The Clan women’s wrestling took to the mats this past weekend, travelling all the way to Kentucky to compete in the Patriot Duals with some of the best teams in the country. Led by men’s head wrestling coach Justin Abdou, the women’s team were able to come away with a 7–1 record over the weekend.
“The girls dominated their first seven duels, only coming up short against the defending national champions in the finals,” said coach Abdou.
The women’s team did just that, outscoring the other teams by a staggering margin of 223–88. Their only loss came to King University, who are currently ranked first in the nation. Strong efforts from the entire duel lineup allowed the Clan to be successful over the two-day tournament.
“Abby Lloyd, Dominique Parrish, and Nicole Depa all went 8–0 this weekend. We were down two starters and are looking forward to having them back in the lineup,” coach Abou said of the women’s individual performances.
Missing from action this weekend was returning national champion Mallory Velte (143-lbs weight class) and Francesca Giorgio (136), who placed third at last year’s national championships. Despite missing two key pieces, the Clan were still able to dominate with three freshman filling in for the starting lineup.
Coming off of a third place finish at last year’s national championships, the Clan are poised to make an impact late this year once again. Led by returning national champion Velte, they were ranked second in the year’s preseason rankings. With multiple returning national placers, the Clan are definitely a team that other schools should watch out for.
When asked about the team’s performance against top-ranked King University, coach Abdou said, “It was a good test to go up against a team like that this early to see how good we are. We have some work to do but if we stay healthy and continue to improve we can definitely have a shot to win come Nationals.”
The Patriot Duals are just one of the first major tournaments the Clan will be a part of this season. Despite it being an early tournament, the Clan has a lot of positives to take away from the tournament. Additionally, they know what they can work on to take down King University at the national championships this spring.
Following their strong start, the Clan will be active again this coming weekend in Spokane, Washington. After that, you can see them at home in West Gym on December 2 and 3.
