Rota’s Quennette Kirkconnell, top, works to pin opponent Vivian Cortez of Ankara during a final match in the girls 105-pound class at Saturday’s DODEA Southern Europe wrestling sectionals at Naples Middle High School in Naples, Italy. Kirkconnell, a senior, won the match and came in first overall in her weight class. Cortez finished third overall. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
NAPLES, Italy — For Naples’ Audrey Pounds, Saturday’s DODEA Southern Europe wrestling sectionals were about encouraging her teammates and having fun — along with a little vindication.
The junior easily won her final match to finish first in the girls 155-pound weight class, earning a chance to compete at the European championships next week in Wiesbaden.
Aviano’s Angeliesse Griffin came in second, also securing a championship bid, while Ankara’s Charlotte Geis and Vicenza’s Frances Morales, finished third and fourth, respectively.
Geis and Morales may be among wild-card entrants from the three DODEA wrestling sectionals who will be selected over the next few days to fill out the championship brackets in Wiesbaden. The top two or three finishers in each weight class Saturday, depending on the entrants in their weight classes, received automatic berths.
It’s not the first time Pounds has made it to the championships. Last year, she finished third in the 144-pound weight class during sectionals competing alongside boys.
But Saturday’s first-place win comes after DODEA separated competitive wrestling by gender this season after years of it being a co-ed sport.
That change meant everything to Pounds, who finds wrestling’s physical and mental challenges exhilarating and wants more girls to try the sport without having to compete against boys.
“The reason why I feel so strongly about girls wrestling is because I think that not only boys deserve that opportunity to discover themselves, to have a lot of challenges,” said Pounds, who actively advocated for the change. “That is something that … everyone needs to experience.”
She’ll be joined in Wiesbaden by Wildcats teammate Abigail Smith who finished second in the girls 130-pound class behind Sigonella’s Rickalia Goss.
They’re among at least 16 girls from DODEA Southern Europe who advanced to the championships, including at least seven from Rota.
That outcome, which includes five girls who finished first in their weight class, is exactly what Rota coach Luke Spencer hoped for the Admirals.
Team standouts include Athena Quiroz, a 120-pounder who was undefeated coming into Saturday’s sectionals and won first in her weight class, and Quennette Kirkconnell who only had one loss during the season. Kirkconnell was first in the 105-pound weight class.
“We have a strong women’s team,” said Spencer, who is hoping for a girls title win.
At least five Rota’s boys also will be in Wiesbaden, among them 175-pounder Jonathan King, who took first in his weight class after a final match with Vicenza’s Jose Jimenez, who finished second.
For King, who was 14-1 coming into sectionals, the season has been about learning from mistakes and perfecting skills.
“The big thing for me is just putting all the pieces together,” he said.
Vicenza’s boys had three first-place finishers — Kyler Mukai, Mitchell Horrigan and Paul Sturtevant. Aviano’s Andre Sunia, Cruz Cottingham and Tyler Mellon also won their respective weight classes.
Meanwhile, Naples boys took seven first-place spots during Saturday’s competition, including 285-pounder Declan Newsome and 157-pounder Derrick Cavillery. Wildcats Brady Price, Riley Edwards, Hayden Schmall, Deshaun Bowie and Nathan Pasteur also won their respective weight classes.
Naples coach Vito Vitulli hopes to see at least 20 team members compete next week in hopes of clinching the school’s third consecutive Division II title.
“Our team has done very well this season,” Vitulli said. “We’re going for the three-peat.”
Jose Jimenez, a senior at Vicenza, left, squared off against Jonathan King, a junior at Rota, for the championship match in the boys 175-pound weight class at Saturday’s DODEA Southern Europe wrestling sectionals at Naples Middle High School, in Naples, Italy. King went on to win the match and a spot at the European championships. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
Rota’s Ronald Ryder, top, took on Ankara’s Seifulla Rakhmetulla in early rounds of Saturday’s DODEA Southern Europe wrestling sectionals at Naples Middle High School in Naples, Italy. Ryder, a senior, won the match and came in third overall in the boys 150-pound weight class. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
Judah Salmon, a freshman at Rota, attempts to take Bayron Cerron, a sophomore at Aviano, to the mat during Saturday’s DODEA Southern Europe wrestling sectionals at Naples Middle High School in Naples, Italy. Salmon came in third overall in the 132-pound weight class. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
Rota’s Lila Cypers, top, works to pin Vicenza’s Ranya Nefoussi during the final match in the girls 130-pound weight class at Saturday’s DODEA Southern Europe wrestling sectionals at Naples Middle High School, in Naples, Italy. Cypers, a senior who started wrestling this year, won the match and finished third overall in her weight class. ()
