Fargo, North Dakota—Women’s freestyle competition at the 2024 USMC Junior and 16U National Championships saw an exciting finish with Wisconsin wrestlers claiming two titles in the championship finals on Sunday night. 

At 110 pounds, Taylor Whiting is coming home as a junior national champion. She entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, but her execution and mental game proved unstoppable in the loaded bracket. On from the start, Whiting showcased top-level techniques and composure over opponents on day one to set up an exciting finish in the two-day event.

She punched her ticket to the finals with a win over Mariah Dillard of Texas which was an absolute brawl. Whiting closed the gap on a six-point deficit to win by decision, 7-6. 

In the finals, she grabbed an early takedown and eventually finished the match in par terre over Ohio’s No. 1 seed Chloe Dearwester 11-0. “I went into it thinking ‘it’s going to be a really tight match’ but when I had confidence getting to my own stuff I knew I could score right off the get-go and it went my way.”

The junior from Oconto said she’s grown maybe more than she had realized, and that talking with her coaches and brother often has been a tremendous help. Even as recently as the girls showcase in April, where she took second, she was still dealing with nerves. Tonight, when she stepped on the mat, the nerves she felt coming down the stairs were gone and she just wrestled—freely. “Going into practice every day, and giving 110% percent, it helped me a lot, and I think it really showed today,” Whiting said.

Getting the job done in the 16U division is 190-pound freshman standout and now 16U National Champion Brooke Huffman. Huffman looked the part of the No. 1 seed she came in with as she tackled the two-day national event. She had major victories by tech and fall in all five of her matches. She was persistent in the championship finals and, leading 10-7, secured the fall and title all at once over Utah's Tevia nau Rarick. 

Making a finals appearance in her first trip to Fargo in the 16U division was Brynn Engel. The 88-pound wrestler from Genoa City, Wis.,  placed runner-up in tonight's final. 

Eight more cemented their place on the podium in the All-American medal rounds for 3rd-8th place earlier in the afternoon.

First-year junior Carley Ceshker outscored opponents a massive 78-4 en route to a 3rd place finish overall at 130 pounds. She went 7-1, dropping a match only in the semifinals to California’s Samantha Sachs by decision, 3-2. She rallied with techs over opponents from Florida and California to end the day on a high note. Also battling to 3rd place and all smiles with the win was Lillie Banks. Her profile of 7-1 consisted of 4 techs and 3 falls, and she improved on an 8th-place finish from 2023.

Two more first-timers placed All-American with Harlow Skenandore (5-2) earning 4th at 142 pounds, and Dilynn Albrecht (4-3) finishing 8th overall in the 100-pound bracket. 16Us Emjay Neumann (118), Riley Hanrahan (130) and Junior Sophia Bassino (170) earned 6th place finishes, and 16U Franky Groom (124) finished in 8th.

Three from Wisconsin won distinguished awards from USA Wrestling.

Neysa Bianchi, WWF women’s director, was named women’s freestyle developmental coach of the year. “A lot of the things that have been going on in Wisconsin are a team effort,” Bianchi said. “We’ve assembled an amazing group of coaches and team members that help make everything happen and we’re really starting to gel now and things are really starting to come together.” Bianchi has served in the role of WWF Women’s Director since 2022 and works tirelessly to advance the growth and development of women’s wrestling.

WWF alum and coach Maddie Ruckdashel was awarded the Tuska Adam's Outstanding Official of the women's tournament, and Kayla Spurley was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence for lifelong dedication to the sport of wrestling.

Wisconsin women’s freestyle teams placed 5th overall in 16U, and 11th in juniors, and Wisconsin has a lot to be proud of.

Wrestling resumes Monday with men’s freestyle, which will see the juniors take on the morning session and the 16U hitting the mats in the afternoon—currently scheduled for 3:30PM.

Watch all of the action live on FloWrestling. Be sure to check USA Wrestling’s complete event schedule for session start/end times updates.

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