Miracle wins fourth WCWA title to seal team win for Campbellsville

VIDEO: WCWA interviews

OKLAHOMA CITY – Kayla Miracle earned her fourth WCWA individual title to clinch the team title for Campbellsville on Saturday night at Abe Lemons Arena on Oklahoma City University’s campus.

Miracle became only the fourth WCWA wrestler to win four titles and joins an elite list, which includes Olympic and two-time World champion Helen Maroulis, two-time World Team member Victoria Anthony and Emily Webster. THe feat earned Miracle WCWA Wrestler of the Year. 

With the tournament starting at 143 pounds, Miracle’s bout was the night’s finale. Heading into the 136-pound final, Campbellsville trailed Simon Fraser by one point in the team race.

Only needing a win to the match to claim the team title, top-seeded Miracle impressed with a pin over No. 2 Desiree Zavala of Grays Harbor late in the second period. Zavala got the first takedown, but it was Miracle who emerged victorious.

The win gave the Lady Tigers 196.5 points to defeat Simon Fraser by five points.

“This whole round, I knew it was going to be a fight with Simon Fraser,” Miracle said. “This whole season I’ve known that our team could win a national title. I really didn’t know that it was going to be that close, going into my match. I’m just excited. I’m excited that our team did it.”

Joining Miracle as a Campbellsville champion was Norway native and freshman Grace Bullen. She defeated three-time WCWA finalist Nicole Depa of SFU with a pin to set up Miracle for a storybook ending. Bullen is a two-time age-group World medalist and six-time age-group European champion.

Two other wrestlers ended their collegiate career with multiple titles.

U.S. Senior World Team member Mallory Velte of SFU won the crown at 143 pounds with a 10-0 tech fall against No. 2 Alexis Porter of McKendree.  It was Velte’s third championship.

“It’s exciting to win my third,” Velte said. “It was sad that this is the first nationals without Mike Jones, who retired last year. It’s been fun with the team. I’m just enjoying my last tournament.”

Emmanuel’s Cody Pfau also claimed her third title, fighting off teammate Maria Vidales in a 14-4 tech fall. Pfau won her first two titles at Oklahoma City University before transferring to Emmanuel for her senior season.

In addition to Velte, Simon Fraser also put two more on the top of the podium, getting championship performances from Abby Lloyd at 116 pounds and Dominique Parrish at 130 pounds.

Both pulled out close decisions. Lloyd edged out Gabrielle Weyrich of McKendree in a 5-3 battle, while Parrish won a tight 6-4 bout against teammate Alex Hedrick, a freshman for the Clan.

Parrish was one of four wrestlers who were 2017 WCWA runners-up and came back to claim 2018 individual titles.

Others to do it were Regina Doi at 101 pounds, Niauni Hill of Lindenwood-Belleville at 155 pounds and Paige Baynes of Grays Harbor at 191 pounds.

All those watching experienced incredible emotions in the 101-pound final, which pitted sister against sister as Marina Doi, a two-time WCWA champion for King, met up with Regina Doi, a two-time WCWA finalist.

Marina forfeited the match to her sister. Moments later, the two seniors left their shoes in the center of the mat as a sign of retirement from the sport, bringing the crowd to its feet.

“It’s always our goal to make it to the finals together every year and we did that this year,” Marina said. “It was more important to me that my sister got one national title rather than me getting three. That was the last one. It was our last match together. We were each other’s first match (in our careers) and we were each other’s last match.”

Hill outlasted Tatum Sparks of Providence in a 7-5 win for her first career title.

Baynes went unscathed at the tournament, not giving up a single point to earn her the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award. In her championship run, Baynes blazed past Leilani Camargo-Naone of Midland in a 10-0 tech fall.

Also winning an individual title was Brittany Marshall of Wayland Baptist, who scored a buzzer-beating takedown against Campbellsville’s Mariah Harris in the 170-pound championship bout for a 6-5 win.

Rounding out the top-five teams was McKendree with 156 points, Emmanuel with 150.5 points and Menlo with 122 points.

WCWA NATIONALS

at Abe Lemons Arena (Oklahoma City University)

Outstanding Wrestler - Paige Baynes, Grays Harbor
Wrestler of the Year - Kayla Miracle, Campbellsville
Coach of the Year - Lee Miracle, Campbellsville

Team scores
1. Campbellsville – 196.5
2. Simon Fraser - 191.5  
3. McKendree - 156        
4. Emmanuel - 150.5      
5. Menlo - 122  
6. King - 117.5   
7. Grays Harbor - 105.5  
8. Wayland Baptist - 104               
9. Oklahoma City - 97.5 
10. University of the Cumberlands - 82.5              
11. Missouri Baptist - 74
12. Southern Oregon - 54            
13. Life - 51        
14. Missouri Valley College - 45 
15. Eastern Oregon - 36
15. Southwestern Oregon CC - 36            
15. University of Providence - 36              
18. Midland - 32.5           
19. Ottawa - 32 
20. University of Jamestown - 28.5          
21. Lindenwood-Belleville - 28   
22. Lyon - 24      
23. Warner Pacific - 13.5               
24. Waldorf - 12.5            
25. Bacone - 11.5             
26. Lindenwood - 9.5     
26. MacMurray - 9.5      
28. Adrian - 8.5 
29. Ferrum - 7.5
30. Brewton-Parker - 5.5              
31. St. Mary - 5

Finals results
101 pounds
1st - Regina Doi (King) won by forfeit Marina Doi (King)
3rd - Asia Ray (WBU) dec. McKayla Campbell (Campbellsville), 10-5
5th - Iesha Washington (Emmanuel) dec. Genae Sampract (McKendree), 12-9
7th - Nina Pham (GHC) TF Arelys Valles (Cumberlands), 14-3

109 pounds
1st - Cody Pfau (Emmanuel) TF Maria Vidales (Emmanuel), 14-4
3rd - Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) dec. Jessica Dehart (Eastern Oregon), 5-2
5th- Aleeah Gould (King) dec. Kateri Rowell (GHC), 8-6
7th- Leiana Nacapuy (OCU) TF Alanda Nguyen (Life), 11-0

116 pounds
1st - Abby Lloyd (Simon Fraser) dec. Gabrielle Weyrich (McKendree), 5-3
3rd - Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (WBU) dec. Ali Encinas (Emmanuel College), 5-0
5th - Victoria Smith (Southwestern Oregon CC) fall Olivia Ioppolo (Southern Oregon), 0:40
7th - Jennifer Juarez  (Life University) dec. Lauren Mason (SFU), 5-3

123 pounds
1st - Dominique Parrish (Simon Fraser) dec. Alex Hedrick (Simon Fraser), 5-4
3rd - Abby Nette (Emmanuel) TF Brenda Reyna (McKendree), 14-4
5th - Koral Sugiyama (Campbellsville) fall Kellyann Jimenez (Cumberlands), 4:01
7th - Sunita Sewak (SFU) dec. Daniela Flores (OCU), 3-2

130 pounds
1st - Grace Bullen (Campbellsville) win by fall Nicole Depa (Simon Fraser), 2:17
3rd - Megan Black (McKendree) TF Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist), 10-0
5th - Shelby Hall (Campbellsville) fall Erin Redford (OCU), 1:44
7th - Allison Petix (King) TF Alyssa Batiste (Lyon College), 11-1

136 pounds
1st - Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) win by fall Desiree Zavala (Grays Harbor), 2:50
3rd - Francesca Giorgio (SFU) dec. Nicole Joseph (King), 8-4
5th - Solin Piearcy (Menlo College) TF Anna Poyner (MVC), 12-2
7th - Bridgette Duty (Cumberlands) TF Regina Dickinson (Warner Pacific), 14-4

143 pounds
1st - Mallory Velte (Simon Fraser) TF Alexis Porter (McKendree), 10-0
3rd - Kayla Marano (Emmanuel College) dec. Alexia Foca (Campbellsville), 6-0
5th - Angela Peralta (Menlo College) dec. Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon), 6-0
7th - Brooke Pagan (Life) dec. Marina Briceno (Wayland Baptist), 8-6

155 pounds
1st - Niauni Hill (Lindenwood-Belleville) dec. Tatum Sparks (Providence), 7-5
3rd - Jessica Kee (King) fall Evonne Evien (Menlo College), 0:48
5th - Yvonne Galindo (OCU) fall Anna Naylor (Cumberlands), 3:22
7th - Kendra Kehrli (Ottawa) fall Morgan Becker (Campbellsville), 2:43

170 pounds
1st - Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) dec. Mariah Harris (Campbellsville), 6-5
3rd - Rachel Watters (OCU) dec. Dymond Guilford (Missouri Baptist), 10-2
5th - Precious Bell (Menlo College) fall Kacie Moorehouse (Grays Harbor College), 1:57
7th - Janelle Fuamatu (McKendree) dec. Korinahe Bullock (McKendree), 5-3

191 pounds
1st - Paige Baynes (Grays Harbor) TF Leilani Camargo-Naone (Midland), 10-0
3rd -Brandy Lowe (McKendree) fall Payten Smith (SFU), 2:16
5th - Destane Garrick (McKendree) fall Courteney Tompkins (Cumberlands), 2:53
7th - Kaitlyn Hill (Campbellsville) win by forfeit Victoria Espinoza (King University)