This weekend marks the 2016 Body Bar Women’s National Championships (also known as the UWW World Team Trials) in Irving, Texas. There are 237 Cadets and 152 Juniors pre-registered for the event.
On Saturday, the UWW Cadet World Team Trials will take place with five Iowa female wrestlers competing to secure a position on the U.S. World or U.S. National Teams. Sunday will see the UWW Junior World Team Trials contested with one Iowan competing to defend her 2015 U.S. World Team title.
The following Iowans have registered for the event in the Cadet and Junior divisions:
UWW Cadet (born 1999-2001):
46 kg (101 pounds) – Courtney Six of Fort Madison will be competing in her first national Freestyle event as a high school freshman.
49 kg (108 pounds) – Tateum Park of Davenport will be moving into the Cadet division this year as an 8th grader. Park has an impressive Schoolgirl resume including a runner-up finish at Body Bar in the 113 pound division last year.
56 kg (123 pounds) – Alanah Vetterick of Norwalk will also be making her national Freestyle debut. Vetterick, a high school sophomore, is a three-time Folkstyle National runner-up, twice as a Cadet (2014, 2015) and most recently as a Junior (2016).
70 kg (154 pounds) – Ciana Sonberg of Charles City will be entering the Freestyle arena for the first time but boasts a robust Folkstyle record. Sonberg, a high school sophomore, is a two-time Cadet National Champion (2014, 2015) and a two-time Junior All-American (2015, 2016).
70 kg (154 pounds) – Nicole Watters of Ankeny will also be competing for the first time at Body Bar. Watters, a high school sophomore, is a 2014 Cadet Folkstyle All-American.
UWW Junior (born 1996-1998):
72 kg (158 pounds) – Rachel Watters of Ankeny is the returning 2015 National Champion/UWW World Team Member at this weight and finished 5th at the UWW Junior World Championships last August in Salvador, Brazil. Watters, a high school senior, is a two-time Junior National Folkstyle Champion (2014, 2016) and a Cadet and Junior Freestyle National Champion (Fargo-2013, 2015). At the 69kg Senior level, Watters placed 3rd in the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials challenge tournament, 4th at the 2015 Senior Nationals, and went 3-2 while competing in last month’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials to earn a top 6 finish.
The top three finishers in each weight class will make the U.S. National Team, while the champion of each weight class will make the U.S. World Team.
The UWW Cadet World Championships will take place September 13-18 in Tbilisi, Georgia and the UWW Junior World Championships will be held August 30-September 4 in Macon, France.
For updates from the event be sure to follow us on Twitter: @watters_ia, @FEWTeamIowa and @IAwrestle.
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.