Why Are High Schoolers Winning College Opens?
Why Are High Schoolers Winning College Opens?
High schoolers are winning college opens, Olympic fever is here, and six regionals are set for the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships.
Carley Ceshker made the wrestling world take notice when she won the 123-pound bracket at the 2022 Midlands Championships as a high school freshman. The Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, native made the 90-minute trip to the prestigious tournament that included a women’s division for the first time.
“Going into the tournament I didn’t know much about Midlands,” Ceshker said. “It was just another tournament. I could feel nerves once I got there but I also didn’t know the girls I was wrestling. I was just going out there and doing what I do. It was a good turnout.”
A good turnout might be an understatement. She won three matches including a 7-6 victory over North Central’s Amani Jones and a 31-second fall over Augsburg’s Gabby Skidmore.
Jones is a two-time NCWWC All-American, 2023 national finalist, and 2023 U20 World bronze. Skidmore is a four-time All-American and a 2020 WCWA finalist.
That trend continued this season as multiple high schoolers — including multiple freshmen — are finding success at college opens.
“I think it’s a result of girls being exposed to quality coaching at a younger age than ever before,” North Central coach Joe Norton said. “This is thanks to the growth of girls and women’s wrestling across the country. It’s awesome to see some of the best clubs in America with girls now training there full-time. You didn’t see women in the best clubs five to 10 years ago like you do now. They’re being coached the way freshmen girls in high school were never coached before.”
Ceshker is an example of what a high-level system can do. She trained with Iowa’s Kylie Welker — arguably the top pound-for-pound college wrestler in the country — who is four years older. Welker made the finals of the 2020 Olympic Trials as a teenager. That offers a road map for others to follow.
Bouzakis And Fernandez Stand Tall
High school freshmen Jaclyn Bouzakis and Taina Fernandez won the Warrior Women’s Open over the weekend, with Bouzakis defeating the top-ranked NAIA and NCAA wrestler along the way. Fernandez has reached the finals in three college opens this season and won two.
“The levels these young freshmen have jumped is insane,” Lehigh coach Brazel Marquez said. “The opportunities and exposure is why you’re seeing younger athletes come to the college or senior level with a fire under them.
“Why not go out there and try? More coaches and athletes are taking that approach because the opportunity is given to them by allowing these girls to compete, which is awesome. I didn’t have opportunities like that when I was a freshman back in 2007. Times are changing, people are adapting, and wrestlers are seeing what they can be and what they can do. I’m excited for the development of female wrestling.”
There’s also a high concentration of success throughout Pennsylvania high schools — especially Wyoming Seminary. That should be music to Marquez’s ears as Lehigh (located in Bethlehem) pushes toward Division I designation.
Wyoming Seminary is a preparatory school that has several of the top wrestlers from across the country. However, there is a correlation between their freestyle-based platform and success at college opens.
Reminder: college wrestling uses freestyle rules.
This is an exciting trend as women’s wrestling continues to grow at every level. There is likely a fourth grader we’ve never heard of ready to challenge the current generation of high school talent.
And that’s a good thing.
Top 3 Finishes By High Schoolers At Select College Opens
Upcoming Tournaments
Below are links to brackets for upcoming weekend tournaments.
D3 Invitational on Friday, February 2
Northland Women’s Open on Friday, February 2
Grand View Open on Saturday, February 3
RMAC Championships on Saturday, February 3
Bobcat Open on Sunday, February 4
The Week That Was
Below are links to brackets for this weekend’s tournaments.
Spire Classic on Friday, January 26
Warrior Duals on Friday, January 26
Warrior Open on Saturday, January 27
Southern Virginia University Invitational on Saturday, January 27
Pennsylvania Collegiate Wrestling Championships on Sunday, January 28
CCIW Championships on Sunday, January 28
Olympic Fever
The United States has qualified for three women’s weight categories for the 2024 Olympic Games with three more to go. USA Wrestling is hosting the 2024 Pan-Am Qualifier Wrestle-Off on February 3 in Denver, Colorado. The winners of each weight travel to the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifer in Acapulco, Mexico in late February to qualify their respective weights for the Olympics for the United States.
50 kg — Qualified (Sarah Hildebrandt)
53 kg — Not Qualified
57 kg — Qualified (Helen Maroulis)
62 kg — Not Qualified
68 kg — Not Qualified
76 kg — Qualified (Adeline Gray)
College Regionals Are Set
Six regional tournaments will be used to determine the 24 participants per weight class at the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships on March 8-9. Each region sends the top four wrestlers per weight and a maximum of 15 wrestlers per team qualify for the national tournament.
A true fourth will be used if the fourth and fifth-place wrestlers do not meet during the tournament.
The 2024 NCWWC Regional tournaments are as follows:
Region I: Lock Haven University | Saturday, Feb. 24
Region II: Emmanuel College | Friday, Feb. 23
Region III: Gannon University | Saturday, Feb. 24
Region IV: North Central College | Sunday, Feb. 25
Region V: Simpson College | Friday, Feb. 23
Region VI: Texas Woman's University | Sunday, Feb. 25
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