First U.S. College Nationals championship claimed by Lady Vikings

Missouri Valley freshman Debbi Sakai (top) defeated a longtime rival from her home state of Hawaii to win the 51-kilogram title at the U.S. College Nationals. [Click to enlarge]

As the sport of women's wrestling continues to grow, the Missouri Valley College program appears ready to keep pace.

Consider that of the Lady Vikings' six finalists Saturday in the first U.S. College Nationals at Marshall, four were freshmen or sophomores. Victories in four of those matches pushed second-ranked Valley past No. 1 Cumberland (Ky.) for the championship, 97 to 87 points.

"They're learning how to play, not making mistakes that beat them," noted MVC head coach Carl Murphree.

Take, for example, the case of Debbi Sakai, a freshman from Mililani, Hawaii. She was "a little nervous" going into the 51-kilogram finals against top-rated Pacific (Ore.) freshman Kapua Torres, and understandably so. Torres was Sakai's nemesis, having beaten her for the state high school title two years ago and more recently pinning her at the College National Duals a month ago.

This time, though, Sakai shook off her early jitters and took control of the match -- coming back from a 3-1 deficit for a 16-5 victory by technical fall.

"I was kind of nervous about her head-and-arm (move), but I just kind of threw her when I saw it," Sakai said. "After that, it was gravy."

The win could propel Sakai over Torres into the No. 1 spot in TheMat.com's rankings, and she isn't the only one who could make that case. The Lady Vikings spread the trio they have at the top of the 67 Kg list into three different weight classes and each got to the finals.

Junior Brandy Golt was stopped for the 67 Kg title in 1:20 by Cumberland sophomore Alain Berube, ranked first at 59 Kg, but No. 1 senior Mollie Keith of Aurelia, Iowa, and sophomore Kelly Branham of Apache Junction, Ariz., each claimed gold medals. So did sophomore Brooke Bogren of Carbondale, Kan., who only trails Berube in the 59 Kg poll.

Keith had a tussle with Cumberland freshman Suekoilya Shelly, No. 1 at 55 Kg, in the deciding match at 63 Kg. Shelly had a 2-1 lead at the end of regulation, which gave her the first choice of holds in the clinch which begins overtime. However, Keith applied a head lock and took Shelly down in 16 seconds for a 3-2 win.

"You know if you don't score in a minute, it's over," Keith explained the pressure of the OT format. "It was even more stressful because the team title was coming down to the last couple of matches."

Bogren, a transfer from Cumberland, was in a different spot with a 2-1 lead over Patriots freshman Iris Mucha. The bout evened up when Mucha slipped out of a head lock and push Bogren into the mat to begin the extra period, but the Valley grappler completed a shot with 1:14 elapsed to get the decision.

The 80 Kg finals, as expected, came down to yet another clash between MVC sophomore Stephany Lee and two-time World silver medallist Toccara Montgomery. The Cumberland junior wasn't able to dominate this time, as she had during a pair of 11-0 technical falls a week earlier at the University Nationals, and was in danger when Lee got behind her and attempted an overhead throw. However, Lee, down 3-2 at the time, wasn't able to complete it and was driven backwards with four seconds remaining for a 5-2 loss.

"It was just an impulse thing where I tried a throw," Lee noted. "You learn: just don't rush. I was rushing."

Lee readily concedes Montgomery's heavy edge in experience, but that's something only mat time can solve. It's certainly beginning to show for the Lady Vikings, as demonstrated during third-place runs by freshman Clarissa Calibuso (59 Kg) -- who got a significant win over Pacific freshman Michelle Ludwig -- and Maika Watanabe (55 Kg).

For Sakai, the college experience is even more challenging because her high school coach had no other wrestlers to whom to give his attention -- as opposed to Valley's large program split between Murphree and assistant Cheryl New, a former MVC all-American.

"I have to learn some independence and not always depend on the coach," she said. Of course, practicing against so many other talented teammates helps. "If you can hold your own in the (practice) room, you can do anything on the mat."

"I want them to be intense and try things," Keith explained her leadership role. "if you're timid, you won't do well. You just go with what you know."

Which is what Murphree is hoping the Lady Vikings will do as they prepare for the U.S. Senior Nationals at Las Vegas on April 8 with a trip to the Can/Am Open this weekend. Further, he believes Valley has something to prove after having been ranked below the Patriots, even after winning the University Nationals meet last week.

"We haven't been getting much credit," Murphree remarked. "I've been seeing the improvement. Everybody's going to have to acknowledge we're the best team out there."