U.S. women and men freestyle to compete at the Flatz Open in Austria, Feb. 4
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by Viviane Fracasso, USA Wrestling
A group of 16 U.S. wrestlers will attend the 26th annual Flatz Open in Wolfurt, Austria. The one-day event taking place Feb. 4 features Senior, Junior and Cadet divisions.
The team, which consists of several high school girls from powerhouse Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa, is being led by three-time World champion and 2016 Olympian Adeline Gray of Denver, Colo.
Gray, who is an assistant coach for the new girls wrestling program at Wyoming will coach the Seminary athletes, while also competing at the Junior/Senior division at the 76 kg/167 lbs. weight class.
Of the 15 women traveling to Austria, 10 of them are current Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory school wrestlers.
2017 Pan American Junior Champion Emma Bruntil (Deming, Wash.) is set to wrestle at 62 kg/136 lbs. Bruntil who is also from Wyoming Seminary is currently ranked No. 1 in the national high school rankings. She also won bronze at the 2017 UWW Women’s National Championship.
No. 2 ranked high school wrestler Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa.), will compete at 50 kg/ 110 lbs. Baker was a seventh-place finisher at the Cadet World Championship and won gold at the U.S. Marine Corps Cadet Junior Nationals in 2017.
Chanah (Tzi) Schwartz (Franktown, Colo.) at 61 kg/134 lbs. and Tiffani McNelis (Stewartstown, Pa) at 69 kg/152 lbs. will both be competing in the Cadet division. McNelis finished in six place at the USMC Folkstyle Nationals this past year.
Additional Wyoming Seminary wrestlers entered in the 2018 Flatz Open include, Shaina Murray (Watchung, N.J.) at 57 kg/125 lbs. Julia Dailey (Kingston, Pa.) at 57 kg/125 lbs. Amanda Walker (Hatboro, Pa.) at 55 kg/121 lbs. Cheyenne Sisenstein (Binghamton, N.Y.) at the 55 kg/121 lbs. and No. 3 high school nationally ranked Olivia Rondeau (Gaithersburg, Md.) at 76kg.
There will also be top senior women athletes wrestling in the Junior/Senior division.
Three-time World Team member Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo. / U.S. Army) will also be one of the women representing the U.S. in Austria. Conder, a four-time U.S. Open Champion and a 2015 Pan American Games Champion will battle it out at 53 kg/116 lbs.
Competing at 53kg/116 lbs. is Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D. / Sunkist Kids) a UWW Cadet World gold medalist in 2015, and a Cadet World silver medalist in 2016. Heaton also came in second place at the 2017 U23 Team Trials. In 2017, she finished second at the Dave Shultz Memorial International.
Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. /Titan Mercury WC) a bronze medalist at the 2017 Pan American Championships and the 2017 gold medalist at the Dave Schultz Memorial International will compete at 65 kg/143 lbs.
Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y.) will wrestle at 55 kg/ 121 lbs. Beck, a 2017 bronze medalist at the Cadet Pan American Championships is nationally ranked No. 2 for Trevor Day High School in New York.
Aaron Cashman (Spring Park, Minn.) will be the only U.S. male competing at the Flatz Open at 57 kg/125 lbs. in the Junior Division. Cashman is part of USA Wrestling’s Freestyle Accelerator Program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He finished top eight at the 2016 Cadet World Championships.
Coaching the women are Assistant National Freestyle Coach Emma Randall and Coach Kuuiini Robinson. Assistant National Freestyle Developmental Coach Kevin Jackson will coach Cashman.
2018 FLATZ OPEN
At Wolfurt, Austria, Feb. 4
Event Schedule (ET +6)
Friday February 4th (All weights/ All Styles)
9:00 am – Conclusion
Junior/Senior Women
50 kg/110 lbs. – Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
53kg/116 lbs. – Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo. / U.S. Army)
53kg/116 lbs. – Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D. / Sunkist Kids)
55kg/121 lbs. – Amanda Walker (Hatboro, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
55kg/121 lbs. – Cheyenne Sisenstein (Binghamton, N.Y./ Wyoming Seminary)
55kg/121 lbs. – Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y.)
57kg/125 lbs. – Shaina Murray (Watchung, N.J./ Wyoming Seminary)
57kg/125 lbs. – Julia Dailey (Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
62kg/136 lbs. – Emma Bruntil (Deming, Wash. / Wyoming Seminary)
65kg/143 lbs. – Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
68kg/150 lbs. – Ashlynn Ortega (Pueblo, Colo. / Wyoming Seminary)
76kg/167 lbs. – Olivia Rondeau (Gaithersburg, Md./ Wyoming Seminary)
76kg/167 lbs. – Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa. / New York AC)
Cadet Women
61kg/134 lbs. – Chanah (Tzi) Schwartz (Franktown, Colo./ Wyoming Seminary)
69kg/152 lbs. – Tiffani McNelis (Stewartstown, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
Junior Men’s Freestyle
57kg/125 lbs. – Aaron Cashman (Spring Park, Minn.)
U.S. Delegation
Asst. National Women's Freestyle Coach – Emma Randall (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Asst. National Freestyle Developmental Coach – Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Coach Kuuiini Robinson (Waianae, Hawaii)
Medical – Courtney Smith (Franktown, Colo.)
Official – Cindy Mosconi (Indianapolis, Ind.)
The team, which consists of several high school girls from powerhouse Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa, is being led by three-time World champion and 2016 Olympian Adeline Gray of Denver, Colo.
Gray, who is an assistant coach for the new girls wrestling program at Wyoming will coach the Seminary athletes, while also competing at the Junior/Senior division at the 76 kg/167 lbs. weight class.
Of the 15 women traveling to Austria, 10 of them are current Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory school wrestlers.
2017 Pan American Junior Champion Emma Bruntil (Deming, Wash.) is set to wrestle at 62 kg/136 lbs. Bruntil who is also from Wyoming Seminary is currently ranked No. 1 in the national high school rankings. She also won bronze at the 2017 UWW Women’s National Championship.
No. 2 ranked high school wrestler Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa.), will compete at 50 kg/ 110 lbs. Baker was a seventh-place finisher at the Cadet World Championship and won gold at the U.S. Marine Corps Cadet Junior Nationals in 2017.
Chanah (Tzi) Schwartz (Franktown, Colo.) at 61 kg/134 lbs. and Tiffani McNelis (Stewartstown, Pa) at 69 kg/152 lbs. will both be competing in the Cadet division. McNelis finished in six place at the USMC Folkstyle Nationals this past year.
Additional Wyoming Seminary wrestlers entered in the 2018 Flatz Open include, Shaina Murray (Watchung, N.J.) at 57 kg/125 lbs. Julia Dailey (Kingston, Pa.) at 57 kg/125 lbs. Amanda Walker (Hatboro, Pa.) at 55 kg/121 lbs. Cheyenne Sisenstein (Binghamton, N.Y.) at the 55 kg/121 lbs. and No. 3 high school nationally ranked Olivia Rondeau (Gaithersburg, Md.) at 76kg.
There will also be top senior women athletes wrestling in the Junior/Senior division.
Three-time World Team member Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo. / U.S. Army) will also be one of the women representing the U.S. in Austria. Conder, a four-time U.S. Open Champion and a 2015 Pan American Games Champion will battle it out at 53 kg/116 lbs.
Competing at 53kg/116 lbs. is Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D. / Sunkist Kids) a UWW Cadet World gold medalist in 2015, and a Cadet World silver medalist in 2016. Heaton also came in second place at the 2017 U23 Team Trials. In 2017, she finished second at the Dave Shultz Memorial International.
Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. /Titan Mercury WC) a bronze medalist at the 2017 Pan American Championships and the 2017 gold medalist at the Dave Schultz Memorial International will compete at 65 kg/143 lbs.
Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y.) will wrestle at 55 kg/ 121 lbs. Beck, a 2017 bronze medalist at the Cadet Pan American Championships is nationally ranked No. 2 for Trevor Day High School in New York.
Aaron Cashman (Spring Park, Minn.) will be the only U.S. male competing at the Flatz Open at 57 kg/125 lbs. in the Junior Division. Cashman is part of USA Wrestling’s Freestyle Accelerator Program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He finished top eight at the 2016 Cadet World Championships.
Coaching the women are Assistant National Freestyle Coach Emma Randall and Coach Kuuiini Robinson. Assistant National Freestyle Developmental Coach Kevin Jackson will coach Cashman.
2018 FLATZ OPEN
At Wolfurt, Austria, Feb. 4
Event Schedule (ET +6)
Friday February 4th (All weights/ All Styles)
9:00 am – Conclusion
Junior/Senior Women
50 kg/110 lbs. – Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
53kg/116 lbs. – Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo. / U.S. Army)
53kg/116 lbs. – Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D. / Sunkist Kids)
55kg/121 lbs. – Amanda Walker (Hatboro, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
55kg/121 lbs. – Cheyenne Sisenstein (Binghamton, N.Y./ Wyoming Seminary)
55kg/121 lbs. – Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y.)
57kg/125 lbs. – Shaina Murray (Watchung, N.J./ Wyoming Seminary)
57kg/125 lbs. – Julia Dailey (Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
62kg/136 lbs. – Emma Bruntil (Deming, Wash. / Wyoming Seminary)
65kg/143 lbs. – Forrest Molinari (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Titan Mercury WC)
68kg/150 lbs. – Ashlynn Ortega (Pueblo, Colo. / Wyoming Seminary)
76kg/167 lbs. – Olivia Rondeau (Gaithersburg, Md./ Wyoming Seminary)
76kg/167 lbs. – Adeline Gray (Kingston, Pa. / New York AC)
Cadet Women
61kg/134 lbs. – Chanah (Tzi) Schwartz (Franktown, Colo./ Wyoming Seminary)
69kg/152 lbs. – Tiffani McNelis (Stewartstown, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary)
Junior Men’s Freestyle
57kg/125 lbs. – Aaron Cashman (Spring Park, Minn.)
U.S. Delegation
Asst. National Women's Freestyle Coach – Emma Randall (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Asst. National Freestyle Developmental Coach – Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Coach Kuuiini Robinson (Waianae, Hawaii)
Medical – Courtney Smith (Franktown, Colo.)
Official – Cindy Mosconi (Indianapolis, Ind.)
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