OCU wins WCWA Women’s College Nationals with three champions

Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
02/01/2009


MARSHALL, Mo. – Led by three individual champions, Oklahoma City Univ. won the team title at the Women’s College Wrestling Association (WCWA) national championships at the Burns Athletic Center on the campus of Missouri Valley College.

It was the first WCWA national title for the Stars, which is competing in its second season as a varsity program under coach Archie Randall.

Claiming individual titles for the OCU were Michaela Hutchison at 55 kg/121 lbs., Tessa Plana at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Stefenie Shaw at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.

OCU scored 117 points, followed by returning champion the Univ. of the Cumberlands with 86 points. Simon Fraser Univ. of Canada placed third.

Five OCU wrestlers won silver medals. OCU’s victory snapped the Cumberlands streak of three straight women’s college national titles. Last year, the Cumberlands edged OCU by one team point in the standings.

“We wanted to make sure no one had a chance to get close,” OCU coach Archie Randall said. “We destroyed people. We hammered people. The girls worked hard all year long. It’s a great accomplishment for a second-year program. We have become the power in women’s wrestling.”

It was an all-OCU final at 55 kg/121 lbs., as Hutchison, a freshman, stopped teammate Ashley Hudson in the finals.

Plana, a freshman seeded No. 3 entering the tournament, defeated No. 1 seed Danielle Lappage of Simon Fraser in the championship match. She qualified for the finals with a victory over No. 2 Paige Rife of the Cumberlands in the semifinals.

Shaw, a sophomore from Waterford, Conn., beat third-ranked Stacie Anaka of Simon Fraser in overtime in the title bout.

“You have to have support from administration and girls who believe in themselves to accomplish this,” Randall said. “They’re all freshmen and sophomores. We have them all coming back. We’re going to be really tough.”

The Univ. of the Cumberlands had two individual champions, winning the lowest and highest weights with Ashley Shannon at 44 kg/97 lbs. and Lakia Henderson at 95 kg/209 lbs.

Simon Fraser, a traditional power in Canadian women’s college wrestling, placed third in its first WCWA Nationals with three individual champions, Ashley McKilligan at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Taylor Dick at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. and Hillary Greening at 82 kg/180.25 lbs.

Other individual champions were Katherine Fulp-Allen of Menlo College at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. and Tani Adler of Jamestown at 59 kg/130 lbs.

Fulp-Allen is the younger sister of Sara Fulp-Allen, who won three women’s college national titles competing for Menlo. Her father Lee Allen is the head coach at Menlo. Katherine Fulp-Allen was a World University champion for the United States last summer.

Adler helped lead Jamestown College to a strong fourth-place finish in the team standings. It was the best finish of the three new women’s varsity teams in the tournament, as Missouri Baptist finished in seventh and Lindenwood placed eighth. Jamestown is coached by Cisco Cole.

Women’s college national tournaments began in 2004, and only three teams have won titles. The Univ. of Cumberlands won three titles (2006-08), Missouri Valley has two titles (2004-05) and OCU now has one (2009).

WCWA WOMEN’S COLLEGE NATIONALS
At Marshall, Mo., Jan. 31

Team Standings
1. Oklahoma City, 117
2. Univ. of the Cumberlands, 86
3. Simon Fraser Univ., 73
4. Jamestown College, 46
5. Menlo College, 42
6. Missouri Valley College, 24
7. Missouri Baptist, 19
8. Lindenwood Univ., 5
9. UW-River Falls, 0

44 kg/97 lbs.
1st - Ashley Shannon (Cumberlands) dec. Lene Wood (OCU)
3rd – Stephanie Waters (OCU) dec. Lisa Martinez (Cumberlands)
5th – Rene Mitchell (OCU) dec. Sarah Rowen (OCU)

48 kg/105.5 lbs.
1st - Ashley McKilligan (Simon Fraser) pin Joey Miller (OCU), 1:19
3rd – Nicole Woody (OCU) dec. Gabrielle Henry (Cumberlands)
5th – Shannon Reeves (Cumberlands) dec. Jessica Nguyen (Cumberlands)

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
1st - Katherine Fulp-Allen (Menlo) dec. LeAnn Barney (OCU)
3rd – Tiffany Sluik (Jamestown) dec. Jackie Stiles (Cumberlands)
5th – Priscilla Caldera (Lindenwood) dec. Mia Provence (OCU)

55 kg/121 lbs.
1st - Michaela Hutchison (OCU) dec. Ashley Hudson (OCU)
3rd – Rita Pare (Simon Fraser) dec. Carla O’Connell (Menlo)
5th – Ciana Hee (Cumberlands) dec. Andrea Hughes (Cumberlands)

59 kg/130 lbs.
1st - Tani Adler (Jamestown) dec. Jenny Germany (Missouri Valley)
3rd – Firen Gassman (OCU) dec. Shermaine Danner (Missouri Baptist)
5th – Luzette Villegas (Cumberlands) dec. Chaelyn Tan (Jamestown)

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
1st - Tessa Plana (OCU) dec. Danielle Lappage (Simon Fraser)
3rd – Paige Rife (Cumberlands) dec. Rachael Paaluhi (Jamestown)
5th – Brittany Gadd (Cumberlands) dec. Megan Agajanian (Cumberlands)

67 kg/147.5 lbs.
1st - Stefenie Shaw (OCU) dec. Stacie Anaka (Simon Fraser)
3rd – Lauren Knight (Cumberlands) dec. Ashlee Evans-Smith (Menlo)
5th – Pi’ikea Kalalau (Jamestown) dec. Christen Paysse (Cumberlands)

72 kg/158.5 lbs.
1st - Taylor Dick (Simon Fraser) dec. Lacey Novinska (OCU)
3rd – Kendra Lewis (Cumberlands) dec. Moriah Fernandez (Menlo)
5th – Sherolynn Eppinger (Cumberlands) dec. Annie Decrescente (Cumberlands)

82 kg/180.25 lbs.
1st - Hillary Greening (Simon Fraser) dec. Desiree Memea (Missouri Baptist)
3rd – Brittany Delgado (OCU) pin Jessica Scott (Cumberlands), 1:21
5th – Megan Wade (Cumberlands)

95 kg/209 lbs.
1st - Lakia Henderson (Cumberlands) dec. Amy Havens (Missouri Valley)
3rd – Amanda Athon (Jamestown) pin Keron Scott (OCU), 0:11
5rh – Brittany Caoile (Menlo)

Special thanks to Rich Tortorelli of OCU and Tom Sandwith of Missouri Valley College for their assistance with this report.