion.
These five young talents joins a team which features five top stars who finished the 2017-18 season with national rankings.
Included are a pair of No. 2 ranked wrestlers from last year, senior Vayle-Rae Baker of Benton, Pa. at 117 pounds and junior Caitlyn Walker of Hatboro, Pa. at 100 pounds
Baker has won the Junior Freestyle Nationals title the last two years, and was second in the 2015 Junior Freestyle Nationals. She was seventh in the 2017 Cadet World Championships and eighth in the 2015 Cadet World Championships. She also won a 2015 Cadet Nationals title and a 2015 Cadet Pan American gold medal.
Caitlyn Walker is a two-time Cadet World Team member, placing fifth in the 2017 Cadet World Championships and seventh in the 2016 Cadet World Championships. She was a 2018 Junior Freestyle Nationals champion and placed sixth in the 2017 Junior Freestyle Nationals.
Also returning is senior Amanda Walker of Hatboro, Pa., who finished last season with a No. 4 national rank at 122 pounds. Amanda Walker was fourth in the 2018 Junior Freestyle Nationals and third in the 2017 Junior Freestyle Nationals. She was also third in the 2018 UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals.
The other two nationally ranked wrestlers from last season are senior Shaina Murray of Watchung, N.J. (No. 7 at 138 pounds) and Sophia Smith of Bismarck, N.D. (No. 12 at 122 pounds).
“Five solid freshman have joined the Blue Knight squad and add a great deal of talent to the roster. These young rising stars are excited to step onto the mat at The Great Hall, ready to push and challenge their teammates. Their work ethic, drive and dedication to self-improvement matches the tone already set by our returning student athletes. The Sem community has already witnessed what an outstanding group of girls we have this past year. The team already feels like a family. The ODP has found a home at Sem. The girls recognize they are important members of the community and they belong at Sem. The support this team has from each other, family, coaches, faculty and sponsors cultivates an ‘All In’ attitude, allowing them to thrive in the classroom and on the mat,” said Vandiver.
The women’s team at Wyoming Seminary is an elite girls developmental program, in cooperation with USA Wrestling. It is supported by Women’s Olympic Wrestling (WOW), sponsored by the Lehman Family, as well as USA Wrestling Women’s Team Leader Jim Bennett and his wife Amy. The program is designed to attract many of the nation’s top high school girl wrestlers, who wish to pursue national and international goals while attending a highly-respected academic institution.
Joining Vandiver as an Assistant Coach for Wyoming Seminary’s women’s team is three-time World champion, five-time World medalist and 2016 Olympian Adeline Gray.
Wyoming Seminary has an aggressive schedule for the upcoming year, which includes a number of international competitions and training camps, major USA Wrestling age-group national events, respected high school tournaments, as well as hosting some elite competitions on their own campus.
Vandiver came to Wyoming Seminary after many years as an Assistant National Women’s Coach for USA Wrestling. In her role there, in addition to coaching resident-athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and on international teams, she also worked with the nation’s top Cadet and Junior level women wrestlers, including coaching U.S. age group World Teams.
Competing under her maiden name Erin Tomeo, she was a member of the 2001 and 2006 U.S. World Teams. She won the 2008 U.S. Open and was a four-time U.S. Open runner-up. Erin wrestled at Lock Haven University as a member of the varsity men’s team for the 2001-2002 season.
WYOMING SEMINARY WOMEN’S WRESTLING
2018-19 roster
Ekta Arora, sophomore, Trucksville, Pa.
Vayle-Rae Baker, senior, Benton, Pa. (No. 2 national rank)
Ava Bayless, freshman, Greenville, Pa.
Kennedy Blades, freshman, Broadview, Ill.
Korina Blades, freshman, Broadview, Ill.
Tiffani Baublitz, sophomore, Stewartstown, Pa.
Julia Dailey, senior, Scranton, Pa.
Abbygale Duke, freshman, Patterson, N.Y.
Reese Larramendy, freshman, Reno, Nev.
Shaina Murray, senior, Watchung, N.J. (No. 7 national rank)
Kate O’Brien, sophomore, Moosic, Pa.
Sophia Smith, sophomore, Bismarck, N.D. (No. 12 national rank)
Amanda Walker, senior, Hatboro, Pa. (No. 4 national rank)
Caitlyn Walker, junior, Hatboro, Pa. (No. 2 national rank)
Note: Rankings from July 2018 National Girls High School Rankings
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