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 Sophomore Elizabeth Hernandez of Tampa, Fla., won the 80-kilogram title for the Lady Vikings at the National Collegiate Championships. [Click to enlarge] |
The Lady Vikings finished second in the point totals (106-72) to defending champion Cumberlands (Ky.), which won four golds among its 10 medals.
Valley's lone title went to sophomore Elizabeth Hernandez of Tampa, Fla., who won the 82-kilogram final on an injury default by top-seeded senior teammate Stephany Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii. Hernandez, ranked 8th in TheMat.com's North American college women's poll, edged No. 7 Teresa Fennell of Cumberlands in the semifinals, 1-0, 1-1, to advance to the trophy round.
The Lady Vikings had two other finalists, both having only had to survive one preliminary match. Junior Emily Rinehart (63 kilograms) of Orlando, Calif., was nipped by Arizona State's Kelsey Campbell in the first-place bout, 1-1, 2-0, 3-1. Sixth-ranked freshman Amberlee Ebert (67) of Reedsville, Wis., pinned her first opponent, but was up against veteran Alaina Berube of Cumberlands in the finals and took a 1-0, 6-0 loss to the top-rated 63 kg grappler.
Leading Valley in wins with three was junior Erika Chew (55) of Houston, who had to post two victories after a semifinal loss to finish third. Freshman Samantha Fee (59) of Blairstown, N.J., opened with a semifinal setback, but won twice on the back side to also place third.
Senior Tabithia Ramsey (48) of Elgin, Texas, split four matches to wind up in fourth place. Also entered for the Lady Vikings was junior Maika Watanabe (51), but she lost both of her matches in a tough field.
After two week's rest, the Lady Vikings will host the annual Missouri Valley College Women's Wrestling Showcase, an open event for all age groups, March 24 in the Burns Athletic Center.