Biggest Jumps: Senior Level Women Make Moves
Lauren Mason at Final X after winning her True 3rd match. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com
by Derek Levendusky
Twitter: @AWWderek
This article will be a little bit of a spoiler as I’m going to reveal some info from the new FloWrestling Senior Women’s Freestyle Rankings coming out this week. Maybe to be more positive, we’ll just call it a teaser.
After the U.S. Open, U23 Nationals, Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and Final X, we have a lot of data about the landscape of women’s wrestling at the Senior level. As you look at the results from this spring, it’s obvious that some women jumped levels since last year USAW events. Here’s my top 10 list of who made the biggest jumps.
10. #6 Olivia Robinson, 76 kg (Eastern Oregon)
Previous ranking: #10
She turned a lot of heads when she upset #3 Precious Bell at World Trials. That is not easy to do. She took 2nd in the NAIA this year to Dymond Guilford, who just won the world team spot. Robinson has put herself in the conversation at 76 kg.
9. #5 Marilyn Garcia, 72 kg (Menlo WC)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This spring Garcia had a win over #5 Marlynne Deede and three wins over Aury Naylor, always a tough out. She also pushed New Zealand world teamer Michelle Montague to the edge in a 6-4 loss at the U.S. Open, and represented Team USA at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome a few weeks ago, taking 4th at the event. She’s proven that she’s ready to compete against world level talent, cracking the top 5 domestically.
8. #7 Nyla Valencia, 50 kg (Bulldog WC)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Believe it or not, #1 high school ranked Valencia didn’t even win her own state tournament, falling to Anaya Falcon last February, but she’s been on fire since. The Iowa commit did the unthinkable at U23 Nationals, defeating 2021 Junior & U23 world champion Emily Shilson. Shilson avenged the loss at Senior Trials, but hey, she beat Shilson, something not many have been able to do this side of the pond. To give some perspective, Shilson hasn’t lost in college, and in losing to Valencia, she fell to a high school wrestler that didn’t win her state. Sounds funny to say it that way, and we know it’s misleading as we all know we’re talking about elite young women here. Ultimately this is not about Shilson’s flaws, but Valencia’s talent—the California senior put her name on the Senior level map this spring. The force is strong with this one.
7. #5 Tristan Kelly, 76 kg (Army/WCAP)
Previous ranking: #9
Kelly picked up some big Senior level wins this spring, taking out Simon Fraser college star Emily Cue twice at the U.S. Open, and finally getting a win over McKendree 2x NCAA national finalist Joye Levendusky at Senior Trials—an opponent she’d lost to the four previous times they wrestled. She also beat Life University’s NAIA national champ Jordan Nelson at the Open. Meanwhile, she took a little trip down to the U20 division at Women’s Nationals and absolutely obliterated the field to earn the Junior world team spot, her second. I’d be shocked if she didn’t come home from U20 Worlds with some hardware.
6. #4 Lexie Basham, 59 kg (Spartan Wrestling Club/Texas Wesleyan)
Previous ranking: #9
She followed up her first NAIA national title with a visit to Final X, where she lost to Abby Nette in the best-of-three. Even in her losses to this year’s world teamer, the Texas Wesleyan junior was competitive (12-4 & 8-5) and proved she’s a name to watch for years to come.
5. #3 Felicity Taylor, 53 kg (McKendree Bearcat WC)
Previous ranking: #6
We’ve all been watching Felicity for years. She’s a college national champ and a fine Senior level talent, but in the past she’s struggled once she’s hit the top 5 Senior women. This spring she found herself in Final X. She could easily be ranked #2—a judgment call by the committee since she hasn’t beaten Heaton—but regardless, she’s put herself near the top of her weight class. Winning the U.S. Open with a convincing victory over veteran Alyssa Lampe, she’s going to be mentioned among the contenders for years to come. Oh, and she just transferred to Iowa.
4. #2 Sienna Ramirez, 68 kg (Southern Oregon)
Previous ranking: #7
Ramirez is so tough. She doesn’t score a lot but is a brick wall defensively, punishes mistakes, and is one of the better counter-wrestlers on the Senior circuit. I’ll confess I wasn’t buying the stock after she won the U.S. Open, winning in the final by injury over Katie Lange early in the first period. I think we all wanted to see that full match, a real test for Ramirez. That said, after watching her all spring, I’m buying. It’s not that I didn’t think the 2021 NAIA champion was good, but she took a loss at NAIA Nationals this year to Campbellsville’s Kendra Thompson, eventually placing third, and I just didn’t know if she could get by the top Senior women at this weight. But Ramirez made it all the way to Final X, including what has to be the closest best-of-three series in the history of women’s wrestling in the World Trials finals, downing #3 Solin Piearcy in a series that went 6-6 Ramirez, 2-2 Piearcy, 6-6 Ramirez. Pay attention to the hammer from the northwest, a reminder that the Southern Oregon program can produce elite wrestlers.
3. #1 Dom Parrish, 53 kg (Sunkist Kids)
Previous ranking: #4
It’s very hard to climb past the top three. Many wrestlers crack the top 5, but those top three are often unyielding. Even gaining one spot can be a major victory. Parrish went from #4 to #1, getting by a field that included #2 Ronna Heaton and #3 Areana Villaescusa. Her 6-0 win over Heaton at World Trials was a flip of the script from the Olympic Trials last year, where Heaton pinned her. She also controlled her Final X matches against Taylor, winning the series 2-0. Parrish looks like someone ready to win a medal at Senior Worlds this fall.
2. #3 Adriana Dorado Marin, 57 kg (Army/WCAP)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Who is Adriana Dorado Marin? Well apparently she’s the #3 ranked Senior woman in the country. After graduating high school in 2020, she went into the Army WCAP program and has been steadily making gains on the mat. This spring, she seemed to come out of nowhere, winning the U.S. Open and scoring big wins over #8 Amanda Martinez and #4 Cam Guerin on her way to the stop sign. Then she followed that up by landing a spot on the U20 world team. Yep, doesn’t seem like there was any fluke here. She’s very quickly become one of our future young stars of the sport.
1. #3 Lauren Mason, 55 kg (Burnaby Mountain WC)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Anyone who saw her second match against Jacarra Winchester in the finals of the Challenge Tournament knows she’s for real. Never winning a college national title, though she was 4x All-American, she’s emerged as a legit Senior level threat, winning her True 3rd match against Alisha Howk at Final X. She also had a win over previously #3 ranked Marissa Gallegos at the Challenge Tournament. To add to it all, Mason is one of the top ranked nicest people in women’s wrestling. Bet ya didn’t know we have a ranking for that too.
Honorable mentions:
#5 Emma Walker, 65 kg (Campbellsville)
Previous ranking: #10 (at 68 kg)
She lost in the best-of-three finals of U23 Nationals, but put everyone on notice when she took one match from college and Senior level staple Ashlynn Ortega.
#6 Maya Letona, 65 kg (NYC RTC)
Previous ranking: #10 (at 65 kg)
Emma Randall has this kid going the right direction, placing 3rd at World Team Trials and climbing to #6.