Returning All-Americans and wrestlers to watch at the WCWA Championships

Photo of 2019 WCWA champion and National Team member Jayden Laurent. 

The 16th annual WCWA Championships kick of today at the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Ga. Some of the top women’s wrestlers in the country will be competing to bring home a National title and earn a berth to the Olympic Team Trials. Let’s take a look at some of the toughest competitors in each weight class and the returning All-Americans.

101 Pounds
In a weight class with no returning All-Americans, Ira Navaaro of Southwest Oregon Community College earned the top seed. Navaaro is 10-3 this season with no losses to any wrestlers in the bracket. The No. 2 seed is Faye Cherrier of Life University. Cherrier is undefeated this season, sporting a 9-0 record.

109 Pounds
McKayla Campbell of Campbellsville is the returning runner-up at this weight class. This year, she is the No. 2 seed with a 17-1 record. Her sole loss this year came to the 2019 WCWA champion Alleida Martinez of Menlo College.

The top seed at 109 pounds went to Augsburg freshman Emily Shilson. A 2018 Youth Olympic Games and Cadet World champion and 2017 Cadet World runner-up, Shilson is 6-0 this season.

116 Pounds
2019 sixth place All-American at 109 pounds Raven Guidry of Oklahoma City bumped up a weight class and is seeded seventh. The No. 1 seed is Presbyterian’s Jaslynn Gallegos, a freshman touting a 9-0 record, and the No. 2 seed is 17-1 Katyln Pizzo of Campbellsville.

123 pounds
The only returning All-American in the bracket is Eastern Oregon’s Macy Higa, who earned the No. 3 seed with a 12-4 record. Last year, Higa finished third. The top seed went to another Augsburg freshman Vayle Baker. The two-time Cadet World Team member is 13-2 this season. Julia Vidallon of Life University earned the No. 2 seed, and is 12-4 on the season.

130 pounds
The woman to beat at this weight class is returning champion Abby Nette. Currently No. 3 on the National Team at 59 kg, Nette was the Outstanding Wrestlers at last year’s tournament. Additionally, Nette placed third in 2018. In the offseason, Nette transferred from Emmanuel to Campbellsville.

Looking to push her will be No. 2 seed Gabby Skidmore of Augsburg. The freshman comes into the tournament with an 8-2 record.

136 pounds
Destiny Lyng of Oklahoma City is a returning seventh-place finisher and the top-seed in this year’s tournament. Lyng has a 14-6 record, but none of her losses came to wrestlers in this tournament.

Looking to challenge her will be No. 2 seed Zoe Nowicki of Adrian College. Nowicki has had a prolific season, going 32-4. Another wrestler to watch is No. 3 seed Jacqueline Parks of Jamestown. Parks is 12-5 and in the last set of WCWA rankings was ranked No. 1 at 143 pounds. While Parks has seen action at 155 pounds, she has not wrestled a match at 136 pounds this year.

143 pounds
With no returning All-Americans in the bracket, Erica Sotelo of Life University earned the top seed. After a 5-2 start to the season at 136 pounds, Sotello made the move up to 143 pounds. Here, she has compiled a 12-2 record. The No. 2 seed is Morgan Norris from Presbyterian, a freshman with an 8-3 record.

155 pounds
155 pounds is one of the most intriguing weigh classes in the tournament. Last year’s champion at 143 pounds Jayden Laurent from Lakeland University has not wrestled a match this year. However, the current No. 3 on the National Team at 68 kg is returning to collegiate action for this tournament and is the No. 1 seed. Myranda Valasquez of Jamestown, who was ranked No. 1 before Laurent’s return, earned the No. 2 seed. She is 13-2 on the year.

Another wrestler to keep an eye on is No. 3 seed Rachel Watters of Oklahoma City. Watters is a two-time WCWA All-American and was No. 2 on the National Team in 2018. Watters was the No. 1 wrestler at 170 pounds before dropping to 155, where she has only wrestled one match this season. Watters is currently 8-0.

170 pounds
Campbellsville teammates Kenya Sloan and Mariah Harris earned the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in this bracket. Sloan is 12-1 this year. Last season as a freshman, she placed sixth at the NAIA National Championships.

Harris is a senior who placed third at the WCWA Championships last season. She is 7-1 this year with her only loss coming to Sloan, 13-3, in the finals of the Tornado Open.

191 pounds
191 pounds features four returning All-Americans including Oklahoma City’s Nkechinyere Nwankwo, who earned the top seed. Nwankwo placed fourth at this tournament last year. Currently she is 11-1.

The No. 2 seed is Leilani Camargo-Naone of Midland University. Camargo-Naone is the highest returning finisher in the weight class and was the WCWA runner-up last year. This season, she is 15-2.

No. 5 seed Agatha Andrews of Jamestown placed fifth here last season. This year, she is 15-3 and has split matches with Camargo-Naone.

The fourth All-American in the bracket is No. 3 seed Alexandra Castillo of Campbellsville. Castillo placed seventh last season, and is currently 5-1.

All of the action can be streamed live on Flowrestling.