Nette wins bronze at Matteo Pellicone ranking event; U.S. women place third in team standings with four medals

Team USA women after placing third in the team standings at the Matteo Pellicone ranking event in Italy. Photo courtesy of Terry Steiner. 

ROME, Italy – Abigail Nette of Army WCAP won bronze at the Matteo Pellicone ranking event this afternoon. She is the fourth athlete in women’s freestyle to bring home a medal this weekend joining Yelena Makoyed, Skylar Grote and Emma Bruntil. As a team, the women finished third in the tournament.

Nette, a 2022 U.S. Senior World Team member, dominated in the bronze-medal match against Nikolett Szabo of Hungary. She had four takedowns, a gut wrench and two pushouts on her way to victory by technical fall. Szabo placed third at the 2022 Sarigerme Beach Wrestling World Series and fifth at the 2022 U23 European championships. This morning, Nette defeated Magdalena Glodek of Poland in the quarterfinals, a 2022 U23 European silver medalist and Junior World bronze medalist.

Grote of Beaver Dam RTC/TMWC and Bruntil of TMWC wrestled in five-athlete round robins and were crowned in the morning session. Grote defeated a two-time World bronze medalist to bring home the gold for Team USA and is proud of how she performed at her first ever ranking series tournament.

“I was happy to capture the gold medal for Team USA today. Unfortunately, Final X did not go my way a couple weeks ago, but I knew I needed to put that in the past and prepare for the next best thing. This was my first ranking series tournament ever and I was happy to claim the gold,” Grote said. “I think I performed extremely well, and it was awesome beating a two-time World bronze medalist and the second ranked wrestler in the world at my weight. This win means a lot to me.”

On her way to gold, Grote teched Asysegul Ozbege of Turkey in the semifinals to meet Anna Schell of Germany for gold. Schell was a 2019 and 2021 World bronze medalist and 2022 European champion. She also defeated Alexandra Anghel of Romania, 6-3. Anghel was 2nd in 2018 U23 Worlds and 3rd in 2018 European Championships.

Bruntil, who was third in the World Team Trials process, defeated 2020 Romanian Olympian and 2019 European silver medalist Kriszta Incze, Veronica Braschi of Italy who took silver in the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Event and 2021 U23 World silver medalist Kateryna Zelenykh of Ukraine to take silver.

Makoyed of Cardinal WC/TMWC won gold yesterday after defeating Anastasiya Alpyeyeva of Ukraine, a 2021 U23 World Champion and 2018 Junior World bronze medalist. Makoyed, who is second on the National Team, a two-time NCWWC national champion for North Central College and a 2021 Junior Pan American champion had a standout performance, defeating Epp Mae, a two-time Olympian and 2021 World silver medalist from Estonia.

Marilyn Garcia, who was third in 2022 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and was 2019 NAIA champion, also competed in a round robin, placing fourth in the final standings at 72 kg. She topped Asysegul Ozbege of Turkey by decision, 5-0.

The Matteo Pellicone is the third ranking series event of the season and will help determine the seeds for the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 10-18.
MATTEO PELLICONE RANKING SERIES EVENT

At Rome Italy, June 24, 2022


Team standings (18 teams)

1 – Ukraine (171)
2 – Poland (103)
3 – United States (91)
4 – Germany (69)
5 – Romania (61)
6 – Canada (52)
7 – Turkey (50)
8 – Hungary (42)
9 – Moldova (40)
10 – Brazil (40)
Final women's freestyle results

50 kg
Gold - Madison Parks (Canada)
Silver - Agata Walerzak (Poland)
Bronze - Anna Lukasiak (Poland)

53 kg
Gold - Liliia Malanchuk (Ukraine)
Silver - Mariana Dragutan (Moldova)
Bronze - Samantha Stewart (Canada)

55 kg
Gold - Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland)
Silver - Mariia Vynnyk (Ukraine)
Bronze - Andreea Ana (Romania)

59 kg
Gold - Grace Bullen (Norway)
Silver - Jowita Wrzesien (Poland)
Bronze - Abigail Nette (United States)
Bronze - Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria)

65 Kg
Gold - Tetiana Rizhko (Ukraine)
Silver – Emma Bruntil (TMWC)
Bronze - Kriszta Incze (Romania)

72 Kg
Gold – Skylar Grote (Beaver Dam RTC/TMWC)
Silver - Anna Schell (Germany)
Bronze - Alexandra Anghel (Romania)
U.S. women's freestyle performances

59 kg - Abigail Nette (Army WCAP), bronze medal
WIN Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania), FF
WIN Magdalena Glodek (Poland), 8-7
LOSS Grace Bullen (Norway), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Nikolett Szabo (Hungary), tech. fall 13-2

65 kg - Emma Bruntil (TMWC), silver medal
LOSS Tetiana Rizhko (Ukriane), fall 3:53
WIN Veronica Braschi (Italy), fall 4:40
WIN Kateryna Zelenykh (Ukraine), 11-8
WIN Kriszta Incze (Romania), 2-0

72 kg - Skylar Grote (Beaver Dam RTC/TMWC), gold medal
WIN Marilyn Garcia (California), tech. fall 11--0
WIN Alexandra Anghel (Romania), 6-3
WIN Asysegul Ozbege (Turkey), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Anna Schell (Germany), 6-2

72 kg - Marilyn Garcia (California), 4th place
LOSS Alexandra Anghel (Romania), tech. fall 12-1
WIN Asysegul Ozbege (Turkey), 5-0
LOSS Anna Schell (Germany), fall 3:04
Remaining Schedule (six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)

*Note Team USA does not have any athletes competing in men’s freestyle.
Saturday, June 25
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (FS 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92)
7 p.m. – Medal matches (FS 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92)