Four returning champions start strong as record USMC Junior Women’s Nationals starts in Fargo
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Returning Junior Nationals champion Xochitl Mota-Pettis of Texas opened with two dominant wins at 127 pounds. Photo by Farrah Shareen, Wrestling Texas.
FARGO, N.D. – The growth of wrestling for women and girls was well displayed, as the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in women’s freestyle got rolling on Tuesday morning.
The largest Junior Women’s Nationals ever features a record 594 entries, which is up 79 wrestlers from the record number from last year. There is a record 43 states represented in the Junior women’s event, three more than the standard set last season.
All four of the 2018 Junior National champions in the field got off to a strong start on Tuesday morning. Emily Shilson of Minnesota (106), Xochitl Mota-Pettis of Texas (127), Tristan Kelly of Colorado (164) and Gabrielle Holloway of Texas (225).
Shilson opened with a pair of technical falls over Brianna Funakoshi of Hawaii and Isabell Ortiz of Kansas. Shilson is a three-time Junior Nationals champion, and a two-time 16U Nationals champion.
If Shilson wins this week, she will become a four-time Junior Nationals champion and boast six Fargo national titles, the most possible. If she achieves this, she will match the achievement of Hawaii star Teshya Alo, who won four Junior and two 16U titles. Also of note are the fact that both Alo and Shilson have Cadet World gold medals on their resume.
Mota Pettis pinned Chloe Desouza of California, then scored a 16-6 technical fall over Robin Yunis of Tennessee.
Tristan Kelly opened with a 10-0 technical fall over Abbey Aney of Washington.
Seven 2018 Junior National women’s runners-up in the field are also unbeaten so far: Sage Mortimer of Utah (100), Caitlyn Walker of Pennsylvania (106), Phoenix Dubose of Washington (117), Louisa Schwab of Illinois (132), Aine Drury of California (138), Jerzie Estrada of Colorado (144) and Jaycee Foeller of Missouri (180).
The morning session went through a few rounds of preliminaries and consolation bouts. The round of 16 and the quarterfinals are scheduled for the evening session, which begins at 4:00 p.m. CT, live on FloWrestling.
FARGO, N.D. – The growth of wrestling for women and girls was well displayed, as the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in women’s freestyle got rolling on Tuesday morning.
The largest Junior Women’s Nationals ever features a record 594 entries, which is up 79 wrestlers from the record number from last year. There is a record 43 states represented in the Junior women’s event, three more than the standard set last season.
All four of the 2018 Junior National champions in the field got off to a strong start on Tuesday morning. Emily Shilson of Minnesota (106), Xochitl Mota-Pettis of Texas (127), Tristan Kelly of Colorado (164) and Gabrielle Holloway of Texas (225).
Shilson opened with a pair of technical falls over Brianna Funakoshi of Hawaii and Isabell Ortiz of Kansas. Shilson is a three-time Junior Nationals champion, and a two-time 16U Nationals champion.
If Shilson wins this week, she will become a four-time Junior Nationals champion and boast six Fargo national titles, the most possible. If she achieves this, she will match the achievement of Hawaii star Teshya Alo, who won four Junior and two 16U titles. Also of note are the fact that both Alo and Shilson have Cadet World gold medals on their resume.
Mota Pettis pinned Chloe Desouza of California, then scored a 16-6 technical fall over Robin Yunis of Tennessee.
Tristan Kelly opened with a 10-0 technical fall over Abbey Aney of Washington.
Seven 2018 Junior National women’s runners-up in the field are also unbeaten so far: Sage Mortimer of Utah (100), Caitlyn Walker of Pennsylvania (106), Phoenix Dubose of Washington (117), Louisa Schwab of Illinois (132), Aine Drury of California (138), Jerzie Estrada of Colorado (144) and Jaycee Foeller of Missouri (180).
The morning session went through a few rounds of preliminaries and consolation bouts. The round of 16 and the quarterfinals are scheduled for the evening session, which begins at 4:00 p.m. CT, live on FloWrestling.
