High School Girls Make A Statement At College Opens
High School Girls Make A Statement At College Opens
High school girls showed off their skills at college opens, Kennedy Blades wrestled her first college match, and the Adrian Invitational is loaded.
Open tournaments kicked off the women’s freestyle college season, but high school stars made the most noise. Several top prep stars faced off against their college counterparts with varying degrees of success.
Ten high schoolers won titles, and five more reached the finals. No fewer than 30 finished in the top eight, proving that the next generation of wrestlers is ready to take over.
Taina Fernandez, 15, continues to defy logic. She dominated the Princeton Open with two 10-0 techs and two first-period falls after leading 8-0 in both. The 2024 U17 World champion won two opens last season, and her only loss was at the 2023 Princeton Open finals to Canada’s Alex Town — a 28-year-old U23 World champion.
Wyoming Seminary stars Jacyln Bouzakis (103), Maddie Ripley (110), and Emma Bacon (124) won East Stroudsburg Open titles, combining for nine techs, three falls, and one decision. Bacon’s 9-2 win over King’s three-time All-American Montana DeLawder in the 124-pound finals may have been the most impressive result of the weekend.
Below is a list of high schoolers who placed at college opens. Email kyle.klingman@flosports.tv if anyone was missed.
High School Girls Who Placed At College Opens
Dual Of The Week: Iowa vs Life
Life University in Marietta, Georgia, is hosting the Eagle Madness Duals on Friday, November 8 followed by the Eagle Madness Open the following day. The Running Eagles take on the Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. Eastern on November 8 in the highlight dual of the weekend.
Click here for a full preview and information on how to watch live on FloWrestling
Kennedy Blades Wins First College Matches
Blades made noise during the off-season by winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and by transferring to Iowa. She competed for the now-defunct Sunkist Kids at Arizona State before signing with the Hawkeyes.
She hadn’t wrestled an official college match before entering the Luther Hill Open in Indianola, Iowa. As expected, she blitzed through the 160-pound bracket, securing a fall and three shutout techs, including a 10-0 win over teammate Rose Cassioppi in the finals.
Iowa’s De Facto Wrestle-Offs
The Hawkeyes sent 18 wrestlers to the Luther Hill Open and six won titles. Iowa held wrestle-offs on October 14 but this tournament offered additional clues about what wrestlers might start.
Below are key results from Iowa’s weekend.
103: Rianne Murphy won by injury default over teammate and returning national finalist Sterling Dias in the finals. Dias hurt her shoulder during an exchange but should be fine. Returning national champion Emilie Gonzalez did not compete. This weight class is a log jam with three wrestlers vying for two possible roster spots at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.
110: Returning national champion Ava Bayless defeated Val Solorio, 5-0, in the finals after dropping a 10-1 match in the wrestle-off.
117: Ava Rose, last year’s starter at 123 pounds, finished with a 1-2 record and did not place.
124: Cali Leng finished third, losing by fall to Isla Baeza of Missouri Valley in the semis.
131: Skye Realin teched last year’s starter Emily Frost in the semis, 10-0. Realin finished first and Frost placed third. Alex Baudhuin finished fourth, losing by fall to Frost in the consolation finals.
180: U20 World bronze medalist Naomi Simon secured three falls and a tech.
207: Jaycee Foeller and Katja Osteen finished second and fourth, respectively.
Women's Spotlight: Cassia Zammit (Presbyterian)
All-American Cassia Zammit enters her sophomore season with renewed excitement about what her team can do.
North Central And Grand Valley State Faced Off
Two of the country’s best NCAA teams competed side-by-side at the Pointer Open, but neither sent all of their best wrestlers.
North Central had 44 wrestlers compete with Sara Sterner (131), Bella Mir (145), Shenita Lawson (180), and Caroline Ward (207) taking titles.
Grand Valley State sent 13 participants to kick off the first competition in program history. Rayana Sahagun won the 103-pound title and Aspen Blasko finished second at 124. Three other Lakers placed.
Fit For A King
King University doesn’t have a head coach, but that didn’t stop the team from winning the East Stroudsburg Open. The Tornado crowned three champions, not including Virginia Foard who won the 131-pound title competing unattached. Sacred Heart finished second with two champions and nine placers.
Below are the King’s placers at each weight.
103: Avery Kibelbek 2nd; Mia Zuniga 3rd
117: Melanie Mendoza 1st; Clare Booe 2nd
124: Montana DeLawder 2nd
131: Anna DiCugno 2nd; Jessica Corredor 5th
138: Claire DiCugno 1st
145: Aine Drury 1st
207: Kenisha keke Jacsaint 6th
She's Back!
Tiare Ikei is one of the best wrestlers in the country, but she has been sidelined with concussions. She is a 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist who won a Senior US Open title at 17.
"Overcoming an injury is just as much of a mental battle as it is physical," Ikei said during her 2022 Women's Spotlight interview. "That's the frustrating part. The injuries I've dealt with recently are inside, you can't physically see what's going on. No matter what the injury, there will be a mental, physical, and spiritual battle. It's a discouraging process but also sometimes necessary."
Ikei dominated the 124-pound division at the Maverick Open, outscoring four opponents by a combined 40-0 count. The Hawaii native showed what she can do during a December 18, 2020, FloWrestling match against Amy Fearnside.
The Adrian Duals and Adrian Invite Are Loaded
Several top teams are competing against each other this weekend, including Grand Valley State, King, McKendree, North Central, and Sacred Heart. There’s no guarantee that every team will send their best wrestlers, but this is an early-season indicator.
Below are participating teams and links to watch live on FloWrestling.
Adrian Duals on Saturday, November 9: Adrian, Aurora, Baldwin Wallace, Davenport, D’Youville, Frostburg State, Gannon, Hiram, John Carroll, King, McKendree, North Central, Northern Michigan, Sacred Heart, Schreiner, West Liberty
Adrian College Invitational on Sunday, November 10: Adrian, Alma, Aurora, Baldwin Wallace, Carthage, Elmira, Frostburg State, Gannon, Grand Valley State, Hiram, King, Lock Haven, McKendree, Mount Union, New Jersey City, North Central, Northern Michigan, Otterbein, Sacred Heart, Schreiner, Tiffin, Trine, West Liberty
Bill Farrell Memorial International
Entries are rolling into the Bill Farrell Memorial International held at the New Athletic Club on November 7-9.
Click here for the updated entry list.
Click here to watch the tournament live.
Upcoming College Tournaments
Below are links to brackets for this weekend’s dual and open tournaments.
Friday, November 8
Eagle Madness Duals
Saturday, November 9
Adrian Duals
Luther Open
Waldorf Open
Battle of the Rockies Open
Eagle Madness Open
Sunday, November 10
Adrian College Invitational
Pioneer Open
Viking Open
College Open Results
Below are links to results from last weekend’s college opens
Friday, November 1
Falcon Open
Saturday, November 2
Trojan Open
Luther Hill Invitational
Pointer Open
Maverick Open
Tiffin Women’s Open
SFU Open
Sunday, November 3
Princeton Open
East Stroudsburg Open
Menlo Open
McMaster Open