Takedown Report

Three Takeaways from Week Two of the Women’s Collegiate Season

Historic Trailblazer Duals and Surprising Upsets
At the first-ever Trailblazer Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena over the weekend, a tough lineup of ranked teams that represent the four Division 1 programs with women’s wrestling faced off: #5 Sacred Heart, #8 Iowa, #11 Lindenwood and #13 Presbyterian. 
#11 Lindenwood walked away with a loss to Iowa and a close upset loss to Presbyterian. However, the Lions team was able to come out with a victory against #5 Sacred Heart winning 22-20. The team saw impressive showings by several freshmen including a pin from Megan Valdez at 101 lbs, an 8-0 decision from Kate Cooper at 109 lbs, and a 12-2 decision by Marissa Sanabria at 135 lbs. Decision wins from Amanda McAleavey at 123 lbs, Cayden Condit at 130 lbs, and Alana Duggan at 143 lbs were enough to secure the Lions the victory. 
On the flip side, #13 Presbyterian got their own close upset win over Lindenwood 25-20. Another young team with some dominant freshmen on the roster, the Blue Hose kept it close throughout the dual starting off strong with a tech fall from junior Chiara Barbieri. After the Lions got a tech of their own at 109 lbs, freshmen Alyssa Mahan picked up a pin at 123 lbs and Charlee Shuler battled for the decision win at 116 lbs. The team clinched it with back-to-back pins from freshman Maddie Kubicki at 155 lbs and Henlee Haynes at 170 lbs. 
The remaining duals all went along with the team’s rankings except for the upset win for #8 Iowa over #5 Sacred Heart. While Sacred Heart did not have all their ranked wrestlers either at the event or in this dual specifically, the Hawkeyes still controlled almost every match. Each win in this dual came by pin or tech fall besides a forfeit at 123 lbs against Felicity Taylor. Madeline Hodges brought in the only Pioneer win in this dual, getting the 7-0 decision against Iowa’s Alivia White. Fans missed out on what could have been a very exciting matchup in the dual against Iowa’s Kylie Welker and Sacred Heart’s Cara Broadus. Broadus came in fourth last year at NCWWC’s and is the second-highest-placing returner at the weight this year. Hopefully, this matchup may happen in the future.
Of course, the biggest headline is the more than 8,200 fans in attendance for these duals, shattering the record for the largest crowd at a women’s wrestling event. It seems that Trailblazer Duals is a very fitting name for this historic event.

2. King University Crowns 9 Champs

Fifteen teams competed this past Saturday at the Eagle Madness Open hosted by Life University. The #2 ranked King University Tornados showed out with champions at nine different weight classes. They also had five additional places in the top 4, with three making the finals. There were also some significant wins for the Tornados on their way to the 1st place finish. Jessica Corredor beat returning NAIA All-American Devyn Gomez of Life in the semifinals at 101 lbs. Also, Danielle Garcia took down Elizabeth Dosado from the University of the Cumberlands who … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Three-takeaways-from-week-two-of-the-womens-collegiate-season

And
Girls wrestling continues to grow
By Cheyenne Roche, The Creston News Advertiser, Iowa
Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 3:46 PM EST·4 min read

Nov. 10—Since being sanctioned last season, girls wrestling has become the fastest growing female sport in Iowa. In the second year of the Highway 34 wrestling program consisting of girls from Creston, East Union and Lenox, a new coach has taken over. Maggie Arnold, cross country and track and field coach will now add a third sport to her repertoire as she heads the Highway 34 team.
“We have 15 girls out this year which is great numbers,” Arnold said. “The girls are excited to be a part of history.” The program is expected to continue to expand as the Creston Junior High program alone had 20 girls attend their start-of-season meeting.

Returners from last year include Mila Kuhns, Zoey Vandevender, Grace Keeler, Quynn Foster, Hope Woods and state medalist Savannah Sistad. Woods was injured for a majority of last year, but all others competed at the regional competition in Des Moines.
The team will be led by three seniors — Woods, Sistad and Brylea Woollums. “Savannah is the one who has had the most success in girls wrestling in our program,” Arnold said. “We look to Savannah to continue to be great for us this year.”
Arnold said she hopes to keep Woods healthy this year, so she will be able to participate in more matches. This will be Woollums first year on the mat. “It’s a brave thing for a senior to do, go our for a brand new sport,” … rest of story at … Girls-wrestling-continues-to-grow

November 16, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized