NCAA No. 1 Iowa women claim six titles at rugged Missouri Valley Open

Led by six individual champions and four runners-up, NCAA No. 1 Iowa dominated the Missouri Valley Open, one of the largest and most competitive women’s tournaments in the nation each year.

Individual champions for the Hawkeyes were Sterling Dias (101), Brianna Gonzalez (116), Felicity Taylor (123), Esther Han (136), Reese Larramendy (143) and Samantha Calkins (235).

This is the first year that Iowa has competed as an NCAA varsity program. Last year, when Iowa took a year to recruit and build the program, the Hawkeyes also entered the event unattached, and had five champions. Dias, Taylor and Larramendy were also Missouri Valley Open champions in 2022 and are the only repeat champions this year.  

Diaz defeated teammate Emilie Gonzalez in the finals for the second straight year, defeating her this year, 3-1.

Gonzalez stopped McKendree’s Salyna Shotwell, 8-0. Taylor beat Oklahoma City’s Sophia Smith, 8-0. Han pinned Gianna Moreno of Friends in 4:19. Larramendy beat Mea Mohler of Texas Wesleyan, 5-1. Calkins beat Isabeau Shalack of Colorado Mesa, 5-2.

The tournament featured 461 athletes from 39 teams, including athletes from the NCAA, NAIA,

2023 NAIA team champion Southern Oregon had two champions, Carolina Moreno (130) and Caitlyn Davis (155). Moreno, a 2023 NAIA champion, stopped Elizabeth Duvall of Texas Wesleyan, 6-2. Davis stopped Madison Sandquist of Sacred Heart, 7-2.

The 109-pound champion was Mia Palumbo of William Penn, who was an NCWWC national runner-up last year for Iowa Wesleyan. She stopped Iowa’s Ava Bayless in the finals, 2-1.

Simon Fraser had an individual champion at 191 pounds, as Julia Richey scored a technical fall in the finals over Iowa freshman Alivia White, 12-0.

Unattached Dymond Guilford, a two-time NAIA champion and past Senior National Team member, won the 170-pound title, defeating Iowa’s Kylie Welker of Iowa, 4-2. Both are past age-group World medalists. Welker competed in the 2021 Senior World Championships.

MISSOURI VALLEY OPEN

At Marshall, Mo., November 17-18

101 pounds

1st Place Match - Sterling Dias (Iowa) won by decision over Emilie Gonzalez (Iowa) (Dec 6-6)

3rd Place Match - Stefana Jelacic (Lourdes) won by fall over Alyssa Quezaire (Missouri Baptist University) (Fall 1:35)

5th Place Match - Esther Walker (Midland University) won by tech fall over Abbeygael Cabaug (Vanguard) (TF 10-0)

7th Place Match - Juliana Alejandro (Tiffin University) won by decision over Isabella Morales (Colorado Mesa) (Dec 4-2)

109 pounds

1st Place Match - Mia Palumbo (William Penn) won by decision over Ava Bayless (Iowa) (Dec 2-1)

3rd Place Match - Alexsys Jacquez (University of Saint Mary) won by decision over Emma Baertlein (Southern Oregon University) (Dec 5-1)

5th Place Match - Natalie Reyna (Southern Oregon University) won by decision over Elizabeth Dosado (University of the Cumberlands) (Dec 8-5)

7th Place Match - Adriana Gomez (Colorado Mesa) won by decision over Kylee Slyter (Baker University) (Dec 10-8)

116 pounds

1st Place Match - Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) won by decision over Salyna Shotwell (McKendree University) (Dec 8-0)

3rd Place Match - Payton Stroud (McKendree University) won by fall over Avery Ashley (Oklahoma City University) (Fall 2:24)

5th Place Match - Camille Fournier (Texas Wesleyan) won by fall over Maddie Mackenzie (Simon Fraser University) (Fall 4:04)

7th Place Match - Icart Galumette (Campbellsville University) won by decision over Katerina Pendergrass (Gannon University) (Dec 8-2)

123 pounds

1st Place Match - Felicity Taylor (Iowa) won by decision over Sophia Smith (Oklahoma City University) (Dec 8-0)

3rd Place Match - Carissa Qureshi (Unattached - California) won by decision over Shelby Moore (McKendree University) (Dec 10-1)

5th Place Match - Alexandra Fitzgerald (Sacred Heart) won by fall over Ella Jauregui (Unattached - California) (Fall 2:50)

7th Place Match - Victoria Seal (Simon Fraser University) won by tech fall over Julia Vidallon (McKendree University) (TF 12-2)

130 pounds

1st Place Match - Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon University) won by decision over Elizabeth Duvall (Texas Wesleyan) (Dec 6-2)

3rd Place Match - Jennifer Soto (McKendree University) won by decision over Bella Williams (Unattached - Oklahoma) (Dec 4-2)

5th Place Match - Joanna Vanderwood (William Penn) and Devin Patton (William Penn) (DFF)

7th Place Match - Skye Realin (Central Methodist University) won by tech fall over Piper Cadden (Unattached- Kansas) (TF 10-0)

136 pounds

1st Place Match - Esther Han (Iowa) won by fall over Gianna Moreno (Friends University) (Fall 4:18)

3rd Place Match - Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree University) won by tech fall over Janiah Jones (Unattached - Missouri) (TF 11-0)

5th Place Match - Piper Hall (Vanguard) won by tech fall over Aileen Lester (Ottawa University) (TF 11-0)

7th Place Match - Jade Trolland (Simon Fraser University) won by decision over Mattison Parker (Texas Wesleyan) (Dec 6-6)

143 pounds

1st Place Match - Reese Larramendy (Iowa) won by decision over Mea Mohler (Texas Wesleyan) (Dec 5-1)

3rd Place Match - Emma Walker (Campbellsville University) won by fall over Ella Schmit (Iowa) (Fall 2:27)

5th Place Match - Bella Amaro (Southern Oregon University) won by fall over Reagen Gallaway (Hastings) (Fall 6:00)

7th Place Match - Serenity De La Garza (Missouri Valley College) won by fall over Khadijah Sanusi (Sacred Heart) (Fall 1:08)

155

1st Place Match - Caitlyn Davis (Southern Oregon University) won by decision over Madison Sandquist (Sacred Heart) (Dec 7-2)

3rd Place Match - Destiny Rodriguez (McKendree University) won by tech fall over Paige Maher (Simon Fraser University) (TF 10-0)

5th Place Match - Athena Willden (William Jewell College) won by fall over Josselinne Campos (Unattached - Kentucky) (Fall 0:59)

7th Place Match - Taydem Khamjoi (Unattached - California) won by tech fall over Sheanareial (Nari) Miller (Texas Womens University) (TF 13-2)

170

1st Place Match - Dymond Guilford (Unattached - California) won by decision over Kylie Welker (Iowa) (Dec 4-2)

3rd Place Match - Haley Ward (Iowa) won by decision over Lily El-Masri (Vanguard) (Dec 8-6)

5th Place Match - Jewel Gonzalez (Gannon University) won by tech fall over Annabelle Helm (Gannon University) (TF 11-0)

7th Place Match - Abby McIntyre (Grand View) won by fall over Love Daley (Sacred Heart) (Fall 1:34)

191

1st Place Match - Julia Richey (Simon Fraser University) won by tech fall over Alivia White (Iowa) (TF 12-0)

3rd Place Match - Jaycee Foeller (Unattached - Iowa) won by fall over Lessly Sandoval (University of Saint Mary) (Fall 2:28)

5th Place Match - Madeline Hodges (Sacred Heart) won by decision over Noami Duenas (University of the Cumberlands) (Dec 5-3)

7th Place Match - Andjela Prijovic (Unattached - Iowa) won by fall over Elisa Robinson (Baker University) (Fall 1:21)

235

1st Place Match - Samantha Calkins (Iowa) won by decision over Isabeau Shalack (Colorado Mesa) (Dec 5-2)

3rd Place Match - Payton Sholander (Wayland Baptist University) won by fall over Jaycee Portee (Texas Womens University) (Fall 0:30)

5th Place Match - Aaliyah Ivarra (Avila) won by forfeit over Asia Young (Central College) (FF)

7th Place Match - Martha Vizcarra (Baker University) won by decision over Rose Rother (Iowa Central Community College) (Dec 4-0)