Women’s National Duals – 16U Recap

Team Wisconsin 16U Women’s National duals Recap

Tournament Overview: The Historic Run to the Top

Entering the tournament as the #6 seed, Team Wisconsin’s 16U Women’s Freestyle team put together a legendary performance at the Women’s National Duals in Westfield, Indiana. Relying on an aggressive technical style, high-impact pinning combinations, and remarkable leadership across the weights, Wisconsin knocked off three of the top five seeds in the country to claim the National Championship with a 36-32 victory over #5 California Gold.

Preliminary Pool Play: Building Momentum

Wisconsin opened the tournament in Pool C, stringing together a series of dominant wins to secure their spot in the elite championship brackets.

• Pool Quarterfinals (Wisconsin 52, Arizona Black 17): Wisconsin kicked off the tournament by winning 11 of 16 bouts. Technical falls from Bronte Bethel (Mt. Horeb/Barneveld), Morgan Johnson (DeForest), Ramsey Brandenburg (Janesville Parker), and Persephone Schmidt (Madison Memorial) established an early lead, while pins from Mya Beckett (Notre Dame), Penelope Ayala (Manawa), and Bryn Schmidt (New London) blew the dual wide open.
• Pool Semifinals (Wisconsin 44, Indiana Gold 31): Facing a tough regional opponent, Wisconsin relied heavily on bonus points. Alexa Thomas (Badger) and Ember Zupanc (Marshfield) secured back-to-back technical falls, followed by an explosive middle-weight run featuring pins from Johnson, Daelin Cody (Princeton/Green Lake), and Brandenburg. Late falls from Bryn Schmidt and Mercedes Kruse (West De Pere) sealed the victory.
• Pool Finals (Wisconsin 40, #3 Washington 29): In their first major test against a top-3 program, Wisconsin’s depth proved to be the difference maker. Down early in the lightweights, the Badgers roared back with a blistering 10-0 technical fall from Janesville Parker’s Ramsey Brandenburg and a rapid first-period pin from Alexa Thomas. Heavyweight bonus points, including a clutch fall from Brielle Soto (Kenosha Bradford), mathematically secured the pool title.

The Gold/Silver Round Robin Gauntlet

Advancing to the championship round robin, Wisconsin faced a brutal schedule against three national powerhouses, displaying championship-level resilience in every single dual.

• Round 1 (Wisconsin 51, Ohio Blue 18): Wisconsin dismantled Ohio Blue by winning 12 out of 16 matchups. The lower-middle weights laid a flawless foundation with technical falls from Penelope Ayala, Alexa Thomas, and Cora Stewart (Port Washington), while Brandenburg and Brynlee Vaughan (Wautoma/Wild Rose) picked up rapid falls to push the team score past the 50-point mark.
• Round 2 (Wisconsin 46, Oklahoma 27): Oklahoma brought a highly athletic squad to the mat, but Wisconsin systematically countered their offensive pressure. Sevanna Hoyer (Brillion) sparked the middle weights with a 1:51 pin, followed by a blazing 58-second technical fall from Wautoma/Wild Rose’s Brynlee Vaughan. Clean pins from New London’s Bryn Schmidt and Badger’s Alexa Thomas slammed the door on any potential Oklahoma comeback.
• Round 3 (Wisconsin 39, #2 Pennsylvania Blue 35): In one of the most tactical duals of the entire tournament, Wisconsin edged out the #2-seeded Pennsylvania squad by a single four-point margin. Tied late in the dual, DeForest’s Morgan Johnson stepped onto the mat and executed a masterful 12-1 technical fall, providing the decisive bonus points required to punch Wisconsin’s ticket to the national finals.

National Championship: #6 Wisconsin 36, #5 California Gold 32

The national championship dual was an absolute classic, coming down to tactical decision-making and grit in the final matches. California jumped out to an early advantage across the upper-middle weights, but Wisconsin executed a perfectly timed counter-offensive.

Turning Points in the Final Dual:

• The Middle-Weight Anchor: Katie Davidson (Waunakee) and Brynlee Vaughan (Wautoma/Wild Rose) secured massive technical falls back-to-back, keeping Wisconsin within striking distance on the scoreboard. Sevanna Hoyer (Brillion) added an invaluable 4-2 decision.
• Heavyweight Resilience: West De Pere’s Mercedes Kruse wrestled a flawless defensive match to secure a critical 8-1 decision over Tasi Maumausolo Matagi, neutralizing California’s point-scoring threats in the upper weights.
• The Lightweight Surge: Trailing on the team score heading into the final stretch, Wisconsin’s lightweight room completely took over. Alexa Thomas (Badger) and Cora Stewart (Port Washington) posted back-to-back dominant decisions, setting up Marshfield’s Ember Zupanc to score a thrilling 3:59 pin.
• The Golden Goal: With the national title hanging in the balance, Morgan Johnson (DeForest) ground out a gritty 4-1 decision, allowing Janesville Parker’s Ramsey Brandenburg to step out and put the exclamation point on the championship with a lightning-fast pin.

16U Roster Records

• Brynlee Vaughan (Wautoma/Wild Rose): 6-0 (3 pins, 2 technical falls, 1 decision)
• Ramsey Brandenburg (Janesville Parker): 6-1 (4 pins, 2 technical falls)
• Alexa Thomas (Badger): 6-1 (3 pins, 2 technical falls, 1 decision)
• Katie Davidson (Waunakee): 6-1 (5 technical falls, 1 decision)
• Penelope Ayala (Manawa): 6-1 (2 pins, 1 technical fall, 3 decisions)
• Ember Zupanc (Marshfield): 5-1 (1 pin, 1 technical fall, 3 decisions)
• Mya Beckett (Notre Dame): 5-1 (2 pins, 1 technical fall, 1 decision)
• Bryn Schmidt (New London): 5-2 (3 pins, 2 decisions)
• Mercedes Kruse (West De Pere): 5-2 (1 pin, 1 decision)
• Aaliyah Miller (Adams-Friendship): 4-2 (1 pin, 2 decisions)
• Morgan Johnson (DeForest): 4-3 (1 pin, 2 technical falls, 1 decision)
• Cora Stewart (Port Washington): 3-3 (1 technical fall, 2 decisions)
• Persephone Schmidt (Madison Memorial): 1-0 (1 technical fall)
• Daelin Cody (Princeton/Green Lake): 1-1 (1 pin)
• Brielle Soto (Kenosha Bradford): 3-4 (1 pin)
• Sevanna Hoyer (Brillion): 2-5 (1 pin, 1 decision)
• Maliha Hamidou (Menomonee Falls): 2-5 (2 decisions)
• Bronte Bethel (Mt. Horeb/Barneveld): 1-6 (1 technical fall)
• Hazel Holden (Wisconsin Rapids): 0-1
• Jenson Kurszewski (Neenah): 0-1