This Week in Women's Collegiate Wrestling (11/26/2024)

Week 4: MoVal Open Recap

This weekend marked one of the largest women’s wrestling tournaments each year featuring athletes from NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, and high school teams. There were also several talented unattached wrestlers to round out the over 700 entries into this jam-packed tournament. While several top schools like King, Life, Indiana Tech, and Presbyterian did not attend, along with some teams, like Iowa and Grand View, not bringing their full lineup of ranked starters, there was no shortage of top talent and incredible ranked matchups. Here are a few that stood out to me in each of the weight brackets.

103:

At 103 lbs, High School stud Makennah Craft took out NCAA #1 Rianne Murphy of Iowa. In her tech fall victory, Craft scored four points in the first period, followed by three two-point takedowns unanswered in the second. Craft looked dominant over the two-day tournament winning by tech, tech, fall, fall, tech, and tech. Similarly, Murphy started her tournament out with a fall, tech, tech, and fall before a tight 8-8 decision against McKendree’s #10 Gabriele Tedesco in the semis.

Tedesco had a super strong tournament as well coming close to upsetting the #1 Hawkeye, Murphy, and then battling back to get the upset win over NCAA #3 Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley State by pin the the 3rd place match.

1st Place Match

Makennah Craft (Unattached OH) won by tech fall over #1 (NCAA) Rianne Murphy (Iowa) (TF 10-0)

3rd Place Match

#10 (NCAA) Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree University) won by fall over #3 (NCAA) Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State) (Fall 2:51)

5th Place Match

Calli Connally (Carl Albert) won by tech fall over Vivian Mariscal (Central Methodist University) (TF 14-4)

7th Place Match

Alexis Miller (Unattached OK) won by decision over Malarie Dominguez (Wayland Baptist University) (Dec 4-0)

110:

It was going to be hard to keep #2 (NCAA) Sage Mortimer of the new Grand Valley State squad and returning champ #1 (NCAA) Ava Bayless of Iowa out of the finals. Both battled through the brackets with only one match going the distance for Mortimer and two for Bayless. However, once there, Mortimer was on a tear. Before getting the first-period pin, Mortimer had already racked up a 10-2 lead including a big four-point move. I have no doubt these two could easily find themselves in the finals of NCWWCs this year, but Bayless will certainly have to find some answers to take out Mortimer in March.

Another exciting match came in the third-place bout between two fifth-ranked wrestlers, Emilie Gonzalez of Iowa (NCAA) and Avery Ashley of Oklahoma City University (NAIA). In the first period, it was all Gonzalez, scoring 3 unanswered points, and really controlling the center. In the second, Gonzalez again struck first with another takedown, but later Ashley found a rhythm and battled back with two takedowns of her own. She was looking for another when time expired leaving her one point behind Gonzalez. 

I also wanted to point out that #9 Samantha Miller of McKendree gave Bayless her toughest fight of the tournament in the quarterfinals. While it was still a flurry of offense over both periods for Bayless, a big four-point move in the first from Miller really put a dent in Bayless’ lead. Miller went on to wrestle tough in the seventh-place match against #12 (NAIA) Hailey Holland of host school Missouri Valley with a first-period pin after a back-and-forth battle between the two. 

1st Place Match

#2 (NCAA) Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) won by fall over #1 (NCAA) Ava Bayless (Iowa) (Fall 2:51)

3rd Place Match

#5 (NCAA) Emilie Gonzalez (Iowa) won by decision over #5 (NAIA) Avery Ashley (Oklahoma City University) (Dec 5-4)

5th Place Match

Sophia Cornish (Colorado Mesa) won by tech fall over Dinayah Vazquez (Emmanuel University) (TF 12-1)

7th Place Match

#9 (NCAA) Samantha Miller (McKendree University) won by fall over #12 (NAIA) Hailey Holland (Missouri Valley College) (Fall 2:57)

117:

Iowa crowned their sole champion at 117 lbs with #1 (NCAA) Brianna Gonzalez who had a very dominant tournament. She started things off with three tech fall victories in a row. #4 (NCAA) Karissa Turnwall of Emmanuel gave her her closest match of the entire tournament, and that was still a 7-1 decision win for Gonzalez in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Gonzalez matched up with #3 (NAIA) Zao Estrada of William Penn, but got the pin to send her to the finals. There, it was #1 NCAA vs #1 NAIA with Camille Fournier of Texas Wesleyan taking the mat. However, Fournier had no answers for the relentless offense brought by Gonzalez in this match. Gonzalez only needed about 15 seconds of the second period to grab another takedown for the tech fall 10-0.

1st Place Match

#1 (NCAA) Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) won by tech fall over #1 (NAIA) Camille Fournier (Texas Wesleyan) (TF 10-0)

3rd Place Match

#3 (NAIA) Zao Estrada (William Penn University) won by tech fall over #4 (NCAA) Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel University) (TF 10-0)

5th Place Match

#6 (NCAA) Caitlyn Jackson (Lindenwood University) won by fall over #6 (NAIA) Flavia Nagatani (GVWC) (Fall 1:30)

7th Place Match

Marjorie McDaniel (Colorado Mesa) won by fall over Ava Rose (Iowa) (Fall 1:44)

124:

#3 Shelby Moore picked up the first of two championship finishes for McKendree here in her decision against another tough high school wrestler, Sierra Chiesa out of Pennsylvania. Moore got to her offense consistently and was able to snag two takedowns in the first and one in the second to put things out of reach for Chiesa.

Chiesa reached the finals with a nailbiter against #4 (NCAA) Aspen Blasko of Grand Valley State. I am pretty high on Blasko to make a big splash in March this season and finish ahead of her current ranking, especially seeing the battle back in her semis match with Chiesa. After going down eight points in the first, Blasko got her offense going repeatedly, really wearing down the young wrestler, but Chiesa was able to sneak out one point among Blasko’s eight in the second to win 9-8. I think this speaks more about Chiesa’s impressive point-scoring and offensive flurries in the first, than it does about Blasko’s grittiness.  I think that favors her in upcoming collegiate matchups where the ability to never stop pushing will make a lot of wrestlers struggle late in matches.

1st Place Match

#3 (NCAA) Shelby Moore (McKendree University) won by decision over Sierra Chiesa (Unattached PA) (Dec 6-1)

3rd Place Match

#4 (NCAA) Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) won by decision over #3 (NAIA) Joanna Vanderwood (William Penn University) (Dec 6-1)

5th Place Match

Lexie Lopez (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Cali Leng (Iowa) (Dec 7-3)

7th Place Match

Alexandra Fitzgerald (Sacred Heart) won by tech fall over Kamilah Brooks (Lindsey Wilson) (TF 10-0)

131:

#3 (NCAA) Alexandra Szkotnicki kept the 1st place finishes rolling for McKendree with her 4-1 decision win over the top high school wrestler at the weight, Bella Williams out of Oklahoma. Williams took out #8 (NCAA) Emily Frost of Iowa to punch her ticket to the finals with a 13-4 decision, pushing for the tech before time expired. Szkotnicki looked dominant all weekend as well with 4 techs and a pin in her wins against opponents like Cayden Condit of Lindenwood and #5 (NAIA) Ashley Whetzal of Missouri Valley. Szkotnicki wasn’t able to find that offense as easily against Williams, but still seemed to have control of the match throughout, showing some of that college experience.

1st Place Match

#3 (NCAA) Alexandra Szkotnicki (McKendree University) won by decision over Bella Williams (Unattached OK) (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Cayden Condit (Lindenwood University) won by fall over #5 (NAIA) Ashley Whetzal (Missouri Valley College) (Fall 1:35)

5th Place Match

#8 (NCAA) Emily Frost (Iowa) won by fall over Shelby Kemp (William Jewell College) (Fall 0:59)

7th Place Match

Karlee Brooks (Iowa) won by fall over #18 (NAIA) Cameron Ortiz (Campbellsville University) (Fall 3:48)

138:

It was going to be tough to stop the multiple-time Pan-Am medalist and 2023 U23 National and US Open Champion Xochitl Mota-Pettis, and throughout the day, it was Gabrielle Perez of Campbellsville that gave her the toughest match of the day, scoring four unanswered in the first before Mota-Pettis turned it on in the 2nd to win 8-4. She ended up facing #4 Kendall Bostelman of William Penn in the finals and beat her by tech fall.

One match I was really disappointed not to see was Katie Lange of Grand Valley vs Bostelman. This was lined up to be the semis match on the bottom side of the bracket, but Lange had to injury default in her match against Kori Campbell in the quarters. Unsure about what the injury was, as Lange was coming off a quick pin in her previous match against Esperanz Almazan of William Penn and did not appear to be injured in the footage of that match. I am hopeful that she is back in the lineup soon, as I think she could have shaken up the end of the bracket a little more as well.

1st Place Match

Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Unattached TX) won by tech fall over #4 (NAIA) Kendall Bostelman (William Penn University) (TF 15-4)

3rd Place Match

Nichole Moore (Fort Hays State) won by tech fall over Madeline Barton (Quincy) (TF 10-0)

5th Place Match

#9 (NAIA) Samantha Barragan (Texas Wesleyan) won by decision over Kori Campbell (Lindsey Wilson) (Dec 7-0)

7th Place Match

Viktorya Torres (McKendree University) won by tech fall over Gianna Anaya (Emmanuel University) (TF 12-1)

145:

Valerie Hamilton took the top spot here over #10 (NCAA) Rebecca Strong of Lindenwood. Hamilton has won multiple age-level national championships and just graduated high school last year in 2024. So far, she has not committed to any college team or enrolled in school, but she obviously has the talent to make a big impact on a college roster if she decides to take that route.

Another name in this bracket some fans may not recognize is Aleah Nickel who is a member of Team Canada and graduated from high school last year. She won bronze for Canada at the U23 Pan Ams, and went on to compete at Senior Worlds in October. She finished here in third place over #8 (NCAA) Elleni Johnson of Grand Valley State.

Another win to point out was Strong’s win over #2 (NAIA) Emma Walker of Campbellsville in the quarterfinals. Strong put up four points in the first and started the second off with another two. However, Walker started to build back with four of her own. The two then traded takedowns with Strong able to grab another in the last 11 seconds of the match, putting it out of reach for the talented Walker.

1st Place Match

Valerie Hamilton (Unattached IL) won by fall over #10 (NCAA) Rebecca Strong (Lindenwood University) (Fall 1:52)

3rd Place Match

Aleah Nickel (Unattched CA) won by decision over #8 (NCAA) Elleni Johnson (Grand Valley State) (Dec 6-4)

5th Place Match

#2 (NAIA) Emma Walker (Campbellsville University) won by forfeit over #14 (NAIA) Josselinne Campos (Lindsey Wilson) (FF)

7th Place Match

Kaiulani Garcia (Oklahoma State University) won by fall over Maegan Flaherty (Texas Women`s University) (Fall 0:44)

160:

Destiny Rodriguez claimed an unofficial 3rd championship finish for the McKendree Bearcats as she competed at this tournament unattached. She finished her run with a tech fall over the #7 (NCAA) wrestler at the weight, Gretchen Donally of Colorado Mesa.

You also saw unattached Noelle Gaffney of Grand Valley States finish in 5th place over #13 (NAIA) Sierra Mefford of Cumberlands with a pin in under 2:30.

1st Place Match

Destiny Rodriguez (Unattached McKendree University) won by tech fall over #7 (NCAA) Gretchen Donally (Colorado Mesa) (TF 10-0)

3rd Place Match

#10 (NAIA) Micah Fisher (Unattached Cumberlands) won by fall over #12 (NAIA) Darby Weidl (Ottawa University) (Fall 2:17)

5th Place Match

Noelle Gaffney (Unattached Grand Valley State) won by fall over #13 (NAIA) Sierra Mefford (University of the Cumberlands) (Fall 2:27)

7th Place Match

#2 (NAIA) Josette Partney (Missouri Baptist University) won by decision over Athena Willden (William Jewell College) (Dec 6-4)

180:

The headline here is the fireworks performance of true freshman Sabrina Nauss from Grand Valley State who finished in first place after an 8-4 decision win in the finals against #8 (NCAA) Naomi Simon of Iowa. Nauss is a multiple-time Fargo champ from high school, so she is no newcomer to a stacked multi-day tournament, but she really showed out here winning by tech, fall, tech, tech, and fall before her championship match. On her path, she also took out #3 (NCAA) Madison Sandquist of Sacred Heart. I think it would be hard not to give Nauss the nod in the rankings coming out based on her overall dominance here.

1st Place Match

Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) won by decision over #8 (NCAA) Naomi Simon (Iowa) (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match

Vianne Rouleau (University of Alberta) won by forfeit over #6 (NAIA) India Page (Lindsey Wilson) (FF)

5th Place Match

#3 (NAIA) Liliana Vergara (Campbellsville University) won by decision over #8 (NAIA) Saiheron Preciado-Meza (University of the Cumberlands) (Dec 7-1)

7th Place Match

#3 (NCAA) Madison Sandquist (Sacred Heart) won by injury default over #7 (NAIA) Kaley Rice (Texas Wesleyan) (Inj. 0:00)

207:

Finally, at 207 lbs, the host school Missouri Valley gets their lone champ of the day in #1 (NAIA) Kelani Corbett in a shutout decision 7-0 over a very tough #3 (NCAA) Sara Lake of Lindenwood. This bracket was full of landmines, and Corbett made quick work of them all with her closest matches coming against Alivia White of Iowa and Hannah Jackson of Ottawa before heading into the finals.

1st Place Match

#1 (NAIA) Kelani Corbett (Missouri Valley College) won by decision over #3 (NCAA) Sara Lake (Lindenwood University) (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

#4 (NCAA) Jayleen Sekona (Colorado Mesa) won by fall over Alivia White (Iowa) (Fall 1:40)

5th Place Match

#7 (NCAA) Katja Osteen (Iowa) won by fall over #4 (NAIA) Hannah Jackson (Ottawa University) (Fall 1:02)

7th Place Match

#2 (NAIA) Maquoia Bernabe (University of the Cumberlands) won by decision over #5 (NAIA) Leilani Sanchez (Wayland Baptist University) (Dec 6-2)

235:

The 235 lbs weight class is not recognized as a weight for NCAA or NAIA Nationals, but was included in this tournament. This bracket only included seven competitors as a result, but still posed some impressive, and exciting results.

1st Place Match

Karla Padilla (University of the Cumberlands) won by fall over Brianna Staebler (Campbellsville University) (Fall 2:01)

3rd Place Match

#17 (NAIA) Emmale Americano (Baker University) won by fall over Melissa De La Torre (Unattached Morningside) (Fall 2:31)

5th Place Match

Makenna Fetters (Hawkeye Community College) won by fall over Phoebe Burt (William Penn University) (Fall 1:25)

7th Place Match

Isabella Allen (Iowa Central Community College) received a bye () (Bye)

Results this week in major NCAA, NCWA, and NAIA competitions

• Missouri Valley Open VIEW RESULTS
• #10 (NAIA) Indiana Tech 48 over Rochester Christian 0
• #2 (NCAA) King vs #6 (NCAA) Presbyterian POSTPONED
• RV (NAIA) Siena Heights 28 over Adrian College 15
• #19 (NAIA) Missouri Baptist 35 over RV (NAIA) William Woods 15
• Warrior Duals VIEW RESULTS

Upcoming events for next week

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all collegiate women’s competitions.

Tuesday, November 26

• #1 (NAIA) Grand View vs #8 (NAIA) Missouri Valley