Iowa women win Soldier Salute with five champions, runner-up Life has three champions

CORALVILLE, Iowa – The Soldier Salute women’s division featured the No. 1 ranked teams in the NCAA and the NAIA, and both teams had excellent performances.

Led by five individual champions, NCAA No. 1 Iowa finished with 215.5 points. NAIA No. 1 Life was second with 199 points, led by three champions. NAIA No. 7 Indiana Tech was third with 71.5 points.

Individual champions for Iowa included Brianna Gonzalez (117), Cadence Diduch (138), Macey Kilty (145), Kennedy Blades (160) and Kylie Welker (180).

Two of the finals were all-Iowa battles, both won by World-level stars. At 145 pounds, two-time Senior World medalist Macey Kilty defeated 2024 NCWWC national champion Reese Larramendy, 8-1. At 180 pounds, 2024 World bronze medalist Kylie Welker, who was also a 2024 NCWWC champion, stopped freshman Naomi Simon in a 10-0 technical fall.

The Outstanding Wrestler in the women’s division was 2024 Olympic silver medalist Blades, who scored a 13-3 technical fall over Latifah McBryde of Life, a two-time NAIA Nationals runner-up.

Gonzalez, a 2024 NCWWC runner-up, defeated Life’s Salyna Shotwell in the finals, 6-0. Diduch, a freshman, stopped Texas Wesleyan’s Samantha Baragan, 8-6.

Champions for Life were Anaya Falcon (110), Sarah Savidge (131) and Savannah Isaac (207). Savidge was a 2024 NAIA runner-up, while Falcon and Isaac are freshmen.

Falcon defeated 2024 NCWWC nationals champion Ava Bayless of Iowa in the finals, scoring a stunning 16-5 technical fall. Savidge was equally dominant in her finals, blitzing Iowa’s Emily Frost in a 10-0 technical fall. Isaac stopped 2024 NCWWC runner-up Jaycee Foeller of Iowa, 2-1.

The other two champions were not affiliated with a college program.

Unattached Jaclyn Bouzakis, a high school star who attends Wyoming Seminary, scored a 10-0 technical fall over Katherine Hernandez of Life at 103 pounds. Mateah Roehl, who competes for the Askren Wrestling Academy and was an All-American at North Central, won the 124-pound title with an 11-0 technical fall over Indiana Tech freshman Rose Kaplan.

SOLDIER SALUTE

At Coralville, Iowa, December 29-30

Women’s medal matches

103

1^st – Jaclyn Bouzakis (unattached) tech fall Katherine Hernandez (Life), 10-0

3^rd – Brianna Funakoshi (Life) no contest Macie Anderson (Life)

5^th – Olivia Atkins (William Penn) forfeit Sterling Dias (Iowa)

7^th – Veronica Greene (Baker)

110

1^st – Anaya Falcon (Life) tech fall Ava Bayless (Iowa), 16-5

3^rd – Emelie Gonzalez (Iowa) dec. Valarie Solorio (Iowa), 6-2

5^th –Taylor Whiting (Team Nazar TC) dec. Diana Gonzalez (Life), 10-6

7^th – Tehani Soares (Indiana Tech) pin Kaci Bice (Life), 1:41

117

1^st – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) dec. Salyna Shotwell (Life), 6-0

3^rd – Shea Reisel (Dubuque) pin Katherine Heath (Baker), 2:01

5^th – Vaea Lamoureaux (Umpqua CC) pin Arisna Stott (Indiana Tech), 2:22

7^th – Elizabeth Dollar (Indiana Tech) dec. Riley Horvath (Indiana Tech), 8-4

124

1^st – Mateah Roehl (Askren Wrestling Academy) tech fall Rose Kaplan (Indiana Tech), 11-0

3^rd – Ariana Martinez (Life) tech fall Devlyn Albrech (unattached), 12-2

5^th – Anna Kresja (Life) tech fall Cali Leng (Iowa), 10-0

7^th – Ava Rose (Iowa) dec. Mia Goodwin (unattached), 12-11

131

1^st – Sarah Savidge (Life) tech fall Emily Frost (Iowa), 10-0

3^rd – Carley Ceshker (Team Nazar TC) pin Olivia Mottley (Life), 2:31

5^th – Madilyn Peach (Team Nazar TC) dec. Alexandra Baudhuin (Iowa), 4-4

7^th – Jordyn Chrisco (Life) pin Bronwyn Brenneman (William Penn), 4:52

138

1^st – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) dec. Samantha Barragan (Texas Wesleyan), 8-6

3^rd – Zaynah McBryde (Life) default Kendall Bostelman (William Penn)

5^th – Michaela Rankin (Brock) tech fall Skyley Hanna (Indiana Tech), 14-3

7^th –Esperanza Almazan (William Penn) pin Alexis Kelley (Indiana Tech), 0:51

145

1^st – Macey Kilty (Iowa) dec. Reese Larramendy (Iowa), 8-1

3^rd – Jamilah McBryde (Life) forfeit Valerie Hamilton (unattached)

5^th – Harlow Skenandore (Team Nazar TC) tech fall Christina Jaen (Life), 12-1

7^th – Tatum Levendahl (Dubuque) pin McKenna Haltom (Baker), 1:38

160

1^st – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) tech fall Latifah McBryde (Life), 13-3

3^rd –Janiya Johnson (Cobra WC) dec. Bo Geibe (Unattached), 12-10

5^th – Alexandra Hofrichter (Dubuque) pin Alexa Wolf (William Penn), 0:36

7^th – Vanessa Keefe (Brock) tech fall Destiny Ware (Umpqua CC), 10-0

180

1^st – Kylie Welker (Iowa) tech. fall Naomi Simon (Iowa), 10-0

3^rd – Brooke Huffman (Team Nazar TC) pin Jannell Avila (Baker), 2:02

5^th – Margaret Graham (Life) pin Catherine McNulty (Indiana Tech), 2:16

7^th – Nevaeh Wardlow (Baker) pin Grace Gray (William Penn), 0:26

207

1^st –Savannah Isaac (Life) dec. Jaycee Foeller (Iowa), 2-1

3^rd – Riley Dempewolf (Indiana Tech) pin Alivia White (Iowa), 5:29

5^th – Samantha Calkins (Iowa) forfeit Katja Osteen (Iowa)

7^th – Daisy Cabriales (William Penn) default Abigail Fonseca (Texas Wesleyan)

Women’s team standings

1. NCAA No. 1 Iowa, 215.5

2. NAIA No. 1 Life, 199

3. NAIA No. 7 Indiana Tech, 71.5

4. NAIA No. 13 Baker, 43.5

5. NAIA No. 5 William Penn, 32.5

Other participating college teams

USports No. 2 Brock

NCAA No. 14 Dubuque

NJCAA No. 3 Umpqua

NAIA No. 14 Texas Wesleyan