Fifteen earn medals at the Grand Prix of Spain, USA wins women’s freestyle team title

Photo: Katie Gomez at the 2023 US Open. (Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

MADRID, Spain—The women’s freestyle team saw 15 athletes earn medals at the Grand Prix of Spain, earning the team title and scoring 190 points in a field of 17 teams. The United States had the most participants at the event with 18, followed by Canada with 17 athletes and Spain with 13 athletes.
Three athletes earned gold medals at the event. At 53 kg, senior national team member Katie Gomez defeated four opponents en route to the first place finish. Gomez won her first two matches by 10-0 technical fall, besting Josephine Hammerle of France and Amber Wiebe of Canada. She faced senior national team member Alisha Howk in her third match and claimed a 4-0 victory. In the gold medal match, Gomez defeated Maria Prevolaraki of Greece in a 4-2 decision.
Isabella Mir, competing at 68 kg, won the event with wins over four opponents. Mir defeated Lorena Lira of Spain by 5-3 decision in her first match. The next three of Mir’s wins were by fall, including a fall in the final match after trailing 11-2.
At 72 kg, Kaylynn Albrecht earned a gold medal in a field of four competitors. All three of Albrecht’s victories were by 10-0 technical fall, as she did not allow her opponents to score a single point. She faced opponents from Colombia and Spain, and bronze medalist Rose Cassioppi of the United States.
Five athletes were silver medalists at the event in Montana Delawder (55 kg), Xochitl Mota-Pettis (59 kg), Ashlynn Ortega (62 kg), Skylar Hattendorf (65 kg) and Ashley Lekas (76 kg).
Delawder saw wins over opponents from Spain, Canada and the United States before falling in a close match to Carolina Castillo of Colombia. At 59 kg, senior national team member Xochitl Mota-Pettis placed second in a field of six competitors. Mota-Pettis marked victories over opponents from Canada, Great Britain and the United States. All three of the victories were by technical fall.
Ashlynn Ortega earned a silver medal following three close wins over opponents from Korea, Spain and Ecuador at 62 kg. At 65 kg, Skylar Hattendorf saw three victories in the round-robin style tournament. She defeated opponents from Spain and the United States for the silver medal. Ashley Lekas was the final silver medalist for the United States at 76 kg. Lekas faced athletes from Korea and Canada, falling in the final match to an opponent from Chinese Tapei.
Earning bronze medals were senior national team members Audrey Jimenez (50 kg) and Alisha Howk (53 kg), Amani Jones (53 kg), Sofia Macaluso (55 kg), Alexis Janiak (59 kg), Madeline Kubicki (65 kg), and Rose Cassioppi (72 kg).
Grand Prix of Spain

Women’s wrestling

July 8, 2023
Team Standings
1 – United States
2 – Canada
3 – Colombia
4 – Spain
5 – Nigeria
Final results
50 kg
Gold – Mercy Genesis (Nigeria)
Silver – Jacqueline Mollocana (Ecuador)
Bronze – Veronika Rjabolova (North Macedonia)
Bronze – Audrey Jimenez (United States)
53 kg
Gold – Katie Gomez (United States)
Silver – Maria Prevolaraki (Greece)
Bronze – Alisha Howk (United States)
Bronze – Amani Jones (United States)
55 kg
Gold – Carolina Castillo (Colombia)
Silver – Montana Delawder (United States)
Bronze – Sofia Macaluso (United States)
57 kg
Gold – Evelina Nikolova (Bulgaria)
Silver – Mia Friesen (Canada)
Bronze – Tianna Kennett (Canada)
Bronze – Kwon Youngjin (Korea)
59 kg
Gold – Hannah Taylor (Canada)
Silver – Xochitl Mota-Pettis (United States)
Bronze – Alexis Janiak (United States)
62 kg
Gold – Esther Kolawole (Nigeria)
Silver – Ashlynn Ortega (United States)
Bronze – Miki Rowbottom (Canada)
Bronze – Lydia Perez (Spain)
65 kg
Gold – Valentina Andradres (Colombia)
Silver – Skylar Hattendorf (United States)
Bronze – Madeline Kubicki (United States)
68 kg
Gold – Isabella Mir (United States)
Silver – Olivia Di Bacco (Canada)
Bronze – Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria)
Bronze – Park Hyeonyeong (Korea)
72 kg
Gold – Kaylynn Albrecht (United States)
Silver – Fernanda Ceballos (Colombia)
Bronze – Rose Cassioppi (United States)
76 kg
Gold – Hui Tsz Chang (Chinese Tapei)
Silver – Ashley Lekas (United States)
Bronze – Jeong Seoyeon (Korea)
Bronze – Brianna Fraser (Canada)
U.S. Women’s freestyle performances
50 kg – Audrey Jimenez
WIN Bye
WIN Cheon Miran (Korea), 11-4 decision
LOSS Jacqueline Mollocana (Ecuador), 10-9 decision
WIN Dannia Duque Figueroa (Colombia), 10-0 tech. fall
50 kg – Erin Golston
WIN Lin Yung Hsun (Chinese Tapei), 8-4 decision
WIN Ana Maria Torres (Spain), 10-0 tech. fall
LOSS Mercy Genesis (Nigeria), 10-0 tech. fall
LOSS Veronika Rjabolova (North Macedonia), 8-0 decision
53 kg – Katie Gomez
WIN Josephine Haemmerle (France), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Amber Wiebe (Canada), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Alisha Howk (United States), 4-0 decision
WIN Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), 4-2 decision
53 kg – Alisha Howk
WIN Bye
WIN Eva Gonzalez (Colombia), 3-2 decision
LOSS Katie Gomez (United States), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Josephine Haemmerle (France), 11-1 tech. fall
53 kg – Amani Jones
WIN Bye
WIN Hsieh Meng Hsuan (Chinese Tapei), fall
LOSS Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), 6-1 decision
WIN Sueanne Harms (Canada) 6-2 decision
55 kg – Montana Delawder
WIN Elena Torres (Spain), 4-0 decision
WIN Grace Lew (Canada), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Sofia Macaluso (United States), 6-2 decision
LOSS Carolina Castillo (Colombia), 5-1 decision
55 kg – Sofia Macaluso
WIN Bye
LOSS Carolina Castillo (Colombia), 6-1 decision
LOSS Montana Delawder (United States), 6-2 decision
WIN Grace Lew (Canada), 11-0 tech. fall
59 kg – Xochitl Mota-Pettis
WIN Michaela Rankin (Canada), fall
WIN Kelsey Barnes (Great Britain), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Alexis Janiak (United States), 14-3 tech. fall
LOSS Hannah Taylor (Canada), fall
59 kg – Alexis Janiak
LOSS Hannah Taylor (Canada), fall
WIN Amel Rebiha (France), 11-0 tech. fall
LOSS Xochitl Mota-Pettis (United States), 14-3 tech. fall
WIN Kelsey Barnes (Great Britain), 13-3 tech. fall
62 kg – Ashlynn Ortega
WIN Lee Hanbit (Korea), 3-1 decision
WIN Lydia Perez (Spain), 4-3 decision
WIN Leonela Aleyda Ayovi (Ecuador), 6-5 decision
LOSS Esther Kolawole (Nigeria), 7-0 decision
62 kg – Marisol Nugent
WIN Elena Exposito (Italy), 8-7 decision
LOSS Esther Kolawole (Nigeria), 10-0 tech. fall
LOSS Miki Rowbottom (Canada), 7-7 decision
WIN Bye
65 kg – Skylar Hattendorf
WIN Marta Ojeda Navarro (Spain), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Madelina Kubicki (United States), 10-0 tech. fall
LOSS Valentina Andradres (Colombia), 7-3 decision
WIN Manuela Noguerol Souza (Spain), 10-0 tech. fall
65 kg – Madeline Kubicki
WIN Marta Ojeda Navarro (Spain), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Manuela Noguerol Souza (Spain), fall
LOSS Skylar Hattendorf (United States), 10-0 tech. fall
LOSS Valentina Andradres (Colombia), 8-1 decision
68 kg – Isabella Mir
WIN Lorena Lera (Spain), 5-3 decision
WIN Vanessa Keefe (Canada), fall
WIN Park Hyeonyeong (Korea), fall
WIN Olivia Di Bacco (Canada), fall
68 kg – Katerina Lange
WIN Bye
WIN Yanet Sovero (Peru), fall
LOSS Olivia Di Bacco (Canada), 10-0 tech. fall
LOSS Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria), 10-0 tech. fall
72 kg – Kaylynn Albrecht
WIN Bye
WIN Rose Cassioppi (United States), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Fernanda Ceballos (Colombia), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Yasmin Alonso Ez Zahir (Spain), 10-0 tech. fall
72 kg – Rose Cassioppi
LOSS Kaylynn Albrecht (United States), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Bye
LOSS Fernanda Ceballos (Colombia), 5-5 decision
WIN Yasmin Alonso Ez Zahir (Spain), 10-0 tech. fall
76 kg – Ashley Lekas
WIN Jeong Seoyeon (Korea), 10-0 tech. fall
WIN Shauna Kuebeck (Canada), fall
LOSS Hui Tsz (Chinese Tapei), fall