King seeks four-peat in wide-open race for WCWA women’s college national title this year

Two-time WCWA national champion Haley Augello, shown at the Olympic Trials, returns to King University after competing in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.

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Winner of the last three WCWA women’s college national titles, King University is hoping to keep the edge in an increasingly competitive field by winning a fourth straight national title this year.


Only one team has ever won four straight women’s college titles, Oklahoma City University, who ran the table from 2009-2102. King became the second college to win three straight (2014-2016), joining the University of the Cumberlands who won three in a row from 2006-2008.


The field could be bunched at the top this year, with Simon Fraser, Campbellsville, McKendree and Oklahoma City all very capable of putting together a team with enough depth to win the WCWA Nationals, which are scheduled for Feb.10-11 in Oklahoma City. Of this group, only Campbellsville and McKendree have not previous won a women’s national title.


2016 Olympian Haley Augello returns to King after taking an Olympic redshirt year and representing the USA at the Rio Olympic Games. Augello won a pair of WCWA women’s college national titles in 2014 and 2015 at 116 pounds, which is the weight she is currently projected to compete at. Augello wrestled 105.5 pounds at the Olympics, so going to 109 in college is not out of the question.


A pair of 2016 WCWA national champions also return for King, Marina Doi (101) and Forrest Molinari (155). Coach Jason Moorman’s Tornado has very strong individuals this year, but perhaps not as much depth as in some of the previous years. Other All-Americans coming back are runner-up Breonnah Neal, a three-time All-American who was second last year at 109), plus Hannah Jewell (fourth at 136), Regina Doi (5th at 136), Jessi Kee (5th at 136), Daisy Santos (6th at 109) and Hanna Grisewood (6th at 116), Both Kee and Grisewood were WCWA runners-up in 2015. Add in some talented freshmen with big USA Wrestling age-group acheivements like Alexis Bleau (155), Gabby Garcia (130) and Kenya Spencer (191) and this team can score some big tournament points if they stay healthy.


“Our expectation is obviously to win. We have new faces this year, and with three National Champions back as well as a National Runner up with Neal, we have a shot. Our main focus however is getting better every day and staying hungry,” said Moorman.


As usual, Simon Fraser coach Mike Jones is downplaying the strength of his team, which placed third last year and returns seven past All-Americans. Returning national champion Mallory Velte (143), and 2016 runners-up Abby Lloyd (116), Nicole Depa (130) and Payten Smith (191) are the heavy hitters for this Clan team. Other past All-Americans in the lineup could include Dominique Parrish (123), Francesca Giorgio (136) and Jennifer Anderson (123).


Coach Jones believes the Clan won’t be strong in dual meets, but traditionally, his teams mostly focus on the national tournament at the end of the season and this group has the ability to score a ton of points in a tournament format. Although his team is based in Canada, stars Velte, Parrish, Giorgio and Anderson are all U.S. natives who grew up in the American age-group programs.


“The team returns a good base of veterans with seven All-Americans, but is not deep, making injury problematic. The holes in lineup make us pretty weak in dual meet situations,” said Jones.


Campbellsville boasts a pair of two-time WCWA national champions in Kayla Miracle (136) and Tiaira Scott (191), among seven returning All-Americans. Miracle comes off a strong summer, when she won her second career Junior World bronze medal for the USA. 2016 national runner-up Hanna Hall (170) is joined by her sister Shelby Hall (130), who was third last year. The other All-Americans are Rosemary Flores (130), Michelle Organ (155) and Koral Sugiyama (130).


Head coach Lee Miracle, Kayla’s father and the architect of this team, has considerable depth on his team. He touts a strong freshman class, which includes Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner Katie Brock (101/109) and Puerto Rico national team member Andribeth Rivera (116) are among the exciting newcomers. Miracle has a tendency to move his athletes around to different weights for the WCWA Nationals, so his dual meet lineup may not be the same as the entries at nationals.


“I expect this team to fight for a National Championship. They are perfectly capable of winning it if they continue to improve throughout the season, stay healthy, and believe in themselves and their teammates,” said Miracle.


McKendree, which was sixth last year, has been building a strong program under Coach Sam Schmitz, starts the year with seven returning All-Americans. Megan Black, a runner-up last year at 123, and transfer Brandy Lowe, who was second for Ottawa in 2015 at 191 pounds, are the highest returnees in the lineup. Black is projected to compete at 130 this year. Olivia Seppinni was third last year at 143 and hopes to make the finals. Other past All-Americans are Hailee Lilly (123), Kayla Walker (101), Alexia Ward (130) and Jasmine Bailey (136).


The team could have been even stronger, but three past All-Americans are among five starters being held out as redshirts, including 2016 Junior World bronze medalist Alexis Porter (143). If McKendree can’t climb to the top of the podium this year, look for them to be truly loaded next year when these redshirts step back into the lineup.


“With faith in our abilities and preparation, we believe we’re contenders. From the first girl who walks in the door each morning, to the parent sitting at work wondering how their daughter is doing, they all believe there’s something special going on at McKendree. This is a family and our kids are hungry to be a part of something great,” said Schmitz,


The preseason tournament rankings put perennial power Oklahoma City at No. 5, but that might not be giving Matt Stevens’ Stars team enough credit. OCU was second last year, and is always among the top few teams come tournament time. A pair of returning champions seek to win another title this year, Becka Leathers (123) and Natalia Hinojo (130). Leathers was a 2015 Junior World bronze medalist and made the 2016 Junior World team but could not compete due to illness. Maggie Douma, second at 143 last year, returns and seeks her first title.


OCU is always tough because of its depth, and has the most returning All-Americans with nine. Kayla Aggio, a three-time All-American and two-time finalist, is back on the roster after missing last year. Other past All-Americans include Cassidy Jasperson (123), Rachel Archer (116), Monica Mason (191), Heiley Garcia (143) and Carla Ponce (130).


“We are looking to keep growing and getting to the top of the podium. We have nine returning all Americans so we are hoping to build on that with our incoming freshmen,”s aid Stevens.


Outside of this top five listing, there are strong teams such as the University of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist, Lindenwood and even Menlo College who have enough firepower to push into the upper crust.


The Cumberlands is led by a pair of 2016 WCWA runners-up, Sarah Allen (101) and Jessika Rottier (155). The Patriots were ninth last year, but the finish is misleading. No. 1 ranked Maya Nelson (136) was hurt at the Dave Schultz Memorial last season and missed the nationals, and was certain to help move higher with her on the mat. Two other wrestlers were 2015 All-Americans, Arelys Valles (101) and Kristin Yamasaki (136). Coach Donnie Stephens will redshirt at least one past All-American, and is excited about some talented freshmen coming into the program.


Wayland Baptist was eighth last year, without two of their top hammers in the lineup, 2014 WCWA national champion and three-time All-American Tamyra Mensah (143) and her two-time All-American sister Tarkiya Mensah (123). Tamyra took an Olympic redshirt last year and won the Olympic Trials, but could not compete in Rio because her weight was not qualified. Tarkiya was third at the WCWA in 2015, and also placed sixth in 2014. Add in 2016 WCWA bronze medalist Kierra Boyce (191), plus All-Americans Brittany Marshall (170) and Marina Briceno (143) and this team can make a run under coach Aaron Meister.


Lindenwood is always a top challenger under head coach Toccara Montgomery, a 2004 Olympian and two-time World silver medalist. Four All-Americans return from 2015, Axa Molina (130), Tori Degginger (109) Audrey Diaz (109), Gabriela Guzman (191). Also back is two-time All-American Lisa Gonzalez, who placed at the WCWAs in both 2014 and 2015.


Menlo College, one of the first colleges to create a women’s team, looks for one of its best seasons in many years. Joey Bareng’s team features three returning All-Americans, led by Cady Chessin, who was third at 116 last year. Add in Iman Kazem, fifth at 155 and Hiba Salem, sixth at 101, and Menlo returns many points at nationals. Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick, a transfer from Campbellsville, was fifth in the 2015 WCWA Nationals at 109, and is projected to compete at 123 this year. A strong crop of freshmen, including Solin Piearcy (136) and Marilyn Garcia (143) bolster the lineup.


Breaking into the top 10 is the goal for the next tier of programs on the rise, which have shown progress in their development, as their athletes continue to mature on the national level.


Southern Oregon, which competed at the WCWA Nationals last year for the first time and placed 11th, look to add to the two All-Americans from their inaugural season, Kalyn Schwartz, who was sixth at 130 and Madeline McIlwain, who was eighth at 116 pounds. Freshman Desiree Zavala (155), was a Junior Nationals champion in 2014, and heads a group of young talents joining the squad this year.


Lindenwood-Belleville, a NAIA school in Illinois, was 15th at last year’s WCWA Nationals, and are led by Niauni Hill, who was third at 155 pounds last season. This year’s team came in at a tie for No. 10 in the Preseason Tournament rankings, and will have a full lineup with expanded depth in the room.


Life University in Georgia enters its third season under coach Dave Mathews, and earned an All-American each of its first two years. Nadine Fiege, sixth at 170 last season, and Rose Donaldson, eighth at 191 in 2015, lead a team which should be vastly improved.


Entering its second season, Lyon University in Arkansas was 18th last year, and will have a larger team. Strong freshmen expected to contribute including Destiny Nunez (101), Miyuki Pugrad (123) and Elissa Douglass (136).


With a respectable 13th place finish in 2015, Southwest Oregon CC showed some talent last season, and will be seeking to build this year. This team showed some great skill last year, especially impressive as a two-year college. All-Americans in 2015 for Southwest Oregon CC included Carly Jaramillo (143) and Tatum Sparks (155).


Second year program Emmanuel College returns an All-American, Cindy Calixto, who was fourth at 109, but could start a lineup headlined mostly by freshmen. Coach Link Davis has been impressed by first-year wrestlers Maria Vidalez (109), Abigail Nette (136) and Ophelia Lara (155).


Some of the teams with a number of years on the national scene which could be on rebuilding seasons include the University of Jamestown, Missouri Valley College and Missouri Baptist University.


Jamestown returns a three-time All-American in Amy Fearnside, who has placed second, third and fourth at the WCWA Nationals in the past. She made a run at the Olympic Trials last year. Jamestown was 10th last year, but will need some young athletes to step up if they want to match or better that finish.


Missouri Valley College, one of only five teams to have ever won a women’s college national title, has no All-Americans back, but expects great things from Christy Powell (116), who has done well in USA Wrestling competitions.


Missouri Baptist also has no All-Americans from 2015 to boast, but has a pair of 2015 All-Americans on their roster, Cheyenne Youngblood (143) and Montana Drum (130), plus talented Tamara Tillman (123), who has won numerous medals at USA Wrestling events.


Other colleges which have previous experience at the WCWA Nationals and are seeking individual All-Americans and an improved team finish include Warner Pacific University, Ottawa University, Adrian College, Ferrum College, Midland University, Pacific University and Waldorf College.


The quality of the tournament is expected to continue to improve, as the WCWA has expanded to nearly 30 programs. New teams in the mix to include Bacone College (NAIA, Oklahoma), Brewton Parker (NAIA, Georgia), Eastern Oregon (NAIA, Oregon), Grays Harbor College (NJCAA, Washington), MacMurray College (NCAA Div. III, Illinois) and Wentworth Military Academy (NJCAA, Missouri).


MacMurray, which had dropped wrestling, brought back both a men’s and women’s team. This is not the first time women have wrestled for this Div. III team in Illinois. A decade ago, there were four women competing at this school, including future Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller, future World Team member Mary Kelly and current UFC fighter Cat Zingano (known as Cathy Lee Albert at the time). Miller has returned to MacMurray as an assistant coach.


Goals for the new teams include getting their athletes better as the season progresses and getting another strong year of recruiting under their belts. As the WCWA continues to grow, it will get harder and harder for new teams to make a significant impact during their first year. Getting an All-American, or even a few All-Americans, would be a fantastic start for the new programs which are mostly filled with freshmen.


Dual meets and tournaments have already started for most of the teams in the WCWA. One of the top early season tournaments is being hosted this weekend, the Cliff Keen Oklahoma City Duals, set for Oklahoma City University, October 21-22.