2019 Senior Nationals Olympic Trials Qualifier Results
Alyssa Lampe showed that she’s still got it as she won the title at the 2019 Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, TX and qualified for the Olympic Trials in April. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com
This event took place on December 20-22, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Recap written by AWW staff writer, Derek Levendusky.
50 kg
If anyone was wondering if 2x world bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe can still wrestle, the answer is yes. Lampe continued her dominant performance in the finals, getting the shocking fall over Victoria Anthony for the 50 kg title. The match was 6-2 with Anthony in the lead when Lampe tossed her for the pin at the 3:44 mark. Though Lampe competed at the Poland Open this summer, this was the first time since 2016 that she was on the mat at a USAW event. Lampe vs. Anthony is not a new rivalry, but a rekindling of an old one, as this match up dates back to the 2013-2016 quad, when the two battled almost annually for world team spots. On the backside, veteran Amy Fearnside snuck by up-and-comer Emily Shilson in the 3rd place match 6-4. Both qualify for Olympic Trials. Alleida Martinez won the 5th place match over Natalie Reyna 11-1 to get the last spot.
1st Alyssa Lampe
2nd Victoria Anthony
3rd Amy Fearnside
4th Emily Shilson
5th Alleida Martinez
6th Natalie Reyna-Rodriguez
7th Brooke Thurber
8th Alleah Gould
53 kg
Dominique Parrish was her sharp, technical self, putting points up on the board with clean shots and good defense to get by Areana Villaescusa 6-2. In the consis, Katherine Shai handled the group to take 3rd. Shai, Alisha Howk, and Ronna Heaton all qualify for the Olympic Trials by placing in the top 5. Heaton got a tech fall in the 5th place match over McKendree star Felicity Taylor. This bracket went chalk with the top 6 seeds. Rare.
1st Dominique Parrish
2nd Areana Villaescusa
3rd Katherine Shai
4th Alisha Howk
5th Ronna Heaton
6th Felicity Taylor
7th Jaslyn Gallegos
8th Nicole Nastri
57 kg
Abby Nette staved off the late surge by surprise finalist #9 seed Tiana Jackson to win the 2019 Senior Nationals title. She was ahead until Jackson got a late takedown to get the 6-6 criteria lead, but Nette battled through the position to get a reversal and a turn and win it 9-6 in the final moments. In the 3rd place match, young star Cameron Guerin got the 6-1 win over veteran Shauna Kemp in 3rd place match. Guerin, Kemp & Alexandra Hedrick all qualify for Olympic Trials. The magic ended for Day 1 upset Cinderella Marissa Gallegos as she took 6th with 10-6 loss to Hedrick.
1st Abby Nette
2nd Tiana Jackson
3rd Cameron Guerin
4th Shauna Kemp
5th Alexandra Hedrick
6th Marissa Gallegos
8th Kelsey Campbell
8th Grace Figueroa
62 kg
Emma Bruntil went out to wrestle the finals, only to have her hand raised by forfeit, as Maya Nelson sat out due to an injury in a previous round. With that, the McKendree college freshman became the 2019 Senior Nationals Champion. “Last year I watched the Open and called my parents crying because I was so crushed I couldn’t compete,” wrote Bruntil on Twitter. “That week I had had my 5th surgery and wasn’t sure how I was ever going to get healthy. No matter what happens now, every day I get to toe the line is an incredible blessing.”
What a difference a year makes. Bruntil is now a Senior Level national champion.
#2 seed Macey Kilty, upset by Bruntil 6-4 in the semis, bounced back in big way from her loss to take 3rd with 10-0 tech over 2019 Pan Am champ Julia Salata. Kilty was already qualified for the Olympic Trials. Maya Nelson, Emma Bruntil, Salata, and Jennifer Page all qualified.
1st Emma Bruntil
2nd Maya Nelson
3rd Macey Kilty
4th Julia Salata
5th Jennifer Page
6th Alara Boyd
7th Desiree Zavala
8th Michaela Beck
68 kg
Not sure yet if there’s an O.W. for the women, but it would probably be Forrest Molinari, who dominated her way to the title with 4 falls and a tech fall, including a pin in the finals at 1:08 against fellow world teamer Victoria Francis. Molinari ripped a mixer from the front head to shock Francis and watching fans with a bully fall over a strong opponent who probably hasn’t been in that position for a long time.
There were three “blockers” at this weight—wrestlers already qualified who could steal top 5 spots from non-qualified wrestlers: Alexandria Glaude, Victoria Francis and Forrest Molinari. All three landed in the top 5, mean there were only two new qualifiers.
#4 seed Ashlynn Ortega pulled the upset over #3 seed Alexandria Glaude in 3rd place match 2-1. Ortega & 5th place Nahiela Magee were the only new qualifiers.
1st Forrest Molinari
2nd Victoria Francis
3rd Ashlynn Ortega
4th Alexandria Glaude
5th Nahiela Magee
6th Iman Kazem
7th Skylar Grote
8th Myranda Velazquez
76 kg
Familiar faces in the finals here as Precious Bell took care of Dymond Guildford 7-0. Guilford got to her underhook and 2-on-1 positions throughout the match, though she had no answer for Bell’s suffocating defense and counters.
North Central College freshman Yelena Makoyed beat 2019 U.S. Open winner Alyvia Fiske for the second time in the tournament 8-7 in the 5th place match. With that, the young star not only took 5th, but blocked Fiske from qualifying for the Olympic Trials. Fiske won the U.S. Open last April at 72kg. Now she’ll have to try to qualify at the Last Chance Qualifier in March. Makoyed upset the #5 seed on Day 1 with a comeback 6-6 victory.
Unseeded WCAP wrestler Randi Beltz, who was seeded at 68 kg before she bumped up to this class, wrestled her way to 3rd place finish and qualified for Olympic Trials. Jessika Rottier also qualified.
1st Precious Bell
2nd Dymond Guilford
3rd Randi Beltz
4th Jessika Rottier
5th Yelena Makoyed
6th Alyvia Fiske
7th Andrea Sennett
8th Kori Bullock
Last Chance Qualifier will be held March 26-28, 2020 in Millersville, PA. This year the top 2 will qualify for the Olympic Trials, as the Dave Schultz, normally a qualifier, was cancelled for the 2019-2020 season.