Top 50 College Freshmen to Watch in 2021-2022

Katerina Lange, pictured here at the 2020 Junior Nationals, now competes as a freshman 143-pounder for Augburg. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com

by Derek Levendusky
Twitter: @AWWderek

Now that we’re into the 2021-2022 women’s college wrestling season, we’ve got lots of data. But with the news that came out this week, we now have—or will have—112 women’s college programs. It’d be easy for some of the rising stars to get lost in the headlines or volume of news about other athletes. So here’s a look at the top 50 (actually it’s 58 lol) freshmen to watch so far this season.

Disclaimer: I’m sure I missed a few. Certainly there are other freshmen who will make their mark and could be on this list, but based on early season results and pre-college history, these are some names you’ll want to pay attention to this season and in years to come. Also: I put a lot of stock in the Missouri Valley Open, as that paints the clearest picture to this point.

I’m almost tempted to mention East Stroudsburg sophomores like Mia Macaluso or Ava Bibeau on this list, as they never had their freshman season last year, and there are others like them. But they’ll have their moments this year and seasons to come. So consider this a shout-out to all sophomores who didn’t get their moment last year. We see you and will be watching.

Here’s the list—in order of weight, not ranking:

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1. Olivia Shore (Tiffin)
Welp, if this is news to you, then you haven’t been paying attention. She crushed it at the Missouri Valley Open last month, taking out the #1 seed in the finals, the University of Providence NAIA national runner-up Ivy Navarro. It’s gonna be fun to watch the rest of Shore’s season, and career, play out.

2. Taylor Wilson (Indiana Tech)
Wilson made the 3rd place match at the Missouri Valley Open, not an easy feat as the event that has the reputation for being the toughest regular season women’s college wrestling tournament. It features top NCAA and NAIA programs and maybe be the closest thing we currently have to a multi-division nationals.

3. Maddie MacKenzie (Simon Fraser)
She took 1st at the Mike Clock Open in Oregon last month. We haven’t gotten to see her against the top of her weight class as SFU hasn’t come east yet, but that’s a pretty good start for the Canadian out of Calgary.

4. Sydney Kutzke (Indiana Tech)
Sometimes things come in pairs as we give a second shout-out to an Indiana Tech freshman at this weight. She took 8th at the MoVal including scoring a 12-2 tech fall over Texas Wesleyan All-American Madison Brown in the consis.

5. Odelia Lopez (Schreiner)
Took 3rd at the Adrian Open, including a tech fall over Kutzke. Initially missed this one, but she looks the part! Keep an eye on her the rest of the season.

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6. Sydney Petzinger (North Central)
3rd place at the Pointer Open, 4th at the Moval against top programs. Nice.

7. Jasmine Godinez (Texas Wesleyan)
1st at the Falcon Invite in Kansas followed by an 8th place finish at the MoVal. Not bad for the freshman out of Miami. Making Florida wrestling look good! If the Dolphins are looking for some talent, they might want to invite her back from the heart of Texas.

8. Greta Gustafson (Simon Fraser)
Not only did the California product take 4th at the Mike Clock Open in Oregon, she beat Southern Oregon’s Esthela Trevino, the 2020 WCWA champ. OK Greta, we’re paying attention now!

9. Mia Palumbo (Iowa Wesleyan)
After winning the Waldorf Open, this high school & Fargo star looked great at the Lindenwood Open (I was matside), scoring two tech falls before falling to McKendree All-American Lizette Rodriguez 4-3 in the last second. Regardless of the result, she showed that she’s right there in the mix at an All-American level.

10. Alyssa Valdivia (Brewton-Parker)
A top-15 high school wrestler that is off to a 10-1 start for the Barons. Her only loss on TrackWrestling is to Tiffin’s Olivia Shore. Forgivable.

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11. Sage Mortimer (King)
What do you want me to say? She’s Sage Mortimering this thing so far.

12. Samara Chavez (King)
The Texas star made the blood round at the MoVal. She lost to two All-Americans but was competitive against both of them. Not to mention, she’s in a program that has a tendency to make you the super hero version of yourself. Stay tuned. More to come from Chavez.

13. Salyna Shotwell (Life)
Jeez louise. She’s good. Ever since I saw her lose a close one, 4-2, to Emily Shilson in the finals of Junior Nationals in 2020, she’s had my attention. Now I hope she has yours, because the freshman just took 2nd at the MoVal and she nearly won it all. She took out some pretty dang tough opponents along the way too, like All-Americans Aliyah Rollins of McKendree and Texas Wesleyan’s Camille Fournier.

14. Hannah Hall (McKendree)
8th at the MoVal including a win over 2021 NCAA runner-up Sugey Ceja in an elimination match. Whoa.

15. Amiyah Hart (McKendree)
Showing that Tennessee girls high school wrestling is starting to produce some hammers, as Hart outscored opponents 44-2 at the Lindenwood Women’s Open last month, looking like an All-American on her way to the title. Watch out, March!

16. Kendra Ryan (North Central)
Pointer Open runner-up and 4th at the MoVal tells you what level this freshman is performing at. She only lost 8-6 to Texas Wesleyan All-American Camille Fournier in the 3rd place match in Missouri and eliminated blue chip King recruit Samara Chavez with a 14-3 win.

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17. Amani Jones (North Central)
3rd at the MoVal, which is uber-impressive considering she lost her first round match to Vayle Baker. That means she had to win EIGHT matches to take 3rd against a college field as a freshman…and she pulled it off. Yep, Georgians can wrestle. Oh by the way, she won a gold medal at the Junior Pan Am Games last summer. That’s above-average, if ya didn’t know.

18. Devin Patton (Texas Wesleyan)
5th at the MoVal. In most of Patton’s wins, she’s owning her opponents, scoring three tech falls and two pins at the Missouri event.

19. Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon)
New name to me, but her resume is already impressive. 7th at the MoVal, including a win over King All-American Makayla Welch who was 4th in the NCAA last season. Add a 2nd place finish at the Mike Clock Open, where she only lost 6-1 to national champ Karla Godinez-Gonzalez. Yeah, that’s some legit stuff. Godinez-Gonzalez is no joke.

20. Charlotte Kouyoumtjian (Augsburg)
6th at the Pointer Open, 2nd at the Waldorf. More California power.

21. Adrienna Turner (Grand View)
The freshman has already posted an 8-2 record, both losses coming at the MoVal, but not before she took out King All-American Melanie Mendoza in the consis. That’s a big win.

22. Nonnie Justice (Iowa Wesleyan)
A top-10 wrestler in high school that we’ve yet to see hit the college mats.

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23. Montana Delawder (King)
One of an army of solid recruits for King. She showed out at the MoVal, taking 3rd with solid wins over a tough field. The one-time Fargo champ is proving to be a contender at the college level.

24. Trinity Speredon (Menlo)
Made it all the way to the semis at the MoVal before taking the semi slide to 6th, but she looked dominant early and won a big match in the quarters. Good to see Menlo back on the scene after their Covid-pause.

25. Emily Paulino (Midland)
Sometimes we don’t know much about the Hawaiians coming out of high school. Information is hard to find and they often seem to emerge suddenly on the national scene. Freshman Paulino had a nice tournament at the MoVal, making the blood round before falling to Menlo All-American Cindy Zepeda.

26. Yele Aycock (North Central)
5th at the Pointer Open in a tough field, 7th at the MoVal with a win over All-American Zepeda in the 7th place match. Had lots of success in New Mexico in high school, helping put her state on the map for women’s wrestling. She’ll continue to progress in a top program like North Central.

27, 28. Sophie Keefer (Southern Oregon) & Jordan Robson (Southern Oregon)
Again, sometimes good things come in pairs. Well, SOU has a couple talented young 130-pounders who took 2nd and 3rd, respectively, at the Mike Clock last month. The only loss for both of them was to the champ Alice Rickett.

29. JoAnna Vanderwood (Iowa Wesleyan)
3rd at the Waldorf Open, 4th at the Lindenwood Open. Solid start for the freshman in the third-year program.

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30. Sara Sulejmani (North Central)
After winning the Pointer Open, she took 4th at the MoVal. She knows how to put points up and knows how to win the close ones. It’ll be interesting to see her at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships this March.

31. Victoria Baez (Umpqua)
Don’t let the fact that she’s from a junior college fool you. Baez is for real. She came all the way from Madrid, Spain, to show us. The freshman won the Mike Clock, a day that included a victory over Southern Oregon’s All-American Emily Se. That’s a real college win. Keep your eye on the Spaniard!

32. Skye Realin (McKendree)
Another one out of Hawaii that’s making a name for herself on the college scene. Realin took 7th at the MoVal, including a win over Menlo sophomore Louisa Schwab, the highly-touted high school star out of Illinois.

33. Nina Makem (Augsburg)
We knew she’d be good. A Minnesota coach once told me she was the young female version of Jordan Burroughs. She was 5th at the Pointer Open and 1st at the Waldorf, and has been racking up wins, including over All-Americans.

34. Emmily Patneaud (McKendree)
She’s still listed as a freshman on the McKendree roster, so I’m gonna put her on this list. She’s in a great room with great partners, and is always in the mix, even at the top college and USAW events over the last few seasons. She was 5th at the U23 World Team Trials & Junior National Championships last year. A 2-2 performance at the MoVal with close losses to hammers Sulejmani (6-4) and Basham (6-0) tells us she’s right there with the pack of All-American contenders.

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35. Katie Lange (Augsburg)
She crushed it at the Pointer Open. And by “it” I mean the field that included multiple All-Americans. She was great in high school and she’s gonna be great in college.

36. Ivy Kraught (Corban)
She won the Mike Clock Open, getting by Eastern Oregon’s Erin Redford—the #1 seed and national runner up in the NAIA last season—in the finals by injury default.

37. Ramona Jimenez (Southern Oregon)
Took 3rd at the Mike Clock. Her only loss was to the #1 seed Redford. SOU keeps feeding their program with solid recruits. Keep your eye on Jimenez in the NAIA.

38. Riley Aamold (North Central)
2nd place at the Pointer Open to Augsburg hammer Katie Lange. Another good freshman on the Cardinal roster.

39. Madison Diaz (Grand View)
Iowa native that stayed in Iowa. Had a nice run at the MoVal, placing 5th with a win over Life All-American Alma Mendoza.

40. London Houston (King)
Fresh off a big high school season where she won a Fargo title and took second in the UWW Junior World Team Trials, she’s already making her mark on the college. Houston was a having a solid day at the MoVal before an injury ended her run in the consolations, but not before she scored a 10-0 tech fall over McKendree All-American Michelle Camacho. Hope she’s ok.

41. Damiana Racciatti (East Stroudsburg)
She hasn’t wrestled yet, but Racciatti was a top-15 nationally-ranked wrestler in high school. She has an exciting style that always provides entertainment for wrestling fans. Look for her to rack up some nice wins this year once she finds her way to the mat.

42. Heather Achterberg (Missouri Baptist)
2-2 at the Moval including a win over Life All-American Alma Mendoza. Solid showing.

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43. Paige Maher (Simon Fraser)
Canada is back in the house! Maher, a native of Port Alberni, British Columbia, took 3rd at the Mike Clock Open, including a win over NAIA All-American Dempsi Talkington of Eastern Oregon University. SFU has had a tradition in recent years of tough upper weights (see: Alyvia Fiske and Emily Cue), and it looks like they’ve got a freshman now to groom into a bigger role over the next few years.

44. Sarina Bertram (William Jewell)
A promising recruit for the first year program! Bertram took 7th at the MoVal, again a pretty significant accolade when you consider the field and the fact that it was a 64-woman bracket (with around 40 competitors). She beat another talented freshman, Texas Wesleyan’s Leilani Hernandez (next) in the 7th place match.

45. Leilani Hernandez (Texas Wesleyan)
8th at the MoVal. I’m a broken record, but that means a lot. That’s especially considering that she beat Campebellsville hammer Kendra Thompson 9-5 in the Round of 16, the 3rd place NAIA finisher last season. You’d think with that finish at the MoVal, she’s a real threat for a top 3 finish at the NAIA National Invite. Goodness gracious, Texas Wesleyan is assembling an army down there. Take it easy, Bedford.

46. Tiffani Baublitz (King)
Surprise surprise. It’s King again. Baublitz went out in the blood round at the Moval to her own teammate Viktorya Torres, but not before she upset the NAIA national champion, Sienna Ramirez of Southern Oregon, 4-3 in the second round. Baublitz was the Cadet Pan Am gold winner in 2019.

47. Emma Burk (Life)
A top-20 wrestler in high school out of Colorado, she went 2-2 at the MoVal, and her day included a 12-11 barnburner win over NAIA national runner-up Morgan Mayginnes of Baker. Yeah, she’s for real and will be a real threat at the NAIA National Invite.

48. Tiara Jimerson (North Central)
We haven’t seen her on the college mats yet, but this California state champ was ranked #1 in high school at one point.

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49. Cheyenne Bowman (King)
OMG this weight and OMG these freshmen. Bowman was a monster in high school and she showed at the MoVal that she’s an immediate contender when she took #1 Yelena Makoyed to the brink in a 5-5 second round loss. She ended up in 4th place behind another star freshman (next). Bowman has already climbed to the #4 spot in the NCAA rankings behind NCAA staples Makoyed, Cue, and Levendusky.

50. Brittyn Corbishley (Texas Wesleyan)
3rd at the MoVal with big wins along the way—a W over All-American Grace Kristoff (McKendree), All-American Hunter Robinson (Grand View), and then a win in the consolation finals over Bowman. Uhh, you sure she’s a freshman? Check that because she’s acting like she’s been here before.

51. Ashley Lekas (Texas Wesleyan)
If it wasn’t enough for the Rams to have Corbishley, they’ve also got Lekas, another rising star that made noise at the MoVal. She only lost to NAIA national champ Jordan Nelson 4-1 in the Round of 16, a loss she reversed on the backside with a 6-4 win over Nelson in the Consi of 8, eventually taking 5th. Lekas wrestled unattached in Missouri, which probably means she’s redshirting, but smokes, Texas Wesleyan should be tough at the upper weights for years.

52. Abby McIntyre (Grand View)
The Grand View freshman from Iowa played Cinderella at the MoVal, pulling one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in the quarters with an 8-7 win over Life’s NAIA national champ, Jordan Nelson, before running into #3 seed Levendusky in the semis, falling 8-2. She landed in 6th place, but not before racking up wins over All-American Morgan Davidson of Tiffin, All-American Kaylynn Albrecht of Baker, and national champion Nelson.

53. Alexys Zepeda (Corban)
Remember Zepeda in high school? The 122-pounder out of Oregon who came out of nowhere and doubled up at Fargo in 2018? Yeah, me too. Well now she’s a scrappy 170 in college, and recently took 3rd at the Mike Clock Open. Her only loss was a 2-1 defeat to Eastern Oregon’s Olivia Robinson. It’ll be fun to watch Zepeda’s college career develop.

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54. Jaycee Foeller (McKendree)
1st at the MoVal? Yikes. Looks like the Bearcats have another hammer at heavyweight to follow in the footsteps of 2x national champ Sydnee Kimber. Must be good to have Kimber as a training partner in the Bearcat room (along with Levendusky at 170). Who is Foeller gonna wrestle at her weight that’s tougher than Kimber? That’s gotta imbue confidence every time she steps out on the mat. And she looked the part at the MoVal, smashing 3x All-American Nia Crosdale in the finals 10-0.

55. Olivia Brown (Grand View)
Her only loss at the MoVal en route to a 3rd place finish was Foeller. She’s entered the college scene as an immediate contender and should make some serious noise at the NAIA Invite in March next year.

56. Katja Osteen (Simon Fraser)
Another promising young upper weight talent on the roster at Simon Fraser. She won the Mike Clock and it will be interesting to see how she fares against the rest of the country as the season develops.

57. Brianna Staebler (Campbellsville)
Not sure why we haven’t seen her yet this season, but she was ranked #1 in high school last season before early entry to college and competing for Campbellsville in the spring semester. She was immediately competitive, taking 4th at the NAIA Invite. If she’s on the mat in March, she’s gonna be a problem for anyone across the line.

58. Traeh Haynes (North Central)
5th place finish at the MoVal. Solid performance. Solid addition for North Central.