On Sunday, March 6th a record 102 wrestlers representing Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Missouri competed at the 2nd Annual Female Elite Wrestling (FEW) Folkstyle Regional Championships in Norwalk, Iowa.
As women’s wrestling continues to grow its ranks, it is becoming apparent that the Midwest is producing some of the best female wrestlers in the country. The FEW Championships showcased competition from two-time Folkstyle Cadet National Champion, Ciana Sonberg and two Folkstyle Cadet Runner-up National Champions, Alanah Vetterick and Hailey Schiermeyer. There were six separate Cadet and Junior Folkstyle and Freestyle All-Americans competing:
Ciana Sonberg of Charles City:
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle National Champion, Cadet-143 pounds
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals All-American, Junior-139 pounds
2014 USA Wrestling Folkstyle National Champion, Cadet-143 pounds
Alanah Vetterick of Norwalk:
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Runner-Up National Champion, Cadet-108 pounds
2014 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Runner-Up National Champion, Cadet-108 pounds
Feilcity Taylor of South Winneshiek:
2015 USA Wrestling Freestyle Nationals (Fargo) All-American, Cadet-101 pounds
Allicyn Schuster of LaVista, Nebraska:
2015 USA Wrestling Freestyle Nationals (Fargo) All-American, Cadet-132 pounds
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals All-American, Junior-125 pounds
Hailey Schiermeyer of Uehling, Nebraska:
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Runner-Up National Champion, Cadet-124 pounds
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals All-American, Junior-117 pounds
Breanna Douglas of Paola, Kansas:
2015 UWW Freestyle Nationals (Body Bar) All-American, Cadet-56 kilograms
2015 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals All-American, Cadet-124 pounds
Some of the featured junior-level champions of the day included:
Felicity Taylor at 112 pounds
Alanah Vetterick at 121 pounds
Hailey Schiermeyer at 125 pounds
Ciana Sonberg at 145 pounds
In what was arguably the most difficult bracket, Junior 145 pounds, we saw three USA Folkstyle All-Americans battling it out for the championship. This was National-level competition right here in our own back yard. Ciana Sonberg took 1st, followed by Allicyn Schuster at 2nd, and Breanna Douglas taking 3rd.
Of the record-setting 102 competitors, 45 were middle-school (grades 6-8) through high-school (grades 9-12), with the remaining 57 competing at the pee-wee, novice, and intermediate levels.
Here are the complete results from the weekend:
PeeWee – 38
1st Place – Cadence Christensen of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Aurora Kranig of Western States Pride
3rd Place – Harper Gingery of Female Elite Wrestling
4th Place – Ireland Card of Norwalk
5th Place – Alexa Vallier of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
PeeWee – 46
1st Place – Aileen Aragon of west liberty
2nd Place – Chloe Jensen of Norwalk
3rd Place – Lucy Fuller of Norwalk
PeeWee – 60
1st Place – Josie Dean of Female Elite Wrestling
Intermediate – 47
1st Place – Alyia Abbott of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Lydia Logan of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Tymber Wolf of Nevada
4th Place – Kylie Schmitz of Female Elite Wrestling
5th Place – Brooke Clemmer of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
Intermediate – 60
1st Place – Reanah Utterback of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Layla Ewing of Moravia Mohawks
3rd Place – Savannah Hamilton of Prairie Central Hawks Wrestling
4th Place – Kiana Gavere of Northern Elite
5th Place – Avery Staver of Muscle Mat Club
6th Place – Audrina Johansen of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
Intermediate – 79
1st Place – Karina Raney of Wahoo Kids Wrestling
2nd Place – Aliviah Smith of Female Elite Wrestling
Intermediate – 86+
1st Place – Elsie Lewis of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Kynnedy Gunderson of TripleGuns
Novice – 60
1st Place – Regan Boelman of Elite Diva
2nd Place – Zaylie Ewing of Moravia Mohawks
Novice – 66
1st Place – Valerie Hamilton of Prairie Central Hawks Wrestling
2nd Place – Jasmine Luedtke of Ottumwa Alpha Dogs
3rd Place – Adison Musser of Female Elite Wrestling
4th Place – Aireaana Gavere of Northern Elite
5th Place – Alexis Pehrson of Wahoo Kids Wrestling
6th Place – Hailey Peterson of Perry Jr. Jays
Novice – 72
1st Place – Charlene Hamilton of Prairie Central Hawks Wrestling
2nd Place – Lilly Hamma of Female Elite Wrestling
3rd Place – Alexis Hill of Carlisle
4th Place – Liberty Williams of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
5th Place – Makayna McCrave of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
6th Place – Aubrie Pehrson of Wahoo Kids Wrestling
Novice – 80
1st Place – Lexi Hennick of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Erin Geary of Minnehaha Girls Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Isabella Deeds of Pirate Wrestling
4th Place – Sophia Barnes of Pacific Junction
5th Place – Lydia Fuoss of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
Novice – 96
1st Place – Brooke Cox of Purler Wrestling Academy (PWA)
2nd Place – Morgan Strandberg of Unattached
3rd Place – Elsie Lewis of Female Elite Wrestling
4th Place – Ava Scott of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
Novice – 105
1st Place – Eliana Martinez of Team IL
2nd Place – Kaylee Ricketts of Wahoo Kids Wrestling
3rd Place – Jaleya Zuck of Female Elite Wrestling
4th Place – Danni Logan of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
5th Place – Hope Good of Ice
Novice – 115
1st Place – Sydney Park of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Teegan Sulentich of Washington Matbackers
3rd Place – Makena Schramm of Grappler Girls
Novice – 126
1st Place – Elizabeth Klein of Minnehaha Girls Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Mackenzie Arends of ECS
Middle School (2001-2003, Grade 6-8) – 97
1st Place – Kiara Malloy-Salgado of Unattached
2nd Place – Cera Jones of TJ Trained
Middle School (2001-2003, Grade 6-8) – 105
1st Place – Elizabeth Massine of Dakota Rattlers Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Abby McIntyre of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Josie Klemke of Female Elite Wrestling
Middle School (2001-2003, Grade 6-8) – 113
1st Place – Tateum Park of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Rose Ann Marshall of Stoughton Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Paige Johnson of North Polk Comets
4th Place – Kayley Taylor of Female Elite Wrestling
Middle School (2001-2003, Grade 6-8) – 130
1st Place – Sophia Smith of ND Girls Wrestling
2nd Place – Chloe Clemons of Female Elite Wrestling
3rd Place – Paige Stuck of MWC
Middle School (2001-2003, Grade 6-8) – 140
1st Place – Jayden Bentley of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Morgan Griffin of Female Elite Wrestling
3rd Place – Kaitlin Porter of Saydel
Middle School (2001-2003, Grade 6-8) – 165
1st Place – Eden Highland of Nevada
2nd Place – Allison May of Missouri Valley
USA Juniors (Grade 9-12) – 112
1st Place – Felicity Taylor of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Tateum Park of Female Elite Wrestling
3rd Place – Maiah Williams of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
4th Place – Chloe Krebsbach of Osage
USA Juniors (Grade 9-12) – 121
1st Place – Alanah Vetterick of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Aubrey McIntyre of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Chloe Clemons of Female Elite Wrestling
4th Place – Shelby Blake of Female Elite Wrestling
5th Place – Rylee Zobac of Female Elite Wrestling
6th Place – Cheyenne Sedlacek of Washington Matbackers
USA Juniors (Grade 9-12) – 125
1st Place – Hailey Schiermeyer of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Kaia Graham of Oskaloosa
3rd Place – Paige Bendt of Glenwood Girls Wrestling Club
4th Place – Emily Derry of Unattached
USA Juniors (Grade 9-12) – 145
1st Place – Ciana Sonberg of Charles City
2nd Place – Allicyn Schuster of Unattached
3rd Place – Breanna Douglas of Paola Wrestling Club
4th Place – Alexys Bernal of Prairie Central Hawks Wrestling
5th Place – Jayden Bentley of Female Elite Wrestling
6th Place – Keagan King of Female Elite Wrestling
7th Place – Dominique Mosier of Female Elite Wrestling
8th Place – Brittney Shumate of Woodbine High School
USA Juniors (Grade 9-12) – 159
1st Place – Gabrielle Hamilton of Prairie Central Hawks Wrestling
2nd Place – Allison May of Missouri Valley
USA Juniors (Grade 9-12) – 198
1st Place – Kali Zufall of Female Elite Wrestling
2nd Place – Ellie Jensen of Unattached
3rd Place – Melinda Collins of Female Elite Wrestling
4th Place – Ashton Bryant of Iowa Girls
We will continue to provide updates throughout the spring and summer on these upcoming tournaments:
USA Wrestling Junior Girls Folkstyle Nationals & Team Duals (March 24-27-Oklahoma City, OK)
USA Wrestling University Nationals (March 25-26-Oklahoma City, OK)
Last Chance Trials Qualifier (April 2-3-Cedar Falls, IA)
U.S. Olympic Team Trails (April 8-10-Iowa City, IA)
USA Wrestling Lady Lincoln Women’s National Freestyle Duals (April 15-Tinley Park, IL)
UWW Body Bar Freestyle Nationals (May 20-22-Irving, TX)
USA Wrestling ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships (July 16-23-Fargo, ND).
Iowa will field a solid dual team at the USA Wrestling Junior Girls Folkstyle National Duals in Oklahoma City, Sunday March 30th as well as the USA Wrestling Lady Lincoln Women’s National Freestyle Duals in Tinley Park, April 15th. Historically the larger states with higher participation such as Michigan, California and Texas have swept these tournaments. We are asking for our high school wrestlers to touch base with Charlotte at coach@femaleelitewrestling.com and let her know that you are interested in representing Team Iowa at these events.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @watters_ia and @FEWTeamIowa.
Know of high school, college or senior women’s wrestling info that was missed? Email me at: matt@femaleelitewrestling.org.
Interested in the benefits of wrestling at any age level? Contact Charlotte Bailey of Female Elite Wrestling (FEW) at: coach@femaleelitewrestling.org to find out more.