Simon Fraser leads WCWA team race after day one with five finalists

OKLAHOMA CITY – Simon Fraser took over the team race, sending five wrestlers to the WCWA Championships finals, which is set for Saturday evening.

SFU leads the way in team points with 168 points. Campbellsville has 155.5, while McKendree and Emmanuel are tied for third with 124 points.

Among those wrestling in the finals for SFU are No. 1 Abby Lloyd at 116, No. 1 Dominique Parrish at 123, unseeded Alex Hedrick at 123, No. 3 Nicole Depa at 130 and No. 1 Mallory Velte at 143.

Velte is going for her third WCWA individual title, while the rest of her teammates seek their first. Velte will take on two-time All-American and second-ranked Alexis Porter of McKendree.

SFU’s Hedrick isn’t the only unseeded wrestler in the finals.

Campbellsville’s Grace Bullen knocked off U23 World Team member and No. 1 Megan Black of McKendree in the 130-pound semifinals. Unseeded Bullen will face three-time finalist Depa tomorrow.

In addition to Bullen, Campbellsville will be represented at by Kayla Miracle at 136 pounds and No. 5 Mariah Harris, who knocked off No. 1 Rachel Watters in the 170-pound semis.

Tomorrow, Miracle will look to become only the fourth WCWA wrestler to win four national titles. Challenging Miracle is No. 2 Desiree Zavala of Grays Harbor, who was a 2017 All-American for Southern Oregon.  

Harris has U.S. National Team member and No. 2 Brittany Marshall of Wayland Baptist in the finals.

Three championship bouts will pit teammates against each other, including bouts at 101, 109 and 123.

For the second year in a row, two-time WCWA champion Marina Doi of King will take on Regina Doi, her sister, in the finals.

In the 109 finals, top-ranked Cody Pfau, a former two-time WCWA champion for Oklahoma City, will face her Emmanuel teammate, No. 3 Maria Vidales. Pfau seeks her third title overall and her first for the Lions.

It will be an all-Simon Fraser final at 123 with U23 World Team member Parrish going against Hedrick.

McKendree has another representative in Gabrielle Weyrich, who’s got Lloyd in the 116-pound finals.

Two-time WCWA All-American Tatum Sparks will go head-to-head with top-ranked Niauni Hill of Lindenwood-Belleville. Hill is a three-time All-American and 2017 runner-up.

At 191, 2017 WCWA runner-up Paige Baynes of Grays Harbor returns to the finals and will face Leilani Camargo-Naone of Midland, who took out 2017 champ Payten Smith of Simon Fraser with first-period fall.

WCWA CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Abe Lemons Arena (Oklahoma City University)

Team scores
1. Simon Fraser University - 168
2. Campbellsville University - 155.5         
3. McKendree University - 124  
3. Emmanuel College - 124          
5. Menlo College - 100.5               
6. King University - 93    
7. Grays Harbor College - 87       
8. Wayland Baptist University - 85.5        
9. Oklahoma City University - 79               
10. University of the Cumberlands - 65  

Finals matchups
101 - #1 Marina Doi (King) vs. #2 Regina Doi (King)
109 - #1 Cody Pfau (Emmanuel) vs. #3 Maria Vidales (Emmanuel)
116 - #1 Abby Lloyd (Simon Fraser) vs. #2 Gabrielle Weyrich (McKendree)
123 - #1 Dominique Parrish (Simon Fraser) vs. Alex Hedrick (Simon Fraser)
130 - Grace Bullen (Campbellsville) vs. #3 Nicole Depa (Simon Fraser)
136 - #1 Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) vs. #2 Desiree Zavala (Grays Harbor)
143 - #1 Mallory Velte (Simon Fraser) vs. #2 Alexis Porter (McKendree)
155 - #1 Niauni Hill (Lindenwood-Belleville) vs. #2 Tatum Sparks (Providence)
170 - #5 Mariah Harris (Campbellsville) vs. #2 Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist)
191 - #1 Paige Baynes (Grays Harbor) vs. #6 Leilani Camargo-Naone (Midland)

Semifinals results

101 pounds
#1 Marina Doi (King) dec. #4 Genae Sampract (McKendree), 8-0
#2 Regina Doi (King) dec. #3 Asia Ray (Wayland Baptist), 6-6

109 pounds
#1 Cody Pfau (Emmanuel) fall #4 Jessica DeHart (Eastern Oregon), 1:09
#3 Maria Vidales (Emmanuel) dec. #2 Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville), 5-2

116 pounds
#1 Abby Lloyd (Simon Fraser) fall #12 Ali Encinas (Emmanuel), 0:38
#2 Gabrielle Weyrich (McKendree) TF #14 Olivia Ioppolo (S.Oregon), 10-0

123 pounds
#1 Dominique Parrish (Simon Fraser) dec. #4 Abigail Nette (Emmanuel), 10-4
Alex Hedrick (Simon Fraser) dec. #2 Koral Sugiyama (Campbellsville), 9-2

130 pounds
Grace Bullen (Campbellsville) TF #1 Megan Black (McKendree), 12-0
#3 Nicole Depa (Simon Fraser) TF Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist), 14-4

136 pounds
#1 Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) TF #5 Nicole Joseph (King), 10-0
#2 Desiree Zavala (Grays Harbor) TF #3 Fran Giorgio (Simon Fraser), 12-1

143 pounds
#1 Mallory Velte (Simon Fraser) TF #5 Alexia Foca (Campbellsville), 10-0
#2 Alexis Porter (McKendree) dec. #3 Kayla Marano (Emmanuel), 3-1

155 pounds
#1 Niauni Hill (Lindenwood-Belleville) dec. Evionne Evien (Menlo), 5-4
#2 Tatum Sparks (Providence) TF #6 Jessi Kee (King), 10-0

170 pounds
#5 Mariah Harris (Campbellsville) dec. #1 Rachel Watters (Oklahoma City), 9-5
#2 Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) dec. #6 Precious Bell (Menlo), 3-2

191 pounds
#1 Paige Baynes (Grays Harbor) TF #4 Brandy Lowe (McKendree), 10-0
#6 Leilani Camargo-Naone (Midland) fall #2 Payten Smith (Simon Fraser), 1:49