By Corey Meints, The Times-Citizen
Council Bluffs, IA – Two Ellsworth Community College grapplers placed at the first-ever Region XI Women's Wrestling Championships. The good news for the Panthers is the National Tournament is still an open tournament, so the entire Panther squad will be making the trek back to Council Bluffs on March 7-8.
ECC was led by Audrie Felkins (110) and Meridian Snitker (145) who both placed third. Destiny Lofton (131) ended fourth.
Lost along the way were Melonie Barillas (103) and sixth-ranked Amara Ehsa (110) to injury. Neither were serious, and Walker expects both to be healthy by Nationals.
Felkins and Ehsa met in the consolation semifinal, with Felkins taking a 2-0 win. She went on to avenge a quarterfinals loss by fall to Indian Hills' Hinda Doucoure by winning the third-place match with her on criteria. Lofton bounced back from a quarterfinal loss to stick Joselyn McCunn of Iowa Western and decision Naomi Sohriakoff to reach the bronze match. There she fell 5-2 to Abbigail Smith, the top seed who pinned her in the quarters.
Snitker suffered a loss by tech fall in the semifinals after a bye and a pin win against Ellie Brenneman of Iowa Central. She came back to stop Hawkeye's Melody Kramer in 1:37 before beating Brenneman again by fall.
"We wrestled well for the most part," Walker said. "We had to medically forfeit at probably our two strongest weights as precaution, but had three placers."
Region XI Tournament
Saturday at Council Bluffs
Team Results:
1. Iowa Central 167; 2. Iowa Western 157; 3. Indian Hills 71; 4. Hawkeye 52; 5. Iowa Lakes 37.5; 6. North Iowa 27; 7. Ellsworth 23.5.
ECC Results:
103: Melonie Barillas (DNP)- Bye; pin by Alycia Perez (IH) 1:40; Bye; Bye; mff. to Savannah Siqueiros (IW).
110: Audrie Felkins (3rd)- Bye; dec. by Hinda Doucoure (IH) 7-0; Bye; Bye; dec. Amara Ehsa (ECC) 2-0; dec. Hinda Doucoure (IH) 8-8 criteria.
110: Amara Ehsa (DNP)- Bye; Bye; TF by Aneth Campos (IC) 12-0 1:17; dec. by Audrie Felkins (ECC) 2-0.
124: Julia Kanne (DNP)- Bye; dec. by Aniyah Dinwiddie (IC) 5-0; Bye; Bye; dec. by Jacie Bedell (IW) 7-0.
131: Destiney Lofton (4th)- Bye; pin by Abbigail Smith (IH) 4:13; Bye; pin Joselyn McCunn (IW) 1:57; dec. Naomi Sohriakoff (IC) 4-0; dec. by Abbigail Smith (IH) 5-2.
145: Meridian Snitker (3rd)- Bye; pin Ellie Brenneman (IC) 2:19; TF by Sara Daley (IW) 10-0 3:48; pin Melody Kremer (HC) 1:37; pin Ellie Brenneman (IC) 1:17.
160: Cambree Howe (DNP)- pin by Meya Roberts (HC) 0:54; Bye; pin by Keyahna Phillips (IL) 0:37.
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