Olympic Trials spots were on the line at the recent US Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas, with the top five advancing to State College, Pennsylvania, on April 19-20. It also offered clues about the upcoming college season. 

Iowa, King, McKendree, and North Central are locked in a tight four-team NCAA race entering the 2024 NWCA National Duals on January 5-6 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Below is a breakdown of each of the four teams, their potential best line-ups, and Olympic Trials qualifiers. 

Will The Hawkeyes Soar?

Iowa is 7-0 on the season including a 3-0 record at the Desert Duals where it didn’t send a full team. The Hawkeyes went 39-1 during the first four duals with only one win lasting a full six minutes. 

Marlynne Deede reached the US National finals at 76 kg (167 pounds), which is 12 pounds heavier than her college weight. Emilie Gonzalez (101) and Ava Bayless (109) didn’t place at 50 kg (110 pounds), while Brianna Gonzalez (116) didn’t place at 53 kg. Brianna only fell to post-collegiate wrestlers while her twin sister was wrestling up nine pounds. 

Nanea Estrella didn’t place, either — but she was injured during her consolation match against Lexie Basham, which was a rematch of the 2022 NAIA Championship finals. Basham won their college match, 3-2, but was behind against Estrella at US Nationals before the injury. The severity is unknown, but she is a crucial piece of the Iowa line-up moving forward. 

Iowa’s has depth, which factors heavily into outcomes at National Duals and the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. Deede is the returning national collegiate champion at 155, while Felicity Taylor has reached the finals four times at 116 before moving up to 123 for her senior season. Sterling Dias and Emilie Gonzalez are the two best 101-pounders in the country, which should play a factor at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.

Iowa's Potential Line-up
101: Sterling Dias/Emilie Gonzalez
109: Ava Bayless
116: Brianna Gonzalez
123: Felicity Taylor
130: Emily Frost
136: Nanea Estrella/Esther Han
143: Reese Larremendy/Ella Schmit
155: Marlynne Deede
170: Kylie Welker
191: Alivia White

Iowa Olympic Trials Qualifiers (3)
76 kg: Marlynne Deede
76 kg: Kylie Welker
76 kg: Rose Cassioppi

Is King Being Overlooked? 

The biggest mistake of the season might be underestimating King University. The Tornado has produced several of the biggest names in the sport (Sarah Hildebrandt, Haley Augello, Alli Ragan, Forrest Molinari, etc) with a crop of young talent on the cusp of becoming breakout stars. 

Samara Chavez (50 kg) and Cheyenne Bowman (68 kg) reached the US National finals, while Aine Drury (62 kg) placed third. Victoria Baez-Dillone represented Spain at the 2023 Senior World Championships and is in contention at 130 pounds. 

Coach Jason Moorman has lots of options from 123 to 143. King won the 2023 title with some late-match tactics when Bowman forfeited her match at 170 to Yelena Makoyed and bumped up to 191. Moorman could move DeLawder up to 130 and Baez-Dillone up to 136 for duals since freshman Virginia Foard is a quality option at 123. 

King has won four duals by a 185-10 count and has won the last two National Duals titles. This is a high-octane team that is very much in the title hunt. 

King's Potential Line-up
101: Jessica Corredor/Mia Zuniga
109: Danielle Garcia
116: Samara Chavez
123: Montana DeLawder/Virginia Foard
130: Victoria Baez-Dillone
136: Claire DiCugno
143: Aine Drury/Yasmine Oliveria
155: Cheyenne Bowman
170: Tiffany Baublitz
191: Alexa Garcia

King Olympic Trials Qualifiers (3)
50 kg: Samara Chavez
62 kg: Aine Drury
68 kg: Cheyenne Bowman

Will Emma Bruntil’s McKendree Prediction Come True?

Yes, McKendree’s transfer haul might be the most impressive in college wrestling history. All-American after All-American migrated to Lebanon, Illinois, to wrestle for Alexio Garcia.

The biggest news, however, wasn’t a transfer. Two-time national champion (2020-21) Emma Bruntil entered the transfer portal two seasons ago but is returning after making a Senior World team at 68 kilograms. She predicted that the Bearcats would win in 2024, which is a real possibility given the team’s line-up. 

Emily Shilson is an undefeated four-time NCWWC champion but she did not continue after losing to King’s Samara Chavez in the closing seconds of their quarterfinal match at US Nationals. She will presumably compete at regionals and nationals, and, like the previous four years, she will be the favorite. 

Garcia has plenty of firepower and will have plenty of decisions to make. Shelby Moore is an emerging star after defeating teammate Cam Guerin — a three-time NCWWC champion — at US Nationals. Guerin is a clutch performer, so her best is yet to come. Alex Szkotnicki proved she can be effective at 136 with solid wins in Fort Worth, and Tristan Kelly should be in the top three at nationals. 

Below is what McKendree’s best line-up might look like. Just know that there are lots of options and lots of names that could emerge throughout the season. 

McKendree Potential Line-up
101: Olivia Shore/Lizette Rodriguez
109: Emily Shilson
116: Payton Stroud
123: Shelby Moore
130: Cam Guerin
136: Viktorya Torres/Alex Szkotnicki
143: Emma Bruntil
155: Destiny Rodriguez
170: Tristan Kelly
191: Kiara Ganey

McKendree Olympic Trials Qualifiers (4)
57 kg: Shelby Moore
57 kg: Cameron Guerin
68 kg: Emma Bruntil
76 kg: Tristan Kelly

Can D3 North Central Repeat As Champs?

Cardinal coach Joe Norton is pulling out all the stops as his team attempts to repeat as champions. Yelena Makoyed and Alara Boyd announced that they will use their final semester of eligibility. Both had a COVID year and will use it to bolster North Central's already powerful line-up. 

North Central now has 21 returning All-Americans with the addition of Boyd and Makoyed.

Kendra Ryan’s stock rose after an impressive third-place finish at US Nationals, placing ahead of teammate and national champion Jaslynn Gallegos. The Cardinals have seven wrestlers who have reached the NCWWC finals at least once, which makes this a formidable dual and tournament team. 

Like the other three programs, Norton will have decisions to make about his best line-up. Only 15 wrestlers from each team can qualify for the national championships, so six All-Americans will be on the sidelines. That’s a testament to the depth and talent this team has — and it’s proof that a D3 school can compete without athletic scholarships. 

North Central's Potential Line-up
101: Maddie Avila
109: Kendra Ryan/Jaslynn Gallegos
116: Sydney Petzinger
123: Amani Jones
130: Sara Sterner/Salmone Walker
136: Yele Aycock
143: Alara Boyd
155: London Houston
170: Yelena Makoyed
191: Traeh Haynes

North Central Olympic Trials Qualifiers (5)
50 kg: Kenra Ryan
53 kg: Sydney Petzinger
57 kg: Amani Jones
68 kg: Alara Boyd
76 kg: Yelena Makoyed

Oh, Canada!

The 2023 Canadian Team Trials for men's and women's freestyle were held in Edmonton, Alberta, on December 15-16. The competition featured a challenge tournament followed by a ladder tournament and a best-of-three final. 

Canada has yet to qualify anyone for the 2024 Olympic Games since no wrestler placed in the top five at the 2023 World Championships. Each of the winners earned the right to compete at the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifier on February 29-March 2, which could lead to a spot on the Olympic Team if a wrestler reaches the finals in his or her weight class.

Women's Freestyle Champions
50 kg: Genevieve Morrison
53 kg: Karla Godinez Gonzalez
57 kg: Hannah Taylor
62 kg: Ana Godinez Gonzalez
68 kg: Linda Morais
76 kg: Justina Di Stasio

Click here for full results from the tournament

Desert Duals

Eleven teams competed at the Desert Duals in Las Vegas over the weekend with Iowa posting a 4-0 record. Don’t read too much into the results for any team, though. Several top wrestlers from most teams were missing, and there were several forfeits. 

Click here for full results from Vegas

Wasps Women’s Open 

Presbyterian had the most individual champions (4) at the Wasps Women’s Open but King showed off its depth. The Tornado sent a large contingent to US Nationals but had a pair of champions (Mia Zuniga and Victoria Baez Dillone). 

Champions
101: Mia Zuniga (King)
109: Dinayah Vazquez (Emmanuel)
116: Charlize Shuler (Presbyterian College)
123: Trinity Howard (Montreat)
130: Victoria Baez Dilone (King)
136: Hailie Misplay (Greensboro)
143: Maddie Kubicki (Presbyterian)
155: Molly Keller (Emory & Henry)
170: Henlee Haynes (Presbyterian)
191: Ella Beam (Presbyterian)

Click here for full results

No Match For Menlo

Menlo won eight individual titles at the West Coast Tournament of Champions and cruised to the team title. The most notable entry was former senior World teamer Dymond Guilford at 170. 

101: Audalie Cruz (Wayland Baptist University)
109: Micaela Correa (Menlo College)
116: Ajayzee Zaballos (Menlo College)
123: Alana Vivas (Menlo College)
130: Louisa Schwab (Menlo College)
136: Samantha Barragan (Menlo College)
143: Desiree Jones (Menlo College)
155: Shannon Workinger (Menlo College)
170: Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
191: Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson (Menlo College)
235: Angela Vyborny (Golden Tribe)

Click here for full results

US Nationals Takeaways

Many of the best college wrestlers participated in the US Nationals with the top five earning a spot to the Olympic Trials in April. Below is a list of the current college wrestlers who qualified at the tournament along with additional takeaways.

Click here for full US Nationals results

College Qualifiers From US Nationals
50 kg: Sage Mortimer, Grand Valley State (1st)
50 kg: Samara Chavez, King (2nd)
50 kg: Kendra Ryan, North Central (3rd)
50 kg: Kaelani Shufeldt, Lock Haven (4th)
50 kg: Mia Palumbo, William Penn (5th)
53 kg: Sydney Petzinger, North Central (5th)
57 kg: Shelby Moore, McKendree (3rd)
57 kg: Cristelle Rodriguez, Doane (4th)
57 kg: Cam Guerin, McKendree (4th)
68 kg: Alara Boyd, North Central (3rd)
76 kg: Marlynne Deede, Iowa (2nd)
76 kg: Rose Cassioppi, Iowa (5th)

Takeaways
— The top five finishers at 50 kg are current college wrestlers

— Jacarra Winchester won US Nationals at 62 kg, which is seven kilograms higher than her normal weight. She won a World title at 55 kg in 2019 and silver earlier this year. She dropped to 53 kg for the 2020 Olympics and is registered to wrestle off at 53 kg for the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifier spot. The US star is still considering what weight she will wrestle at the Olympic Trials. 

— 2016 Olympian Augello, 29, wrestled in her second tournament of the year after a four-year layoff. She placed third at 53 kg, dropping a 6-6 match to 2023 US Open champion Katie Gomez in the semifinals.

— High school star Clare Booe placed seventh but she took Gomez to the wire in the quarterfinals. The Wyoming Seminary star and King University commit lost 10-8 but had a 7-0 win over returning NAIA champion Caitlyn Thorne who currently wrestles for Lindenwood.

— Shelby Moore, a true freshman at McKendree, defeated two college national champions on her way to a third-place finish at 57 kg. She downed Southern Oregon’s Carolina Moreno (2023 NAIA champion at 123), 5-5, in the quarterfinals before defeating teammate Cam Guerin during the consolation semifinals. 

— King’s Aine Drury was a pinning machine on her way to a third-place finish at 62 kg. She won four of her six matches by fall and faced two Tornado alumni. She lost to 2021 national champion Ashlynn Ortega in the quarters but defeated 2023 champion Ana Luciano during consolations. 

— Mallory Velte won the 68 kg title and prevented a wrestler from qualifying for the Olympic Trials. Velte had already qualified for the tournament before the US Nationals. 

— This was Alara Boyd’s second tournament since knee surgery over the summer. The 2021 NCWWC champion finished third at 68 kg.

— Precious Wieser won the 76 kg title and faced two of her former athletes along the way. The current Augsburg assistant defeated Brooklyn Hays, 9-3, in the semifinals and Marlynne Deede by fall in the finals. Hays and Deede competed for the Auggies before entering the transfer portal.