Beat The Streets Chicago Women’s Team Performs Well At The USA Wrestling 16u & Junior Freestyle Nationals
The Beat The Streets Chicago women’s team left the 16u & Junior Freestyle Nationals with one champion and three girls one match away from All-American Status.
13 wrestlers from the Beat The Streets Chicago women’s squad qualified for Team Illinois, earning their chance to compete & represent BTS Chicago at the 16u & Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND on July 15th-16th.
Widely regarded as the toughest high school tournament in the nation, this event commonly referred to as “Fargo,” yielded impressive results and proved to be a great experience for members of our women’s team.
After becoming the first woman to place in the boy’s bracket at the IHSA State Wrestling meet, Morgan Turner continued her dominance by going undefeated and claiming the 16u 94 lb title. Turner was one of two women from Team Illinois to bring home a title.
Many others had breakthrough performances over the weekend as Monica Griffen, Mia Vazquez, & AJ Grant all found themselves in the bloodround, falling one match short of standing on the podium and earning All-American Status. Although they fell short of their goals, these athletes made great strides and acquired more confidence heading into the folkstyle season.
Head Coach Samantha Barrientos was extremely proud of the way the wrestlers performed and acknowledged the improvements that many wrestlers displayed. Barrientos also emphasized the great sportsmanship and support shown by all the athletes.
Every Beat the Streets Chicago wrestler walked on the mat with an army of teammates cheering them on mat-side, which Barrientos said was great to see.
A complete list of the women who qualified to represent Team Illinois at Fargo can be found below:
AJ Grant, Anapaula Cerna-Rivera, Aviana Gonzalez, Danely Villagomez, Jannine Flores, Jocelyn Gutierrez, Kimani Glasper, Maggie Zuber, Mia Vazquez, Michelle Kioltyka, Monica Griffen, Morgan Turner, & Nyah Lovis
Photos of the event can be found below:
