Six repeat as First Team members on 2016 ASICS Girls High School All-American Team
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by ASICS
Teshya Alo of Hawaii, shown battling Kelsey Campbell at the 2016 U.S. Open, made her fourth straight ASICS First Team.
Editor's Note: This release was written prior to the 2016 ASICS Junior and Cadet Nationals.
The nation’s best girls high school wrestlers are being honored with the announcement of the 16th annual ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.
The 2016 First Team members will be recognized at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D., July 16-23. At the same time, the ASICS High School Girls Wrestler of the Year will be announced.
There were six members of the 2015 First Team who were selected as First Team members again in 2016: Teshya Alo of Kamehameha High School (Hawaii), Alexis Bleau of Schoharie High School (N.Y), McKayla Campbell of Wauseon High School (Ohio), Gabrielle Garcia of Valencia High School (Calif.), Ronna Heaton of Brookings High School (S.D.) and Rachel Watters of Ballard High School (Iowa).
Alo is on the ASICS First Team for the fourth straight year, while Garcia made First Team for the third straight year.
The ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team is selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts. It is the only national all-star team for which female high school wrestlers competing on all four grade levels are eligible. Athletes from across the nation were considered for their achievements in high school wrestling, as well as the major post-season freestyle and folkstyle competitions.
ASICS is a national sponsor of USA Wrestling and a major supporter of wrestling at all levels. ASICS has sponsored the nationally respected ASICS High School All-American Team for boys wrestlers for 30 years.
“The ASICS America Corporation is proud to be a sponsor of the All-American wrestling team for girls,” said Neil Duncan, Vice President of TW Promotions which represents ASICS. “Women’s wrestling is growing at all levels, with more opportunity on the college and Olympic levels. These are our future college national champions and Olympians in women’s wrestling.”
California the only state with more than one First Team member, as four Californians were honored: Garcia, plus Grace Figueroa of Selma High School, Sariyah Jones of Enoch High School and Alleida Martinez of Selma High School. There were 11 different states represented on the First Team.
Alo won the U.S. Senior Open, the top placement of a high school wrestler on the Senior level. Another ASICS All-American who placed at the U.S. Senior Open was Watters, who was fourth.
Seven First Team members won USA Wrestling ASICS/Vaughan Junior National titles in the summer of 2016, including Alo, Watters, Heaton, Campbell, Figueroa, Jones and Skylar Grote of Blair Academy (N.J.)
Six First Teamers won the 2016 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals in Oklahoma: Watters, Heaton, Figueroa, Garcia, Macey Kilty of Stratford High School (Wis.) and Alexandria Liles of Allen High School (Texas).
2015 Cadet World champion Heaton, Cadet World silver medalist Martinez and Cadet World bronze medalists Bleau and Kayla Marano of Jefferson High School (Ga.) are the age-group World medalists on this year’s First Team.
Two First Teamers were also Cadet National Champions last summer, Campbell and Martinez.
Three from First Team won the 2016 Body Bar UWW Junior Nationals and will compete at the Junior World Championships this summer: Watters, Campbell and Brenda Reyna of Mount Vernon High School (Wash.). Four from First Team won the 2016 Body Bar UWW Cadet Nationals and will compete in the Cadet World Championships this summer: Heaton, Figueroa, Martinez and Kilty.
Garcia became the second four-time California girls state champion in history, while Alo won her fourth Hawaii state title. Others who won official girls state championships this year included Figueroa, Martinez, Liles, Reyna and Jones.
The First Team featured six seniors, four juniors and three sophomores and a freshman.
The Second Team was also star-studded, led by Junior National champions Kenya Spencer of Caro High School (Mich.), Teniya Alo of Iolani High School (Hawaii) and Rachel Bridges of Timbercreek High School (Texas), plus Junior Folkstyle National champion Aleeah Gould of Canyon High School (Calif.) as well as Cadet National champions Jerzie Estrada of Selma High School (Calif.), Ashlynn Ortega of Pueblo South High School (Colo.) and Vayle Baker of Benton High School (Pa.).
The Third Team featured Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion Solin Pearcy of Cupertino High School (Calif.), Victoria Espinoza of Rancho Cotate High School (Calif.) and Emily Bruntil of Nooksack Valley High School (Wash.), plus Cadet Nationals champions Alisha Howk of Blue Springs High School (Mo.) and Abby Lees of Washougal High School (Wash.).
As the National Federation of State High Schools has yet to determine specific weight classes for girls wrestling, the athletes were selected based solely on achievement and ability. The top 14 athletes were named to the First Team, the second 14 athletes were named to the Second Team and the third 14 athletes were selected to the Third Team. Thirty athletes were named as Honorable Mention. An effort was made to make a reasonable spread of weights on each team. If the National Federation sets specific girls weight classes in the future, the selection committee will consider using those weight classes for the selection criteria at that time.
For the TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team, athletes were identified in three weight ranges: Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).
In total, 72 wrestlers were selected to TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.
California led all states with 15 selections, followed by Washington with nine, Texas with seven, and Michigan and Wisconsin with four.
A total of 28 states were represented on the All-American Team. The team included 27 seniors, 20 juniors, 18 sophomores and seven freshmen.
Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports among youth sports for women. It has been an Olympic sport for four Olympic Games, the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, 2012 Olympics in London, England and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There are an estimated 15,000 girls competing on the high school level in the United States today, and the number has grown each year for the last dozen years. Colleges continue to add women’s wrestling on the varsity and club level across the nation.
2016 ASICS GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING TEAM
First Team (alphabetically)
Teshya Alo, senior, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kamehameha High School, middle
Alexis Bleau, senior, Schoharie, N.Y., Schoharie High School, upper
McKayla Campbell, junior, Wauseon, Ohio, Wauseon High School, light
Grace Figueroa, sophomore, Sanger, Calif., Selma High School, light
Gabrielle Garcia, senior, Anaheim, Calif., Valencia High School, middle
Skylar Grote, senior, Newton, N.J., Blair Academy, upper
Ronna Heaton, junior, Brookings, S.D., Brookings High School, light
Sariyah Jones, senior, Modesto, Calif., James C. Enoch High School, light
Macey Kilty, freshman, Stratford, Wis., Stratford High School, light
Alexandria Liles, sophomore, Allen, Texas, Allen High School, middle
Alleida Martinez, sophomore, Selma, Calif., Selma High School, light
Kayla Marano, junior, Jefferson, Ga., Jefferson High School, upper
Brenda Reyna, junior, Mount Vernon, Wash., Mount Vernon High School, light
Rachel Watters, senior, Ankeny, Iowa, Ballard High School, upper
Second Team (alphabetically)
Teniya Alo, sophomore, Honolulu, Hawaii, Iolani High School, middle
Vayle Baker, sophomore, Benton, Pa., Benton High School, light
Michaela Beck, sophomore, New York, N.Y., Trevor Day High School, middle
Alara Boyd, freshman, Muncie, Ind., Yorktown High School, middle
Rachel Bridges, junior, Keller, Texas, Timbercreek High School, upper
Naomi Chavez, senior, Amarillo, Texas, Caprock High School, light
Jerzie Estrada, freshman, Parker, Colo., Selma High School (Calif.), middle
Cierra Foster, junior, Post Falls, Idaho, Post Falls High School, light
Aleeah Gould, senior, Riverside, Calif., Canyon High School, light
Ashlyn Ortega, sophomore, Pueblo, Colo., Pueblo South High School, middle
Theresa Rankin, senior, Grass Lake, Mich., Grass Lake High School, light
Emily Shilson, freshman, Maple Grove, Minn., Centennial High School, light
Kenya Spencer, senior, Caro, Mich., Caro High School, upper
Desiree Zavala, senior, Grandview, Wash., Grandview High School, middle
Third Team (alphabetically)
Jordyn Bartelson, senior, Puyallup, Wash., Puyallup High School, middle
Emily Bruntil, sophomore, Everson, Wash., Nooksack Valley High School, middle
Corey Burton, sophomore, Hesperia, Calif., Oak Hills High School, upper
Hailey Cox, sophomore, Mapleton, Utah, Maple Mountain High School, light
Emily Cue, sophomore, Parker, Colo., Legend High School, upper
Victoria Espinoza, senior, Rohnert Park, Calif., Rancho Cotate High School, upper
Brianna Holcomb, senior, El Paso, Texas, Hanks High School, middle
Alisha Howk, sophomore, Blue Springs, Mo., Blue Springs High School, light
Jayden Laurent, sophomore, Denmark, Wis., Denmark High School, upper
Abby Lees, junior, Washougal, Wash., Washougal High School, upper
Logan Mize, junior, Frisco, Texas, Liberty High School, light
Solin Piearcy, senior, San Jose, Calif., Cupertino High School, upper
Taylor Rosario, senior, Katy, Texas, Cinco Rancho High School, upper
Allicyn Schuster, junior, LaVista, Neb., Papillion-LaVista High School, middle
Honorable Mention (alphabetically)
Alyssa Aceval, junior, San Jacinto. Calif., Corona High School, middle
Paige Amy, junior, Clio, Mich., Clio High School, upper
Cara Broadus, sophomore, Terryville, Conn., Medical Professions/Teacher Preparation Academy, middle
Katie Brock, senior, Dunlap, Tenn., Sequatchie County High School, light
Sophia Carson, senior, Maxfield, Maine, Penobscot Valley High School, middle
Allison Davis, sophomore, Bluff City, Tenn., Sullivan East High School, light
Alyvia Fiske, junior, Napa, Calif., Vintage High School, upper
Desiree Giamarusti, senior, Antioch, Ill., Antioch Community High School, middle
Autumn Gordon, junior, Sugar Grove, Ohio, Lancaster High School, light
Cameron Guerin, sophomore, Yakima, Wash., Davis High School, light
Tiana Jackson, junior, Modesto, Calif., Central Catholic High School, light
Stefana Jelacic, freshman, Fountain Hills, Ariz., Mesa Mountain View High School, light
Ophelia Lara, senior, Lakewood, Calif., Gahr High School, upper
Kacie Moorehouse, senior, Belleview, Wash., Issaquah High School, upper
Marijah Morales, freshman, Selma, Calif., Selma High School, light
Leiana Nacapuy, junior, North Las Vegas, Nev., Coronado High School. light
Nkechinyere Nwankwo, junior, Richmond, Texas, Richmond Foster High School, upper
Marissa Patterson, junior, Topeka, Kansas, Shawnee Heights High School, upper
Viannei Perez, senior, Grandview, Wash., Grandview High School, light
Katlyn Pizzo, junior, Madison Heights, Mich., Clawson High School. light
Miyuki Pugrad, senior, LaPalma, Calif., Kennedy High School, middle
Hanna Ramos, freshman, Kenosha, Wis., Bradford High School, middle
Erin Redford, junior, Buckley, Wash., White River High School, middle
Payton Rigert, senior, Hood River, Ore., Hood River Valley High School, upper
Genae Sampract, junior, Danville, Ill, Danville High School, light,
Andrea Sennett, senior, Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling High School, upper
Ciana Sonberg, sophomore, Charles City, Iowa, Charles City High School, upper
Brooke Thurber, senior, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Nekoosa High School, light
Alanah Vetterick, sophomore, Norwalk, Iowa, Norwalk High School, middle
Amanda Walker, sophomore, Hatboro, Pa., Upper Moreland High School, light
Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).
Editor's Note: This release was written prior to the 2016 ASICS Junior and Cadet Nationals.
The nation’s best girls high school wrestlers are being honored with the announcement of the 16th annual ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.
The 2016 First Team members will be recognized at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D., July 16-23. At the same time, the ASICS High School Girls Wrestler of the Year will be announced.
There were six members of the 2015 First Team who were selected as First Team members again in 2016: Teshya Alo of Kamehameha High School (Hawaii), Alexis Bleau of Schoharie High School (N.Y), McKayla Campbell of Wauseon High School (Ohio), Gabrielle Garcia of Valencia High School (Calif.), Ronna Heaton of Brookings High School (S.D.) and Rachel Watters of Ballard High School (Iowa).
Alo is on the ASICS First Team for the fourth straight year, while Garcia made First Team for the third straight year.
The ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team is selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts. It is the only national all-star team for which female high school wrestlers competing on all four grade levels are eligible. Athletes from across the nation were considered for their achievements in high school wrestling, as well as the major post-season freestyle and folkstyle competitions.
ASICS is a national sponsor of USA Wrestling and a major supporter of wrestling at all levels. ASICS has sponsored the nationally respected ASICS High School All-American Team for boys wrestlers for 30 years.
“The ASICS America Corporation is proud to be a sponsor of the All-American wrestling team for girls,” said Neil Duncan, Vice President of TW Promotions which represents ASICS. “Women’s wrestling is growing at all levels, with more opportunity on the college and Olympic levels. These are our future college national champions and Olympians in women’s wrestling.”
California the only state with more than one First Team member, as four Californians were honored: Garcia, plus Grace Figueroa of Selma High School, Sariyah Jones of Enoch High School and Alleida Martinez of Selma High School. There were 11 different states represented on the First Team.
Alo won the U.S. Senior Open, the top placement of a high school wrestler on the Senior level. Another ASICS All-American who placed at the U.S. Senior Open was Watters, who was fourth.
Seven First Team members won USA Wrestling ASICS/Vaughan Junior National titles in the summer of 2016, including Alo, Watters, Heaton, Campbell, Figueroa, Jones and Skylar Grote of Blair Academy (N.J.)
Six First Teamers won the 2016 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals in Oklahoma: Watters, Heaton, Figueroa, Garcia, Macey Kilty of Stratford High School (Wis.) and Alexandria Liles of Allen High School (Texas).
2015 Cadet World champion Heaton, Cadet World silver medalist Martinez and Cadet World bronze medalists Bleau and Kayla Marano of Jefferson High School (Ga.) are the age-group World medalists on this year’s First Team.
Two First Teamers were also Cadet National Champions last summer, Campbell and Martinez.
Three from First Team won the 2016 Body Bar UWW Junior Nationals and will compete at the Junior World Championships this summer: Watters, Campbell and Brenda Reyna of Mount Vernon High School (Wash.). Four from First Team won the 2016 Body Bar UWW Cadet Nationals and will compete in the Cadet World Championships this summer: Heaton, Figueroa, Martinez and Kilty.
Garcia became the second four-time California girls state champion in history, while Alo won her fourth Hawaii state title. Others who won official girls state championships this year included Figueroa, Martinez, Liles, Reyna and Jones.
The First Team featured six seniors, four juniors and three sophomores and a freshman.
The Second Team was also star-studded, led by Junior National champions Kenya Spencer of Caro High School (Mich.), Teniya Alo of Iolani High School (Hawaii) and Rachel Bridges of Timbercreek High School (Texas), plus Junior Folkstyle National champion Aleeah Gould of Canyon High School (Calif.) as well as Cadet National champions Jerzie Estrada of Selma High School (Calif.), Ashlynn Ortega of Pueblo South High School (Colo.) and Vayle Baker of Benton High School (Pa.).
The Third Team featured Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion Solin Pearcy of Cupertino High School (Calif.), Victoria Espinoza of Rancho Cotate High School (Calif.) and Emily Bruntil of Nooksack Valley High School (Wash.), plus Cadet Nationals champions Alisha Howk of Blue Springs High School (Mo.) and Abby Lees of Washougal High School (Wash.).
As the National Federation of State High Schools has yet to determine specific weight classes for girls wrestling, the athletes were selected based solely on achievement and ability. The top 14 athletes were named to the First Team, the second 14 athletes were named to the Second Team and the third 14 athletes were selected to the Third Team. Thirty athletes were named as Honorable Mention. An effort was made to make a reasonable spread of weights on each team. If the National Federation sets specific girls weight classes in the future, the selection committee will consider using those weight classes for the selection criteria at that time.
For the TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team, athletes were identified in three weight ranges: Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).
In total, 72 wrestlers were selected to TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.
California led all states with 15 selections, followed by Washington with nine, Texas with seven, and Michigan and Wisconsin with four.
A total of 28 states were represented on the All-American Team. The team included 27 seniors, 20 juniors, 18 sophomores and seven freshmen.
Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports among youth sports for women. It has been an Olympic sport for four Olympic Games, the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, 2012 Olympics in London, England and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There are an estimated 15,000 girls competing on the high school level in the United States today, and the number has grown each year for the last dozen years. Colleges continue to add women’s wrestling on the varsity and club level across the nation.
2016 ASICS GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING TEAM
First Team (alphabetically)
Teshya Alo, senior, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kamehameha High School, middle
Alexis Bleau, senior, Schoharie, N.Y., Schoharie High School, upper
McKayla Campbell, junior, Wauseon, Ohio, Wauseon High School, light
Grace Figueroa, sophomore, Sanger, Calif., Selma High School, light
Gabrielle Garcia, senior, Anaheim, Calif., Valencia High School, middle
Skylar Grote, senior, Newton, N.J., Blair Academy, upper
Ronna Heaton, junior, Brookings, S.D., Brookings High School, light
Sariyah Jones, senior, Modesto, Calif., James C. Enoch High School, light
Macey Kilty, freshman, Stratford, Wis., Stratford High School, light
Alexandria Liles, sophomore, Allen, Texas, Allen High School, middle
Alleida Martinez, sophomore, Selma, Calif., Selma High School, light
Kayla Marano, junior, Jefferson, Ga., Jefferson High School, upper
Brenda Reyna, junior, Mount Vernon, Wash., Mount Vernon High School, light
Rachel Watters, senior, Ankeny, Iowa, Ballard High School, upper
Second Team (alphabetically)
Teniya Alo, sophomore, Honolulu, Hawaii, Iolani High School, middle
Vayle Baker, sophomore, Benton, Pa., Benton High School, light
Michaela Beck, sophomore, New York, N.Y., Trevor Day High School, middle
Alara Boyd, freshman, Muncie, Ind., Yorktown High School, middle
Rachel Bridges, junior, Keller, Texas, Timbercreek High School, upper
Naomi Chavez, senior, Amarillo, Texas, Caprock High School, light
Jerzie Estrada, freshman, Parker, Colo., Selma High School (Calif.), middle
Cierra Foster, junior, Post Falls, Idaho, Post Falls High School, light
Aleeah Gould, senior, Riverside, Calif., Canyon High School, light
Ashlyn Ortega, sophomore, Pueblo, Colo., Pueblo South High School, middle
Theresa Rankin, senior, Grass Lake, Mich., Grass Lake High School, light
Emily Shilson, freshman, Maple Grove, Minn., Centennial High School, light
Kenya Spencer, senior, Caro, Mich., Caro High School, upper
Desiree Zavala, senior, Grandview, Wash., Grandview High School, middle
Third Team (alphabetically)
Jordyn Bartelson, senior, Puyallup, Wash., Puyallup High School, middle
Emily Bruntil, sophomore, Everson, Wash., Nooksack Valley High School, middle
Corey Burton, sophomore, Hesperia, Calif., Oak Hills High School, upper
Hailey Cox, sophomore, Mapleton, Utah, Maple Mountain High School, light
Emily Cue, sophomore, Parker, Colo., Legend High School, upper
Victoria Espinoza, senior, Rohnert Park, Calif., Rancho Cotate High School, upper
Brianna Holcomb, senior, El Paso, Texas, Hanks High School, middle
Alisha Howk, sophomore, Blue Springs, Mo., Blue Springs High School, light
Jayden Laurent, sophomore, Denmark, Wis., Denmark High School, upper
Abby Lees, junior, Washougal, Wash., Washougal High School, upper
Logan Mize, junior, Frisco, Texas, Liberty High School, light
Solin Piearcy, senior, San Jose, Calif., Cupertino High School, upper
Taylor Rosario, senior, Katy, Texas, Cinco Rancho High School, upper
Allicyn Schuster, junior, LaVista, Neb., Papillion-LaVista High School, middle
Honorable Mention (alphabetically)
Alyssa Aceval, junior, San Jacinto. Calif., Corona High School, middle
Paige Amy, junior, Clio, Mich., Clio High School, upper
Cara Broadus, sophomore, Terryville, Conn., Medical Professions/Teacher Preparation Academy, middle
Katie Brock, senior, Dunlap, Tenn., Sequatchie County High School, light
Sophia Carson, senior, Maxfield, Maine, Penobscot Valley High School, middle
Allison Davis, sophomore, Bluff City, Tenn., Sullivan East High School, light
Alyvia Fiske, junior, Napa, Calif., Vintage High School, upper
Desiree Giamarusti, senior, Antioch, Ill., Antioch Community High School, middle
Autumn Gordon, junior, Sugar Grove, Ohio, Lancaster High School, light
Cameron Guerin, sophomore, Yakima, Wash., Davis High School, light
Tiana Jackson, junior, Modesto, Calif., Central Catholic High School, light
Stefana Jelacic, freshman, Fountain Hills, Ariz., Mesa Mountain View High School, light
Ophelia Lara, senior, Lakewood, Calif., Gahr High School, upper
Kacie Moorehouse, senior, Belleview, Wash., Issaquah High School, upper
Marijah Morales, freshman, Selma, Calif., Selma High School, light
Leiana Nacapuy, junior, North Las Vegas, Nev., Coronado High School. light
Nkechinyere Nwankwo, junior, Richmond, Texas, Richmond Foster High School, upper
Marissa Patterson, junior, Topeka, Kansas, Shawnee Heights High School, upper
Viannei Perez, senior, Grandview, Wash., Grandview High School, light
Katlyn Pizzo, junior, Madison Heights, Mich., Clawson High School. light
Miyuki Pugrad, senior, LaPalma, Calif., Kennedy High School, middle
Hanna Ramos, freshman, Kenosha, Wis., Bradford High School, middle
Erin Redford, junior, Buckley, Wash., White River High School, middle
Payton Rigert, senior, Hood River, Ore., Hood River Valley High School, upper
Genae Sampract, junior, Danville, Ill, Danville High School, light,
Andrea Sennett, senior, Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling High School, upper
Ciana Sonberg, sophomore, Charles City, Iowa, Charles City High School, upper
Brooke Thurber, senior, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Nekoosa High School, light
Alanah Vetterick, sophomore, Norwalk, Iowa, Norwalk High School, middle
Amanda Walker, sophomore, Hatboro, Pa., Upper Moreland High School, light
Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).
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