Coming In Hot: Ranking the Top Recruits in the Class of 2021

Mia Palumbo at the 2020 “Who’s Number #1” event by FloWrestling. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com

by Emma Bruntil, AWW staff writer
Twitter & IG: @Emaaabruntil

#8 - Olivia Shore (Tiffin)
Coming in at the #8 overall recruit for the class of 2021 is Miami East’s superstar Olivia Shore. Shore burst on to the women’s wrestling scene in 2017 when she made a Cadet world team at 46 kg and won a 100-pound Cadet Fargo title. Shore followed up her impressive year by earning another bid to Cadet Worlds in 2018 and placed 5th. Shore has also had frequent success at the prestigious Super 32 tournament, placing 1st, 2nd, and 1st in her three trips to the Greensboro Coliseum. She also made national headlines this year after becoming the first girl to place in the men’s D3 high school division at the Ohio state tournament. Shore won her first match by fall before falling 3-0 in the quarterfinals. The Ohio native bounced back though, rattling off several wins to finish in 6th place and cement her place in Ohio history. The reason Shore is #8 on this list is because while she has had success at the Cadet level, that success hasn’t yet carried over to the Junior or Senior levels. Shore will likely slot in at 109 pounds for the Tiffin Dragons, and she should make an immediate impact if she starts right away.

#7 - Katerina Lange (Augsburg)
The Sherburn senior shocked everyone when she took NCWWC champ and multiple-time age group world medalist Alara Boyd to the brink in their best-of-three series at Women’s Nationals last month. With a Junior World Team spot on the line, Lange came out firing in match one, throwing a beautiful headlock that would earn her the fall over Boyd. Lange appeared to be in the driver's seat in match two, as she held an early 3-0 lead over Boyd. Boyd responded though, chipping away to earn the 4-3 win over the Minnesota star. In match three, it was all Boyd, as she won with a dominant 11-1 victory. Still, the fact that a high schooler was able to make the Junior finals and take a match from an experienced veteran like Boyd shows enormous promise on the next level. Furthermore, Katerina Lange played basketball in high school, which leaves plenty of room for growth once she gets in a college room and is training full-time. Newly minted Augsburg head coach Jake Short should be thrilled about this pick-up, as Lange will likely be in the mix to make the NCWWC finals next year at 143 pounds.

#6 - London Houston (Uncommitted)
The 2-time Washington state champion London Houston made waves this year with her electric three match series against East Stroudsburg’s Mia Macaluso at Women’s Nationals. In match one, Macaluso took the lead in the series with a commanding victory by fall (she was leading 10-3 at the time). However, Houston bounced back in a big way in match two, earning the win with a dominating 14-4 victory. Match three was an exciting, back and forth affair between Houston and Macaluso, with each holding the lead at different points in the match. In the end, it was Macaluso who came out on top, earning the fall at the end of the second period. Although Houston fell a little short in the Junior finals, she was more than impressive by finishing 3rd at 62 kg in the U23 division. This past weekend, Houston also snagged a gold medal at the Junior Pan American Championships, and helped Team USA dominate their way to a team title. Houston slots in at #6 on this list because she hasn’t yet made an age-group level world team, nor does she have results at the Senior level quite yet. However, Houston shows a lot of promise, and will likely be a finalist contender at either 130 or 136 pounds next season. College coaches would be smart to line up around the block for Houston, as the Federal Way senior is still uncommitted.

#5- Samara Chavez (King University)
Coming in at #5 is Arlington, Texas native Samara Chavez. Chavez has been quite the talent for some time, as she not only has a Cadet Pan Am silver and gold to her credit, but she really cemented herself as a top recruit this season. Chavez started off her year at the Senior Nationals in Coralville, Iowa. The Arlington Martin high school senior put on a show, taking 2-time world bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe to the brink in a 11-10 barn burner. Although Chavez dropped her quarterfinal to Lampe, she rattled off several wins to finish fourth in a deep 50 kg bracket. A month later, at Junior and U23 nationals in Omaha, she placed 5th and 2nd in the Junior and U23 divisions, respectively. In the U23 tournament, she scored a come from behind fall over past WCWA finalist Maria Vidales of Emmanuel to cement her spot in the finals with college superstar Emily Shilson. At Women’s Nationals last month, Chavez made the Junior finals with Emily Shilson yet again, but lost in two matches to place her on the Pan Am team, where she finished 10th. Chavez ranks high on this list despite not yet making an age-level team due to her success at the Senior and U23 level. Jason Moorman and company should be extremely excited to have Chavez join the loaded Tornado squad at King University this fall.

#4 - Claire DiCugno (Colorado Mesa)
Claire DiCugno isn’t as well known as some of the other names on this list, but she should be on everyone’s radar. The White River senior boasts two Washington state titles, a notable feat as Washington’s state tournament is one of the toughest state tournaments in the nation. She had a big breakthrough this year at Women’s Nationals, making her first Junior World Team in a loaded 57 kg bracket. The field at 57 kg included #2 Montana DeLawder of Pennsylvania, Fargo champ Sofia Macaluso of New York, #1 (at 122) Jennifer Soto of California, 2-time NCWWC All-American Asia Nguyen-Smith of North Central, and 2019 Cadet Worlds silver medalist Cristelle Rodriguez of California. DiCugno is still uncommitted, and would be an excellent pick up for virtually any college program. The Washington native will likely wrestle 123/130 pounds, and would be a potential national finalist at either weight.

#3 - Cheyenne Bowman (King University)
Cheyanne Bowman was another big pick up for the King Tornados, as the LaHabra senior heads to Bristol with three California state titles (and she would have likely won four if the CIA did not cancel the state championships for spring sports this year). Bowman has also made the Women’s Nationals finals twice, falling to hammers in McKendree’s Alara Boyd and high school sensation Amit Elor. In her run to the finals last month in Texas, Bowman had several notable wins, including a technical fall over her future teammate and NCWWC All-American Victoria Torres. Bowman will likely slot in for the Tornados at 143 or 155 pounds, adding to King’s already impressive depth at the middleweights.

#2 - Sage Mortimer (King University)
Sage Mortimer became a super star seemingly overnight when she earned All-American honors in the men’s junior 100-pound Greco division at Fargo in 2018. On the women’s side of the tournament, the Utah native also won the Cadet 100-pound crown and finished runner-up to 6-time Fargo champion Emily Shilson in the Junior division. In 2019, Mortimer won yet another Fargo title, and also made the Cadet World Team to boot. Most impressively, though, the American Leadership Academy senior qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials after running the gauntlet in a loaded 50 kg Last Chance Qualifier bracket. On her way to the title, Mortimer beat NCWWC champ Pauline Granados, NCWWC All-American Jennesis Martinez, NCWWC 3rd placer Natalie Reyna, and NAIA runner-up Charlotte Fowler. Although Mortimer failed to make a Junior or U23 world team last month in Texas, her impressive Senior level wins and past age-group success slots her as the #2 overall recruit for the class of 2021.

#1 - Mia Palumbo (Iowa Wesleyan)
Taking the top spot as the #1 recruit of the class of 2021 is none other than Illinois' Mia Palumbo. The Richards High School senior has been making waves on the women’s wrestling scene since she snagged a pre-season national title in 2017, adding to her two Illinois state titles. In perhaps her most impressive performance, Palumbo won Cadet and Junior national titles at Fargo in 2018, outscoring her 10 opponents 115-20. 2018 was also the year Palumbo made Illinois state history when she became just the third girl to qualify for the state tournament, and the first to win a match at the Illinois High School Athletic Association event. She won 4-2 in her opening match, and followed it up with a 9-2 win in the wrestle backs to fall one win short of the podium. Following her incredible year in 2018, Palumbo spent some time on the sidelines after multiple injuries. However, she returned with a vengeance, picking up several wins on multiple RTC cards and at FloWrestling’s “Who’s Number One” event. Palumbo started 2020 out by dominating Shea Reisel with a convincing tech-fall at Chicago RTC’s “Rumble on the Rooftop.” She then followed up her impressive win with a massive victory over Cadet world teamer (and #5 in the P4P rankings) Sage Mortimer on FloWrestling prestigious “Who’s Number One” card. On one of Wisconsin RTC’s Underground cards, Palumbo showed off her impressive skills with a 11-0 technical-fall over Super 32 champion and #3 ranked Chloe Ayers. Some might argue that Mortimer should rank above Palumbo due to her incredible run to qualify for Olympic Trials, but Palumbo has a head-to-head win over Mortimer, as well as an array of offensive attacks that could prove dangerous on the next level.