FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2016
USA Women’s Wrestling
Campbellsville University
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| Campbellsville’s Shelby Hall, Hannah Gladden, Kayla Miracle, Rosemary Flores and Hanna Hall are competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials this weekend for a chance to be on the USA Olympic Team in the Rio de Janeiro summer Olympics. |
By: Kasey Ricketts, Campbellsville University
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Many think of winning a national championship as their biggest feat throughout their career but for five Lady Tiger wrestlers, the Olympics are the only thing on their minds this weekend.
Six Lady Tigers have punched their ticket to the U.S Olympic Team Trials but only five will participate – Kayla Miracle (58 kg) Shelby Hall (63 kg) Rosemary Flores (63 kg), Hannah Gladden (69 kg) and Hanna Hall (75 kg). Tiaira Scott also qualified but USA Wrestling does not offer her weight class.
In Campbellsville University athletics history, only two student-athletes have qualified for the Olympic Trials before this year – Mickey Lilenthal swam for Team Venezuela in 1996 and Brendan Ward qualified for the Team Trials with Zimbabwe.
Also, alum Nestor Colmenares is making his first Olympic appearance this summer with the Venezuelan basketball team.
The trials will take place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa on April 9-10.
For a complete list of all the qualifiers, click HERE.
Miracle, Flores, Shelby Hall and Hanna Hall qualified for the trials by placing in the Top 3 at the WCWA National Championship. Miracle repeated as WCWA National Champion, while Hanna Hall placed second, and Flores and Shelby Hall finished third.
Gladden punched her ticket at the Last Chance Qualifier in Iowa City to earn her way into the tournament last weekend.
“These girls are no longer big fish in a small pond,” said coach Lee Miracle. “They are now smaller fish in the ocean. I believe that the girls will compete well. They have been trained to certain expectations that are above and beyond the college level.”
The top eight wrestlers for each of the six Olympic weight classes were ranked based on the following criteria:
1) Head-to-head victories
2) Wins over common opponents
3) Whether or not an athlete was a member of the 2015 U.S. World Team.
Results considered were from any tournament an athlete has competed in, domestic and international, since Jan. 1, 2015.
Miracle is the only CU wrestler seeded and comes into the tournament at No. 4.
Wrestling will begin Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. ET showcasing 58 kg, 63 kg and 69 kg with finals for these weight classes starting at 7 p.m.
The athletes at 48 kg, 53 kg and 75 kg will compete throughout the day starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 10 and the finals will follow that evening at approximately 7 p.m.
After winning a medal at the 2015 World Championship, Adeline Gray automatically advanced to the best-of- three Championship Series in the 75 kg weight class and will not wrestle in the morning Challenge Tournament in Iowa City.
These rankings are used as a baseline for the wrestlers seed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. There will be a coaches seeding meeting held prior to the tournament. Seeds are subject to change. All entered wrestlers will receive a seed with bye’s being placed accordingly to the highest seeded wrestlers.
Single-day and single-session tickets for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials are now available for purchase at iowacitytorio.com or over the phone at 1-800-IA-HAWKS.
Single-day tickets are $45 for adults and $35 for youth 18-years-old and younger. Single-day tickets gain the ticket holder admission to two sessions of wrestling on ONE particular day – Saturday OR Sunday.
Single-session tickets are $30 for adults and $25 youth 18-years-old and younger. Single-session tickets gain admittance to any one of four sessions. Each day has two sessions, with a challenge tournament beginning at 9 a.m., and the championship finals beginning at 6 p.m.
All-session tickets are still available for $75 for adults and $50 for youth 18-years-old and younger.
The winner of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in their respective weight class will become an Olympic Team member and will wrestle at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Kasey Ricketts, Campbellsville University Sports Information student assistant and Lady Tiger travel companion will post periodic feature stories at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa.