Felicity Taylor wins U23 title; Slade, Biscoglia lead Iowa at Cadet world team trials

USA Wrestling’s ladies’s freestyle nationwide championships started Friday and Saturday at The Podium in Spokane, Washington, with the Cadet world group trials and U23 nationwide championships.

A set of Iowa excessive schoolers and a handful of Iowa collegiate ladies’s wrestlers participated in each competitions, which assist determine plenty of USA Wrestling’s age-level world groups for the upcoming summer time.

Within the U23 division, Iowa’s Felicity Taylor and Iowa Wesleyan’s Adaugo Nwachukwu each received their respective weights. Within the Cadet division, Southeast Polk’s Skylar Slade and Raccoon River-Northwest’s Katie Biscoglia led the Iowa highschool contingent.

Extra: Iowa ladies’s, ladies wrestlers to comply with on the wrestling nationwide championships this weekend

Right here’s a rundown of what occurred:

Iowa’s Felicity Taylor, Iowa Wesleyan’s Adaugo Nwachukwu win U23 titles

Each Felicity Taylor and Adaugo Nwachukwu ripped by way of their respective weights to win U23 nationwide titles on Friday and Saturday.

Taylor went 5-0 to win at 53 kilograms (116 kilos). She outscored her 5 opponents by a mixed 49-0. In Saturday’s best-of-three finals, she swept Colorado’s Estrella Dorado Marin, successful the primary match 13-0 and the second match 10-0. That is Taylor’s third U23 nationwide title. She beforehand received in 2019 and 2022.

Nwachukwu, a two-time NAIA nationwide champion for Iowa Wesleyan, dominated in related style en path to first at 62 kilos (136). She went 4-0 with two pins and two technical falls, outscoring her opponents 41-0. In Saturday’s finals sequence, she swept North Carolina’s Marisol Nugent by an identical 10-0 scores.

In contrast to the Cadet and Junior competitions this weekend in Spokane, the U23 nationwide championship competitors shouldn’t be solely a world group trials occasion, regardless of a best-of-three finals sequence for all U23 weights. USA Wrestling modified its U23 world group course of final 12 months and saved the identical course of in place this 12 months.

Taylor and Nwachukwu did place themselves for a possible U23 world group spot by successful the occasion this weekend.

Southeast Polk’s Skylar Slade, Raccoon River’s Katie Biscoglia lead Iowa excessive schoolers at Cadet world group trials

Seven of Iowa’s prime highschool wrestlers competed within the Cadet world group trials in Spokane between Friday and Saturday. 4 reached the quarterfinals at their weights, however solely two, freshmen Katie Biscoglia and Skylar Slade, completed on the rostrum.

Biscoglia, a state champ this previous season for Raccoon River-Northwest, completed fourth at 43 kilograms (94.6 kilos). She reached the semifinal spherical and completed with a 2-2 file. 

Slade, a state champ for Southeast Polk in February, additionally took fourth, at 65 kilos (143). After a loss within the quarters, Slade rattled off three consecutive wins within the wrestlebacks to earn a spot within the prime 4. She completed 5-2 general.

Behind them, it was a tricky weekend for a few of Iowa’s most proficient ladies wrestlers:

• Sigourney-Keota’s Reanah Utterback, a previous ladies state champ and a state medalist on the boys event this previous season, was one of many 4 to achieve the quarterfinals, however finally completed 2-2 at 49 kilos (108);
• Waverly-Shell Rock’s Kiara Djoumessi, one other state champion in February, was the fourth quarterfinalist, however she additionally completed 2-2 at 61 kilos (134);
• Riverside’s Molly Allen, a two-time state champ and returning 16U nationwide champ final summer time, really dropped her first match of the event, then received 4 in a row within the wrestlebacks earlier than shedding once more to complete 4-2 at 53 kilos (116).

There have been many encouraging moments all through the event for these Iowa ladies, however a world group trials occasion is, by definition, speculated to be the nation’s hardest event — more durable even than the nationwide championships.

The teachings discovered from this weekend will assist these Iowa ladies as they proceed to progress.

UP NEXT: Iowa ladies’s wrestlers on the U20 world group trials

Members of the Iowa ladies’s wrestling group and extra of Iowa’s prime high-school ladies wrestlers will compete on the U20/Junior world group trials, which run all day Saturday and can wrap up Sunday afternoon. You possibly can watch the motion on Flowrestling.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and highschool sports activities for the Des Moines Register. Comply with him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.