A Senior-level field featuring 17 ranked women will compete alongside the men wrestling in Greco, Junior, and Senior divisions this weekend at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The event will take place Friday-Sunday, April 30th - May 2nd. The women’s freestyle division will compete only on Friday. Among the top names entered are #3-ranked Alyssa Lampe at 50 kg, #3-ranked Maya Nelson at 59 kg, and the #1-ranked Jacarra Winchester, who recently won a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team heading to Tokyo this summer. 

For those seeking an opportunity to compete at the Pan-American Championships or wanting to make a run at earning a spot on the 2021 World Team, the event is significant, as the USA Wrestling events site notes: “The top 5 place winners for the UWW Senior Nationals at each weight class for each style will earn a spot in the 2021 Senior World Team Trials, which will be announced at a later date. The UWW Senior Nationals will also have qualifying implications for the Pan-American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala.”

After the congestion of the six Olympic weights featured over the past few years at Olympic qualifying events, Senior Nationals will return to the 10 weights used during non-Olympic years: 50 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg & 76 kg.

Here’s a weight-by-weight peek. The rankings indicated are from the most recent FloWrestling Senior Women’s Freestyle Rankings.

50 kg

#3 Alyssa Lampe has three recent wins over #6 Erin Golston, including a fall at the Olympic Trials, so the Sunkist Kids wrestler is the obvious favorite. Golston did keep it closer at the Captain’s Cup in February, a 9-4 loss. #8 Alleida Martinez, a two-time college national champion, is in the field, though she also lost by fall to Lampe at Olympic Trials. McKendree All-American Natalie Reyna is also entered. She had a solid run at the 2019 Senior Nationals, where she took sixth in a loaded field.

Entries
#3 Alyssa Lampe, VT (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
#6 Erin Golston, IL (New York Athletic Club)
#8 Alleida Martinez, CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
Natalie Reyna-Rodriguez, CA (McKendree Bearcat Wrestling Club)
Hannah Michael, IA (Twin Cities Regional Training Center)
Chloe Krebsbach, IA (Grand View Wrestling Club)

53 kg 

After some time off in the fall due to health reasons, #5 Alexandra Hedrick came back to the mats looking strong, putting together solid performances at both the Captain’s Cup and Olympic Trials. She’ll have #8 Alisha Howk in her way. She’s young, but already a staple at the Senior level. When they hit at the Captain’s Cup in February, it was Hedrick 5-1.

Entries
#5 Alexandra Hedrick, CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
#8 Alisha Howk, WI (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
Vanessa Ramirez, IN
Arelys Valles, FL (Grand View Wrestling Club)

55 kg 

Up from 53 kg, it looks like Olympic Team member Jacarra Winchester is going to get some good mat time in prep for the Olympics. She’ll have Senior level veteran #4 Amy Fearnside, all the way up from 50 kg, and Army/WCAP talent #6 Areana Villasescusa. Because they’ve been at different weights, there’s no recent record of Winchester against Fearnside, though Winchester and Villaescusa hit in the finals of the U.S. Open in 2019 and it was all Winchester 10-0.

Entries
#1 (at 53 kg) Jacarra Winchester, CO (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
#4 (at 53 kg) Amy Fearnside, CO (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
#6 (at 53 kg) Areana Villaescusa, CO (Army/WCAP)
Estrella Dorado Marin, CO (Army/WCAP)
Samantha Klingel, PA (Army/WCAP)
Ngao Shoua Whitethorn, MN (Victory School of Wrestling)

57 kg

Interesting weight, considering there are no currently ranked women here. Lauren Mason was ranked #10 in March. The story of this weight class is Mason vs. Gabby Skidmore. They split at the Last Chance Qualifier last month, with Skidmore getting the 4-3 win in the quarters, only for Mason to come back and get the 11-5 win in the third-place match. NCWWC/NCAA All-American Vayle Baker is also in the field, a college teammate of Skidmore.

Entries
Lauren Mason, CA
Gabrielle Skidmore, WI (Twin Cities Regional Training Center)
Vayle Baker, PA (Twin Cities Regional Training Center)
Tateum Park, IA (Twin Cities Regional Training Center)
Sophia Smith, WI

59 kg

#3 Maya Nelson looked pretty solid at Olympic Trials considering she was coming off a long break from an injury recovery. You’d think she’s only getting started. The best version of her might be yet to come. She’ll have young breakout sensation #5 Xochitl “XMP” Mota-Pettis to contend with. Nelson is the obvious favorite, though XMP always leaves doubt in your mind with her big move arsenal and proven upset potential. We won’t soon forget what she did to Alli Ragan at Senior Nationals 2020. And remember XMP only graduated from high school in 2019! Army/WCAP’s Megan Black, once a college star at McKendree, is also in the group.

Entries
#3 (at 62 kg) Maya Nelson, CO (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
#5 (at 57 kg) Xochitl Mota-Pettis, TX (Rise RTC)
Megan Black, CO (Army/WCAP)
Briana Kellin, FL

62 kg

It looks like the storyline here is Alexandria Liles vs. Gracie Figueroa. If you went back five years, you would see both of these young women shining brightly on the high school scene, though Figueroa was always in lighter weight classes than Liles. Both were multiple-time Fargo champions, and both came out of high school highly touted and highly recruited. When they hit at the Last Chance Qualifier last month, it was Liles 5-3, who had an all-around impressive day in Fort Worth, especially considering she hadn’t wrestled in almost 18 months. Looks like a rivalry in the making as they may hit again this weekend for the Senior Nationals title. This group also includes Andrea Schlabach who took 3rd at the NAIA National Invitational this year, and WCWA All-American Sierra Brown Ton.

Entries
Alexandria Liles, CO (Army/WCAP)
Gracie Figueroa, CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
Andrea Schlabach, OH (Grand View Wrestling Club)
Sierra Brown Ton, TX (Twin Cities Regional Training Center)

65 kg

Currently only two here, though that may change at weigh-ins. Hard to see anyone but #4 Jennifer Page winning this group, whether anyone comes up from 62 kg or down from 68 kg. The 2020 Senior Nationals champion has been a hammer this year, and just had one of her best days yet at the Olympic Trials, where she took third in the Challenge Tournament, defeating both the NCAA champion Emma Bruntil (twice) and the NAIA champion Desiree Zavala.

Entries
#4 (at 62 kg) Jennifer Page, CO (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
Zoe Wight, GA    

68 kg

If this one goes chalk, it’s a very interesting final. #7 Alyvia Fiske, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked higher than #10 Solin Piearcy based on her performance against the field, but when they recently met at the Last Chance Qualifier, it was 2-time college national champion Piearcy who won it 6-3. Rachel Watters, the 2020 WCWA National Champion, and multiple-time WCWA All-American Anna Naylor are also entered. Expect every match at this weight to be competitive.

Entries
#7 Alyvia Fiske, CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
#10 Solin Piearcy, CA (Menlo Wrestling Club)
Rachel Watters, IA (New York Athletic Club)
Anna Naylor, GA

72 kg

#4 Alexandria Glaude and #6 Skylar Grote have some history. In the 2019-2020 season, they hit three times and Glaude owned the series, winning 6-1, by fall, and then 2-1. It’s been a while since they scrapped and it would be an interesting match to see. Twin Cities’ Marlynne Deede is also entered, a two-time NCWWC/NCAA All-American, who has a recent win over Tristan Kelly, 5-2 at the Last Chance Qualifier.

Entries
#4 (at 68 kg) Alexandria Glaude, CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club/TMWC)
#6 (at 68 kg) Skylar Grote, NJ (New York Athletic Club)
Marlynne Deede, UT (Twin Cities Regional Training Center)

76 kg

Dymond Guilford has been a force on the Senior level over the past year, ranked as high as #2 coming into the Olympic Trials earlier this month. Though #6 Precious Bell beat her in the finals of Senior Nationals in 2019, since then it’s been all Guilford, ripping off four straight wins, and three of them in dominant fashion. NAIA All-American Hunter Robinson is also in this field.

Entries
#4 Dymond Guilford, CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
#6 Precious Bell, WI (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club)
Hunter Robinson, TX (Grand View Wrestling Club)
Ashley Lekas, TX (Texas Pride Wrestling Club)

The women’s division of UWW Senior Nationals can be seen on FloWrestling starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 30th. It’s a one-day event for the women. Finals Friday night at 8:00 p.m.