WESTFIELD, Ind. — Minnesota’s rising girls wrestling stars battled through two days of competition at the 2026 Women’s Freestyle Wrestling National Duals, capturing hard-fought victories across three age divisions inside the Grand Park Events Center.
The tournament, held June 17-18, featured some of the country’s premier freestyle talent, drawing 37 teams in the 14U division, 33 in the 16U field, and 45 in the Junior division. Minnesota’s squads proved their resilience, with each team closing out their respective pools with down-to-the-wire victories.
Junior Division
In the 45-team Junior division (ages 18 and under), Minnesota rebounded from a narrow pool loss to Tennessee to claim third place in the Red/Blue (third-tier) Championship Pool with an electrifying 37-36 triumph over North Carolina Blue.
The dual was decided by the slimmest of margins. Minnesota leaned heavily on bonus-point wins, including a swift 1-minute, 30-second fall by Taniah Borney at 140 pounds and a first-period pin by Nora Akpan at 145. Sarah Pulk added another critical fall at 170 pounds in 2:05. In the lighter weights, Brooklyn Smith pinned her opponent at 100 pounds, while Ivy Brandenburg (115) and Anica Barze (120) provided crucial technical execution to secure the single-point team victory.
Earlier in the tournament, the Juniors went 2-2 in Preliminary Bracket C, which included a 40-38 win over California Silver to take fifth in their bracket before moving into pool play.
Junior Division Team Minnesota Scores:
Preliminary Bracket C
Quarters : Minnesota over California Silver (42-34)
Semis : Colorado over Minnesota (40-36)
Cons. Semis : Ohio Red over Minnesota (36-36)
5th Place Match : Minnesota over California Silver (40-38)
Red/Blue Pool (3rd-tier)
Champ. Round 1 : Minnesota over Idaho (53-24)
Champ. Round 2 : Minnesota over Maryland (39-37)
Champ. Round 3 : Tennessee over Minnesota (47-27)
3rd Place Match : Minnesota over North Carolina Blue (37-36)
Minnesota over North Carolina Blue (37-36) 3rd Place Match
140 Taniah Borney, MN over Mia Lavigne, NC BL (F 1:30 ) 0 5
145 Nora Akpan, MN over Nola Walker, NC BL (F 2:18 ) 0 5
155 Cassandra Gonzales, MN over Forfeit, NC BL (FF) 0 5
170 Sarah Pulk, MN over Rylynn Keziah, NC BL (F 2:05 ) 0 5
190 Nevaeh Willamson, NC BL over Charlize Laban, MN (F 2:16 ) 5 0
207 Savada Kitchen, NC BL over Ellianna Schendel, MN (F 3:30 ) 5 0
235 Ella Taylor, NC BL over Lillian Drews, MN (Dec 12-4 ) 3 1
95 Mia Pardo, NC BL over Forfeit, MN (FF) 5 0
100 Brooklyn Smith, MN over Jenevy Olalde, NC BL (F 4:08 ) 0 5
105 Brianna Palmer, NC BL over Teagan Earley, MN (F 5:05 ) 5 0
110 Khiry Reese, NC BL over Natasha Shafer, MN (F 0:45 ) 5 0
115 Ivy Brandenburg, MN over Sydney Mark, NC BL (Dec 6-0 ) 0 3
120 Anica Barze, MN over Adriana Noemi Miller, NC BL (TF 10-0 (1:00) ) 0 4
125 Addison Gore, NC BL over Abigail Gindele, MN (TF 10-0 (2:16) ) 4 0
130 Iyanna Crawford, NC BL over Gabbi VonBerge, MN (TF 10-0 (3:00) ) 4 0
135 Chloe Wehry, MN over Abigail Pursley, NC BL (TF 10-0 (2:02) ) 0 4
14U Division
Competing in the elite Gold/Silver Championship Pool, Minnesota’s 14U team capped its run with a gritty 41-38 win over rival Illinois to finish seventh overall.
Minnesota found itself in a deep hole early as Illinois racked up several technical falls and pins in the lower weights. However, Minnesota’s middle and upper weights mounted a furious comeback.
A spectacular run of six consecutive pins shifted the momentum entirely. Eliana O’Donoghue started the rally with a fall at 105 pounds, followed in succession by pins from Breslyn Kirkpatrick (110), Dayna Kielty (115), Adriana Kunz (120), and Sierra Laffin (130). Catherine Hammer added a dominant 12-2 technical fall at 125 pounds. At the heavier end, Isabella Jensen (135) and Hailey Goth (180) picked up first-period pins to push Minnesota over the finish line.
14U Division Team Minnesota Scores:
Preliminary Bracket B
Quarters : Minnesota over Kansas (57-21)
Semis : Minnesota over Ohio Red (51-33)
1st Place Match : Washington over Minnesota (39-38)
Gold/Silver Championship Pool (1st-tier/Top-8 Overall Teams)
Champ. Round 1 : Colorado over Minnesota (51-25)
Champ. Round 2 : Pennsylvania Blue over Minnesota (46-30)
Champ. Round 3 : Wisconsin over Minnesota (49-26)
7th Place Match : Minnesota over Illinois (41-38)
Minnesota over Illinois (41-38) 7th Place Match
135 Isabella Jensen, MN over Aliyah Guerra, IL 14 (F 0:56 ) 5 0
140 Ivy Grant, IL 14 over Emily Pulk, MN (F 0:26 ) 0 5
150 Quyn Glodo, IL 14 over Helen Peltier, MN (Dec 10-1 ) 1 3
165 Brielle Molina, IL 14 over Aria Nikle, MN (F 0:55 ) 0 5
180 Hailey Goth, MN over Ellie Kennedy, IL 14 (F 0:16 ) 5 0
75 Kayleigh Vest, IL 14 over Kinsley Kothenbeutel, MN (TF 10-0 (0:50) ) 0 4
80 Gianna DeMarco, IL 14 over Crosby Smith, MN (Dec 12-4 ) 1 3
85 Lila Carson, IL 14 over Freyda Nelson, MN (F 1:07 ) 0 5
90 Abigail Godard, IL 14 over Brooklyn Binsfeld, MN (TF 10-0 (2:19) ) 0 4
95 Britton Miller, IL 14 over Nadeen AlQabalani, MN (TF 10-0 (2:53) ) 0 4
100 Michelle Gabel, IL 14 over Alaina Williams, MN (TF 11-0 (2:46) ) 0 4
105 Eliana ODonoghue, MN over Sophia Herzog, IL 14 (F 1:21 ) 5 0
110 Breslyn Kirkpatrick, MN over Blake Schuldt, IL 14 (F 1:26 ) 5 0
115 Dayna Kielty, MN over Mila Conrad, IL 14 (F 3:30 ) 5 0
120 Adriana Kunz, MN over Madison McAuliffe, IL 14 (F 0:56 ) 5 0
125 Catherine Hammer, MN over Mattea Sauer, IL 14 (TF 12-2 (1:45) ) 4 1
130 Sierra Laffin, MN over Emilee Meier, IL 14 (F 1:06 ) 5 0
16U Division
In the 16U division, Team Minnesota secured seventh place in the Red/Blue Pool by holding off Maryland for a 35-30 victory.
Minnesota built its victory on maximum point yields. Elizabeth Carlson (100) and Giana Palumbo (135) anchored the performance with decisive pins, while Grace Hamm needed just 26 seconds to secure a fall at 140 pounds. Olivia Martinez added a commanding 11-0 technical fall at 207 pounds. Tactically sound minor decisions from Elouise Snook (95), Hannah Berg (105), and Roselane D. Verrett (115) ultimately made the difference in thwarting Maryland’s late-dual push.
16U Division Team Minnesota Scores:
Preliminary Bracket C
Quarters : Washington over Minnesota (67-9)
Cons. Sub-Semis : Minnesota over New York (42-30)
Cons. Semis : Indiana Gold over Minnesota (53-22)
5th Place Match : Nebraska over Minnesota (41-34)
Red/Blue Pool (3rd-tier)
Champ. Round 1 : Florida over Minnesota (51-25)
Champ. Round 2 : Kansas over Minnesota (58-13)
Champ. Round 3 : New Jersey over Minnesota (43-30)
7th Place Match : Minnesota over Maryland (35-30)
Minnesota over Maryland (35-30) 7th Place Match
145 Zoey Bly, MN over Forfeit, MD (FF) 5 0
155 Denna Momeni, MD over Madilyn Pulk, MN (F 1:54 ) 0 5
170 Yael Wexler, MD over Shelby Strandlund, MN (F 0:19 ) 0 5
190 Forfeit, MN vs. Forfeit, MD (DFF) 0 0
207 Olivia Martinez, MN over Sophia Garbarino, MD (TF 11-0 (1:51) ) 4 0
235 Forfeit, MN vs. Forfeit, MD (DFF) 0 0
95 Elouise Snook, MN over Khloe Buckholdt, MD (Dec 11-6 ) 3 1
100 Elizabeth Carlson, MN over Calleigh McBride, MD (F 2:30 ) 5 0
105 Hannah Berg, MN over Laicey Durham, MD (Dec 6-2 ) 3 1
110 Elana Pelaez, MD over Anilyse Bundy, MN (F 1:12) 0 5
115 Roselane D. Verrett, MN over Catherine Orndorff, MD (Dec 6-4) 3 1
120 Sofie French, MD over Kathryn Marstein, MN (Dec 7-2 ) 1 3
125 Darielle Wood, MD over RaeAnna Gruchow, MN (F 2:49 ) 0 5
130 Mya Macleod, MD over Payton Puppe, MN (TF 12-2 (2:59) ) 1 4
135 Giana Palumbo, MN over Micah Scott, MD (F 1:44 ) 5 0
140 Grace Hamm, MN over Sophie Amini, MD (F 0:26 ) 5 0
Highlighting Minnesota’s individual showings, three standout wrestlers earned spots on the 2026 Women’s Freestyle National Duals All-Tournament Team by finishing the grueling two-day event undefeated. In the 14U division, 115-pounder Dayna Kielty led the charge with a flawless 7-0 record, anchoring her squad’s run in the top-tier championship pool. Meanwhile, the Junior division featured a pair of dominant performances in the upper weight classes, as Nora Akpan dismantled the competition at 145 pounds and Sarah Pulk locked down the 170-pound division, with both athletes racking up perfect 8-0 records.