Duty, Louive among women’s freestyle champions at Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier

Watch: Last Chance OTT Qualifier Champion Interviews

FAIRFAX, Virginia – Six women have secured a place at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials after topping the podium at the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier on Saturday evening.

Highlighting a sublime day of women’s wrestling at James W. Robinson Secondary School was current U.S. National Team member Bridgette Duty, who emerged as the 57 kg champion courtesy of a 4-0 decision over Montana DeLawder in the finals.

Duty, a member of the U.S. Army WCAP, went 4-0 on her way to the top spot in her weight class.  She picked up two impressive technical falls to start her day, before outlasting U20 World silver medalist Sofia Macaluso of West Point Wrestling Club in the semifinals, 12-8, in arguably the most exciting match of the day.

With her place in State College secured, the entire women’s freestyle U.S. National Team will be represented at the Olympic Trials, which is set for April 19-20 at Bryce Jordan Center.

A tandem of Iowa teammates controlled the bottom two weight classes on Saturday, further adding to the Hawkeyes’ impressive presence at the Olympic Trials.

2024 NCWWC runner-up Brianna Gonzalez torched the 53 kg field with three wins, two technical falls and zero points surrendered to the opposition. Her capstone was a 10-0 technical fall over 2022 U17 World Team member Elena Ivaldi of California in the finals.

2022 U23 World Team member Nyla Valencia matched her college teammate Gonzalez’s stats as she posted two technical falls and a pin in her three bouts at 50 kg. Valencia secured a fall in 5:27 on Charlotte Fowler of Boilermaker RTC in the championship bout.

Savvy veteran Lauren Louive went 4-0 on the day at 62 kg, with every match being a shutout technical fall. She stopped 2019 U17 World silver medalist Skylar Hattendorf in the finals, 10-0. Louive was on the U20 World Team in 2010 for Team USA and is a two-time Pan American Championships medalist on the Senior level.

Also earning spots in the Olympic Trials were Chloe Ogden of Florida at 68 kg and three-time NCWWC All-American Madison Sandquist at 76 kg.

The Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier resumes on Sunday morning with the men’s freestyle competition. Action will begin in Fairfax at 10 a.m. (ET) with the finals scheduled for the 4 p.m. (ET) session.

A live stream and archived matches of this event are available to watch on FloWrestling.com. Brackets and live results can be found on Trackwrestling.com.

For more information about the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier, please visit usawrestlingevents.com.