Nelson and Alo to clash in 63 kg finals of UWW Junior World Team Trials
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
Ronna Heaton advanced to the 55 kg finals of the UWW Junior World Team Trials. Photo by Ray Shoaf, Wrestling Texas.
IRVING, Texas – Wrestling fans are in for a treat as 16 Junior women will battle it out for eight spots on the 2017 UWW Junior World Team this afternoon at the UWW Women’s Nationals in Irving, Texas.
Highlighting the finals lineup is the 63 kg/139 lbs. championship, which will feature 2016 Junior World bronze medalist and 2017 Senior National Team member Maya Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids WC) and 2014 Cadet World champion and 2013 Cadet World bronze medalist Teshya Alo (Honolulu, Hawaii/Titan Mercury WC).
Nelson has been on fire this season, wrestling primarily at the Senior level. She recently finished third in a loaded 63 kg bracket at the 2017 Senior Women’s World Team Trials last month to make her first Senior National Team.
Alo is USA Wrestling’s most decorated age-group freestyle wrestler at the national level, winning her fourth-straight Junior Nationals title and sixth overall national championship at the Fargodome last July.
Looking to repeat as Junior World Team members are McKayla Campbell (Wauseon, Ohio/Ohio National Team), Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D./Sunkist Kids WC) and Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa/Aries WC).
Campbell, who is competing at 48 kg/105.6 lbs., has already made two age-group World Teams, representing the U.S. in the 2015 Cadet World Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzogovina, and 2016 Junior World Championships in Macon, France. In 2015, she finished fifth in the World.
To make her third World Team, she’ll have to go through Kateri Rowell (Aberdeen, Wash./Choker WC), who has had a solid day with three tech falls and a decision.
2015 Cadet World champion and 2016 Cadet World silver medalist Heaton will take on Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Spring Klein WC) in the 55 kg/121 lbs. finals.
Last year, Heaton represented the U.S. in both the Cadet and Junior World championships. Today, she looks to earn a fourth trip to the World Championships.
In the finals at 72 kg/158.4 lbs., Watters is the only wrestler in the field in search of making her third Junior World Team. She’ll meet Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, Ill./McKendree Bearcat WC) in the finals.
Watters took fifth in the world at the 2015 Junior World Championships in Salvador, Brazil, and last year, she made the trip to France, where she won her opening bout.
The Junior finals also feature two wrestlers looking to make their second World Teams of the weekend.
Gracie Figueroa (Selma, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) and Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa./Team Pennsylvania) each secured spots on the 2017 Cadet World Team last night, outlasting their opponents in a best-of-three series.
Baker took out Tilynne Vasquez with 4-1 and 5-2 decisions, respectively, to earn the Cadet World Team spot at 49 kg/108 lbs. last night. Today, she will face Cameron Guerin (Yakima,Wash./Team Takedown), who advanced to last night’s Cadet World Team Trials finals at 52 kg/114.5 lbs. Guerin fell short to Alisha Howk, losing both bouts by decision.
Figueroa, a 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist, will go head-to-head with Nicole Joseph (Camarillo, Calif./King Univ.) in the 59 kg/130 lbs. finals.
Joseph wrestled in last month’s Senior World Team Trials at 60 kg and took fourth, one win shy of making the National Team.
The best-of-three finals series will begin at 2 p.m. CT. Because it is not a UWW Junior World weight, the 79.5 kg final will be only one match. Catch all the action live on Flowrestling.org and follow USA Wrestling on Twitter @USAWrestling for updates.
2017 UWW JUNIOR WOMEN’S WORLD TEAM TRIALS
May 21, 2017 at Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas
Best-of-three UWW Junior finals pairings
44 kg/88 lbs.: Asia Ray (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Storm WC) vs. Charlie Hamer (The Colony, Texas/Warrior WC)
48 kg/105.6 lbs.: Kateri Rowell (Aberdeen, Wash./Choker WC) vs. Mckayla Campbell (Wauseon, Ohio/Ohio National Team)
51 kg/112.2 lbs.: Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa./Team Pennsylvania) vs. Cameron Guerin (Yakima,Wash./Team Takedown)
55 kg/121 lbs.: Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D./Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Spring Klein WC)
59 kg/130 lbs.: Gracie Figueroa (Selma, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Nicole Joseph (Camarillo, Calif./King Univ.)
63 kg/139 lbs.: Maya Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Teshya Alo (Honolulu, Hawaii/Titan Mercury WC)
67 kg/147 lbs.: Jayden Laurent (Denmark, Wisc./Team Wisconsin) vs. Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, Calif./McKendree Bearcat WC)
72 kg/158.4 lbs.: Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa/Aries WC) vs. Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, Ill./McKendree Bearcat WC)
Junior Nationals non-World weight finals pairing
79.5 kg/175 lbs.: Dymond Guilford (Lancaster, Calif./Somar WC) vs. Mariah Harris (Johnstown, Pa./Campbellsville)
Semifinals results
44 kg/88 lbs.
Asia Ray (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Storm WC) dec. Genae Sampract (Danville, Ill./Team Illinois), 9-6
Charlie Hamer (The Colony, Texas/Warrior WC) fall Lizzete Ramos (Stockton, Calif./Tokay HS), 0:42
48 kg/105.6 lbs.
Kateri Rowell (Aberdeen, Wash./Choker WC) dec. Aleeah Gould (Riverside, Calif./King Univ.), 6-2
Mckayla Campbell (Wauseon, Ohio/Ohio National Team) TF Katlyn Pizzo (Madison Heights, Mich./Michigan Women’s WC), 10-0
51 kg/112.2 lbs.
Vayle Baker (Benton, Pa./Team Pennsylvania) dec. Charlotte Fowler (Katy, Texas/Campbellsville), 4-3
Cameron Guerin (Yakima,Wash./Team Takedown) TF Theresa Rankin (Grass Lake, Mich./McKendree Bearcat WC), 15-5
55 kg/121 lbs.
Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D./Sunkist Kids WC) TF Amanda Walker (Hatboro, Pa./Team Pennsylvania), 15-4
Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Spring Klein WC) TF Lauren Mason (Auburn, Calif./Burnaby Mountain WC), 10-0
59 kg/129.8 lbs.
Gracie Figueroa (Selma, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) dec. Teniya Alo (Honolulu, Hawaii/unattached), 8-2
Nicole Joseph (Camarillo, Calif./King Univ.) fall Emma Bruntil (Acme, Wash./Choker WC), 1:51
63 kg/139 lbs.
Maya Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids WC) TF Elissa Douglass (League City, Texas/Scots WC), 10-0
Teshya Alo (Honolulu, Hawaii/Titan Mercury WC) fall Gladdys Palma (Ashland, Ore./Southern Oregon Univ.), 0:59
67 kg/147 lbs.
Jayden Laurent (Denmark, Wisc./Team Wisconsin) TF Rachael Butler (Pleasanton, Calif./North Coast Grappler), 12-1
Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, Calif./McKendree Bearcat WC) dec. Desiree Zavala (Grandview, Wash./Southern Oregon Univ.), 9-0
72 kg/158.4 lbs.
Rachel Watters (Ankeny, Iowa/Aries WC) dec. Morgan Becker (Chatham, Ill./Campbellsville), 10-2
Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, Ill./McKendree Bearcat WC) dec. Alyvia Fiske (Napa, Calif./Napa Sheriff’s WC), 9-0
79.5 kg/175 lbs.
Dymond Guilford (Lancaster, Calif./Somar WC) TF Olivia Toth (Nashua, N.H./McKendree Bearcat WC), 10-0
Mariah Harris (Johnstown, Pa./Campbellsville) inj. def. Nkechinyere Nwankwo (Richmond, Texas/3SW Academy); 2:40
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