What We Learned in the 2019-2020 Women’s College Wrestling Season
NWCA Coach of the Year Sam Schmitz cheers on 130-pound Alexia Ward in the finals at WCWC Nationals.
by Derek Levendusky, AWW Staff
Abruptly and not without tears, the end of the 2019-2020 women’s college wrestling season is upon us. It was a year full of drama, growth, and more evidence of the incredible depth in the women’s college wrestling scene. What are the big takeaways from this year? Here’s a few to ponder.
Our 12 takeaways from this season (plus 1):
1. Women’s college wrestling is exploding
For a while, it seemed—though this probably isn’t quite true—that new programs were being announced every week. Carthage College, Delaware Valley, Elmira, Iowa Wesleyan, Lock Haven, Trine…I could go on. Only a few years ago, it seems everyone was using the number “30” when talking about women’s college programs. Now, only a few short years later, we’re staring at 75. Those are all split between the NAIA, the NCAA & the NJCAA—some starting next year. The magic number for the NCAA to sanction women’s wrestling is 40. Once they reach that number, the NCAA will hold an official national championship. It will go multi-divisional when each NCAA division reaches 40. Then they’ll have D1, D2, D3 national championships for women, just like they do for men. But college isn’t the only scene with an explosive trajectory. High school girls wrestling is also on a rocket-like rise, as Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, and Oregon all held their first-ever sanctioned state championship for girls. Many other states are soon to follow.
2. Menlo is the best team we never got to see prove it.
Perhaps the statement is an exaggeration. Or the author’s greed. They did win the 2019 WCWA national title, aaaand they did win the NWCA national title in the NAIA division this year. They are not walking out of the 2019-2020 season with empty hands, but the COVID-19 pandemic took away what we all wanted to see—Menlo at the NAIA Nationals. That was where all their stars were going to shine—returning WCWA & NAIA national champ 116-pound Alleida Martinez, returning All-American and Senior Nationals finalist 123-pound Tiana Jackson, returning WCWA national champion 130-pound Grace Figueroa, returning WCWA & NAIA national champion 143-pound Solin Piearcy, and returning NAIA finalist & 2019 Final X finalist 170-pound Precious Bell…all national title contenders, and most of them, national title favorites. They had a chip on their shoulder too, and rightly so. Every time the NAIA Rankings came out, they were second or third, a bizarre lack of affirmation for a program that it seemed had all the accolades to warrant the respect of being #1. Unless there’s some extended eligibility granted for the seniors (Piearcy & Bell), we’ll never get to see this group together again, perhaps one of the best teams in women’s college wrestling history.
3. Campbellsville is getting it done.
Campbellsville showed they are one of the best programs in women’s college wrestling, winning their 2nd WCWA team title in three years, landing 13 All-Americans and three national champions—130-pound Abby Nette, 170-pound Mariah Harris, and 191-pound Alexandra Castillo. They had a whopping eight total finalists at WCWA Nationals. A few weeks later, after winning the Mid-South Conference tournament, Coach Lee Miracle was named the MSC Coach of the Year. As impressive as all this is, Campbellsville is also showing that they are producing wrestlers who can get it done at the Senior Level, as Nette also won Senior Nationals in December, and Campbellsville grad, 4x WCWA national champion Kayla Miracle is the current #1 at 62 kg for Team USA.
4. McKendree has arrived.
In 2018, McKendree Coach Sam Schmitz brought his squad into his 6th season without having a national title or national champion in their history. He got both last season as McKendree won the NWCA National Duals title and the Bearcats got their first two national champions at WCWA Nationals in Atlanta (Glaude at 155 and Garrick at 191). In 2019, after scoring a monster recruiting class, Schmitz walks out of this season with two more team national titles—the NWCA National Duals & the WCWC Nationals—and FIVE more individual champions in 101-pound freshman Pauline Granados, 130-pound senior Alexia Ward, 136-pound freshman Emma Bruntil, 155-pound senior Alexandria Glaude, 191-pound sophomore Sydnee Kimber. They had 13 total All-Americans, including sophomore finalist Felicity Taylor at 116, freshman finalist Alara Boyd at 143, and now 2x All-American Joye Levendusky finishing 4th at 155. They’re young, they’re hungry, and they’re talented. How high is this team’s ceiling?
5. The WCWA ain’t what it used to be...but it could become something different.
Granted, the WCWA has been a huge part of women’s college wrestling history. Granted, the competition at the top of the weight classes this year was solid, but at the end of the day, it was just another tournament. And, some have argued, a low to mid-level tournament. Only 20 programs were present out of the circa 60-plus programs in the country. Last year’s returning champ, Menlo, did not come, and all top 5 teams in the NCAA were not only absent, but wrestling at the Bearcat Open on the same weekend.
How did the WCWA champions fare at the WCWC Nationals—the Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships for NCAA programs—a month later? Augsburg 109-pound Emily Shilson won both the WCWA & WCWC events, Presbyterian’s 116-pound WCWA champ Jaslynn Gallegos took 4th at the WCWC, Adrian’s 136-pound WCWA champ Zoe Nowicki took 5th at the WCWC, and Presbyterian’s 143-pound WCWA champ Morgan Norris took 5th. The future of the WCWA is unclear, while the future of NCAA & NAIA wrestling looks bright and shiny, like a new car being rolled out on the showroom floor.
Life University coach Ashley Sword, an advocate for the WCWA says, “I think we saw with the split, both with the divisions at National Duals, and with the split for the individual nationals, that in some cases, there are some big drop-offs between #4 and #5….Iron sharpens iron. I think having that mixed division between jucos [junior colleges], NAIA & all three divisions of NCAAs is a great way to test yourself at that competition and continue to get better as a country, and as teams…I think if we approach it like a tournament where it’s the best of the best coming at each other, I think we’re able for our wrestlers and our country to get better…I think it’s good for the sport. [Maybe we could] make it an all-star tournament—All-Americans from both divisions, maybe have it after the [NCAA & NAIA] nationals.”
Will the women’s college wrestling community hang on to the WCWA as a valuable multi-divisional experience or will it fade away? And if it does, what will be the multi-divisional expression of the future? The Missouri Valley Open? It certainly was this year. Or maybe a USA Wrestling event like Body Bar? Stay tuned.
6. Start-up programs can rise quickly with good recruits.
A quick look at the seasons Colorado Mesa and Augsburg had will tell you that a program with a good recruiting class and good coaches can immediately make their mark on the college scene. Colorado Mesa, a 2nd year program, came into the season ranked #6 in our AWW preseason rankings. In the end, they finished 4th at the WCWC Nationals, boasting seven All-Americans. Red shirt freshman Marissa Gallegos had a phenomenal year, beating eventual WCWC national champion Alexia Ward from McKendree at the NWCA Duals, and placing 3rd at nationals. Meanwhile Augsburg, a first-year program, had 4 All-Americans at the WCWC Nationals including the previously-mentioned Emily Shilson at 109, who won both a WCWA & WCWC national title. She also received the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. Freshman Gabby Skidmore had the upset of the tournament at WCWC Nationals, beating #1 seed Nicole Depa of Simon Fraser 3-2 in the quarters as a #8 seed. Add a few more solid recruits—many of whom are coming off the high school scene “mat-ready”—and these teams aren’t far from competing for national titles. You could also include North Central, East Stroudsburg, and UW-Stevens Point in the conversation.
7. You just never know from where the monsters are gonna give you a jump scare.
The landscape looked pretty clear at 116 and 143 in the NCAA at the end of 2019. McKendree’s Felicity Taylor was the solid #1 at 116, and King’s Ashlynn Ortega was the clear #1 at 143. Heading into the NWCA National Duals NCAA division, a few of us scratched our heads when we saw two new names in the mix. Only deep-dive women’s wrestling fans knew who Simon Fraser’s Godinez-Gonzalez sisters were, Karla at 116 and Ana at 143, two young Canadian stars with accolades at the junior and senior level, and a background story of immigrating from Mexico in their childhood years. That weekend in Kentucky, Karla handled #1 Felicity Taylor 8-0 and Ana downed #1 Ashlynn Ortega 8-2. Then two months later, both sisters won national titles at the WCWC Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. In a moment, it seemed, the stellar sisters changed the landscape of 20% of the weight classes in women’s college wrestling for years to come. Add 3x All-American & 2x WCWA Finalist Nicole Depa, 2x All-American Lauren Mason, 2019 WCWA Finalist & 2020 WCWC National Champion Alex Hedrick, 2x All-American Alyvia Fiske & 2x All-American Emily Cue to the lineup, and needless to say Simon Fraser had a formidable lineup this season.
8. The Missouri Valley Open was this year’s multi-divisional nationals.
The rock stars came out to party at the 2019 Missouri Valley Open last November, affectionately called “The MoVal” by the women’s college wrestling community. Top teams from both the NAIA and the NCAA came out to play—46 programs or clubs in all—and it went down in Marshall, MO. Brackets were stacked from top to bottom not only with top-ranked college wrestlers, but even open entries from the senior level. Though it should be noted that Simon Fraser wasn’t there, it’s not a stretch to say this was the toughest tournament of the year, even if you add postseason events into the conversation.
9. Freshmen are entering the scene competition-ready.
Look around. They’re everywhere. Freshmen who can flat wrestle. You could see it at the MoVal in November, when North Central freshman Yelena Makoyed took out the 2017 WCWA national champ Jessika Rottier (a loss Rottier avenged at WCWC Nationals) and Life University Peyton Prussin made the finals. At WCWA Nationals, Presbyterian freshman Jaslynn Gallegos won the national title at 116, while teammate Morgan Norris won it at 143. Life University freshman Gabby Hamilton took 4th, but then beat the WCWA champ Alexandra Castillo of Campbellsville at the Mid-South Conference Championships a few weeks later. The Cliff Keen WCWC Nationals were loaded with freshmen at the top of the podium. McKendree 101-pounder Pauline Granados won it all, while Colorado Mesa’s Jennesis Martinez took 3rd. The 109-pound final was a battle of two rising stars, as Augsburg’s freshman Emily Shilson beat Tiffin sophomore Sugey Ceja. At 123, aforementioned Colorado Mesa redshirt freshman Marissa Gallegos took 3rd. The 136 finals was a battle of two freshmen, where McKendree’s Emma Bruntil defeated Colorado Mesa freshman Dalia Garibay. At 143, the sensational McKendree freshman Alara Boyd took 2nd to SFU’s Ana Godinez-Gonzalez. Makoyed ended up taking 2nd to Rottier in the national finals at 170, while King freshman Tavi Heidelberg took 2nd. And expect more exceptional freshmen next year, as current high school stars flood the scene.
10. NWCA Coach of the Year Sam Schmitz likes to coach-dance.
The McKendree 7th year coach was captured several times on camera this year moving with his athletes on the mat in a sort of coach-athlete-spirit-dance, willing his wrestlers through his movements to get the score. Many on social media saw the moments. Schmitz represents what is good and right about women’s wrestling…all in, fun, family-mentality, intensity, aiming for the highest prizes, cheering on the stars of the mat who are carrying on storylines that are capturing the hearts of a new generation of fans and younger female wrestlers. There are many other coaches like him, men and women, who dedicate their lives to making this sport, and their athletes, great.
11. Women’s wrestling is getting more coverage.
Women’s wrestling was never more covered than it was this season. Add new women’s wrestling media outlets American Women’s Wrestling and Transition Wrestling to Wreaper Wrestling, the elevated game of TrackWrestling and even FloWrestling covering some women’s events this year, and now we now have a wider look at what is happening on the mats at every level of women’s wrestling. Rankings, articles, video clips, interviews, live streams to duals, live streams of major tournaments, previews, recaps, podcasts…it’s a good day to be a female wrestler. And it’s only going to get better.
12. Wrestle Like A Girl is our friend.
Wrestle Like A Girl is one of the best friends of the women’s wrestling movement. Sally Roberts and her team continue to take ground for women’s wrestling at every level, advocating for girls high school wrestling to be sanctioned all over the United States, advocating for new college programs, advocating for sanctioning every division of college wrestling, hosting fantastic events for promotion, inspiration, and training, and many other beautiful irons in the beautiful fire. We wouldn’t be where we are today without WLAG, and they had a bunch more wins this season.
+1. Take nothing for granted.
As great as this season was, we all watched as tragic stories hit the news, like Iowa’s Brandon Sorenson being diagnosed with cancer, or Grand View wrestler Jas Alexander getting in a horrific car crash, one that ended her season and possibly her career. We all remember the shocking news of Richard Perry’s freak accident in the fall of 2018, one that has kept him off the mat to this day. And most of all, every level of wrestling was affected by the COVID-19 crisis, as only last week, the dominoes started to fall, event after beloved event being cancelled. Even a quick perusal through social media, and one will see that wrestlers are taking a step back and getting perspective. Both men and women are expressing gratitude for the sport, the opportunities they have had, and longing for its return. Things will get back to normal, and when they do, expect to see wrestlers hit the mats of wrestling rooms with new motivation, appreciation, and passion. The best is yet to come.
It’s a shame the season ended as it did, with the NAIA Nationals cancelled due to the coronavirus and many other events scheduled for the near future postponed or cancelled, but take a step back, and there’s a lot to enjoy and celebrate. Women’s college wrestling is in a great place right now. And the future is brighter than ever.