By: Zack Chavez - RMAC and SFU Athletics
BURNABY, B.C. – Three Simon Fraser Red Leafs won individual titles Saturday at the inaugural Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's Wrestling Championship in Denver, Colorado. Injuries did not allow SFU to bring a full roster to the meet at the Regis Field House, but Canada's NCAA team impressed as seven of the eight wrestlers competing made their event finals.
The Red Leafs were also presented with the RMAC regular-season conference championship banner and trophy, which they won after going undefeated in dual meets against Adams State (Colorado), Chadron State (Nebraska), Colorado Mesa, and Texas Woman's.
"We definitely took a step back in the right direction after our last outing," said SFU head coach
Justin Abdou. "Bringing eight wrestlers and putting seven in the finals is leading into qualifying. It was great having
Marquesis Haintz back in the lineup. Her leadership and poise is great for the younger athletes to see. We are looking forward to having everyone healthy and competing with a full line up in Texas.
Jade Trolland continues to improve and had a great win in the final over a 2023 All-American."
It was junior
Marquesis Haintz (Pitt Meadows, B.C.), the National Wrestling Coaches Association's No. 7-ranked 130-pound wrestler, who provided the Red Leafs' initial first-place finish of the day after cruising to a 3-0 record with a trio of 10-0 technical falls. The 130-pound division proved to be a bracket in which the Red Leafs flexed their muscles as freshman
Laura Alcantar Soto (Everett, Washington) also earned a berth in the championship match before closing the event with the silver medal. Texas Woman's Alexis Hanks completed the podium for the bracket after finishing in third place.
Junior
Jade Trolland of Abbotsford, B.C., who is second in the current national rankings, continued Simon Fraser's success with a perfect 3-0 run through the 136-pound division that consisted of one technical fall, one pinfall and a 3-1 decision in the championship over No. 4 Holly Beaudoin of Colorado Mesa. Beaudoin earned runner-up status after an opening-round bye and a technical fall in the semifinals. Texas Woman's Kira Phillips cashed in on the bronze medal with a pin in the consolation match.
Julia Richey of the Red Leafs was perfect on the day in the 191-pound class and never surrendered a point en route to her first-place finish. The sophomore from Thousand Oaks, California, came into the weekend eighth in the national rankings for her weight class. Richey was on the right side of a 10-0 win in her opening match over Mia Howell of Texas Woman's and followed up with a 5-0 decision in the title bout. Chadron State's Kamila Montenegro closed the afternoon in second place, just ahead of Texas Woman's Mia Howell's third-place finish.
In addition to Alcantar Soto, three other SFU wrestlers earned second place on Saturday.
Sophomore
Ivy Threatful of Maple Ridge, B.C., claimed consecutive 10-0 wins in her opening two matches against Adams State competitors Julianna Candelaria and Candice Brickell, before falling in the final of the 109-pound class (technical fall, 14-2). She entered the tournament ranked No. 7 among NCAA wrestlers at 109 pounds.
In the 116-pound weight class, SFU junior
Maddie Mackenzie of Calgary took the division's silver medal after opening her tournament with a bye, followed by a 10-5 decision over Austria Holland (Adams State) in her second matchup. In the final, she fell in a narrow 3-1 decision to Kiely Tabaldo, the Colorado Mesa wrestler ranked eighth in the nation.
No. 10
Paige Maher – a sophomore from Port Alberni, B.C., finished second in the 155-pound bracket. She had a first-round bye and a technical fall victory against Nari Miller of Texas Woman's in her semifinal matchup, before an 8-3 loss in the final against fifth-ranked Dalia Garibay of Colorado Mesa.
Rookie
Kelsey Loeun (Spokane, Washington) went 2-2 to place fifth in the 123-pound weight class. After falling her opening bout, she rebounded to beat Rylie McCabe of Adams State via technical fall, 10-0, in her first consolation-round contest. In the fifth-place match, Loeun pinned Chadron State's Shania Wear (1:47).
SFU will look to qualify athletes to the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship when it takes part in the Region 6 Championship on Feb. 25 in Denton, Texas.
2024 RMAC Women`s Wrestling Championship Results for Simon Fraser
109 pounds
Ivy Threatful's place is 2nd
Quarterfinal – No. 7
Ivy Threatful (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Julianna Candelaria (Adams State) (TF 10-0)
Semifinal – No. 7
Ivy Threatful (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Candice Brickell (Adams State) (TF 10-0)
1st Place Match – No. 7 (101 pounds) Isabella Morales (Colorado Mesa) won by tech fall over No. 7
Ivy Threatful (Simon Fraser) (TF 14-2)
116 pounds
Maddie Mackenzie's place is 2nd
Quarterfinal –
Maddie Mackenzie (Simon Fraser) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal –
Maddie Mackenzie (Simon Fraser) won by decision over Austria Holland (Adams State) (Dec 10-5)
1st Place Match – No. 8 Kiely Tabaldo (Colorado Mesa) won by decision over
Maddie Mackenzie (Simon Fraser) (Dec 3-1)
123 pounds
Kelsey Louen's place is 5th
Quarterfinal – Ana Rojas Zamora (Chadron State) won by fall over Kelsey Louen (Simon Fraser) (Fall 1:28)
Cons. Round 1 – Kelsey Louen (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Rylie McCabe (Adams State) (TF 10-0)
Cons. Semi – Valeria Acevedo-Hernandez (Texas Woman's) won by fall over Kelsey Louen (Simon Fraser) (Fall 1:28)
5th Place Match – Kelsey Louen (Simon Fraser) won by fall over Shania Wear (Chadron State) (Fall 1:47)
130 pounds
Laura Alcantar Soto's place is 2nd
Quarterfinal –
Laura Alcantar Soto (Simon Fraser) won by decision over Kaydence Boyd (Colorado Mesa) (Dec 6-2)
Semifinal –
Laura Alcantar Soto (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Alexis Hanks (Texas Woman's) (TF 16-5)
1st Place Match – No. 7
Marquesis Haintz (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over
Laura Alcantar Soto (Simon Fraser) (TF 10-0)
130 pounds
Marquesis Haintz's place is 1st
Quarterfinal – No. 7
Marquesis Haintz (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Laisha Rios (Texas Woman's) (TF 10-0)
Semifinal – No. 7
Marquesis Haintz (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Brianna Johnson (Adams State) (TF 10-0)
1st Place Match – No. 7
Marquesis Haintz (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over
Laura Alcantar Soto (Simon Fraser) (TF 10-0)
136 pounds
Jade Trolland's place is 1st
Quarterfinal – No. 2
Jade Trolland (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Breanna Thompson (Texas Woman's) (TF 10-0)
Semifinal – No. 2
Jade Trolland (Simon Fraser) won by fall over Annika Lee (Chadron State) (Fall 1:49)
1st Place Match – No. 2
Jade Trolland (Simon Fraser) won by decision over No. 4 Holly Beaudoin (Colorado Mesa) (Dec 4-1)
155 pounds
Paige Maher's place is 2nd
Quarterfinal – No. 10
Paige Maher (Simon Fraser) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal – No. 10
Paige Maher (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Sheanareial (Nari) Miller (Texas Woman's) (TF 10-0)
1st Place Match – No. 5 Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa) won by decision over No. 10
Paige Maher (Simon Fraser) (Dec 8-3)
191 pounds
Julia Richey's place is 1st
Semifinal – No. 8
Julia Richey (Simon Fraser) won by tech fall over Mia Howell (Texas Woman's) (TF 10-0)
1st Place Match – No. 8
Julia Richey (Simon Fraser) won by decision over Kamila Montenegro (Chadron State) (Dec 5-0)
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