FORT WORTH, Tex. – It was a great weekend for the Golden State, as four of our athletes won individual titles at this year’s U.S. Open Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas. The top five place winners in each weight earned berths for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center on April 4-5.
On Saturday’s session, Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) earned a 6-2 decision over Areana Villaescusa of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program in the final at 53 kilograms. Parrish controlled the first period as she earned three consecutive takedowns to none. In the second period, Villaescusa scored a takedown of her own, but it was too late as Parrish went on to win her first U.S. Open title at 53 kilograms.
Competing at 68 kilograms Forrest Molinari (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) was fired up throughout the weekend as she outscored the opposition 29-1. In the finals, Molinari met up with fellow Titan Mercury wrestler Victoria Francis. Molinari pushed the pace from the beginning and was successful in the 1:08 mark as she put Francis on her back to get the fall.
Menlo College senior, Precious Bell (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) made history by becoming the first two-time Senior National winner in Menlo Wrestling history. Bell won the 76-kilogram title by outdistancing herself from her final’s opponent in Dymond Guilford, also from the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and winning the bout 7-0.
On the men’s side, Arizona State senior Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) won the 86-kilogram finals by defeating the 2016 Ohio State NCAA Champion Myles Martin 7-5. The two-last met at the UWW Junior Nationals in Las Vegas, where Valencia topped Martin in the final, 7-0.
Other California wrestlers qualifying to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials include the following.
Men’s Freestyle
74 kg – Evan Wick (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 4th place
125 kg – Nick Nevills (Nittany Lion Wrestling Club) 4th place
74 kg – Anthony Valencia (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) 5th place
Women’s Freestyle
50 kg - Victoria Anthony (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) 2nd place
50 kg - Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 3rd place
50 kg - Alleida Martinez (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 5th place
53 kg - Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 3rd place
57 kg - Tiana Jackson (Menlo Wrestling Club) 2nd place
57 kg - Alexandra Hedrick (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 5th place
68 kg - Alexandria Glaude (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 4th place
68 kg - Nahiela Magee (Army WCAP) 5th place
76 kg - Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 2nd place
76 kg - Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal Wrestling Club) 5th place