2011 ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team named

The nation’s best girls high school wrestlers are being honored with the announcement of the 11th annual ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.

The 2011 First Team members will be recognized at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. in July, where they will be presented with their trophies. At the same time, the ASICS High School Girls Wrestler of the Year will be announced.

There were six members of the 2010 First Team who were selected as First Team members again in 2011: Kayla Brendlinger of Slippery Rock High School (Pa.), Jenna Burkert of Marquette High School (Mich.), Erin Golston of Marquette High School (Mich.), Roni Goodale of Bettandorf High School (Iowa), Julia Salata of Canton High School (Mich.) and Emily Webster of Cameron High School (Mo.)

The ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team is selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts. It is the only national all-star team for which female high school wrestlers competing on all four grade levels are eligible. Athletes from across the nation were considered for their achievements in high school wrestling, as well as the major post-season freestyle and folkstyle competitions. 

ASICS is a national sponsor of USA Wrestling and a major supporter of wrestling at all levels. ASICS has sponsored the nationally respected ASICS High School All-American Team for boys wrestlers for 26 years.

“The ASICS Tiger Corporation is proud to be a sponsor of the All-American wrestling team for girls,” said Neil Duncan, Vice President of TW Promotions which represents ASICS. “We see this sport having a huge potential for growth, and look forward to the day when many more high schools and colleges across the country offer wrestling programs for the female athlete. These are our future Olympians in women’s wrestling.”

Michigan led the nation with three First Team members: Salata, plus Crystal Borrow of Durand High School and Rachel McFarland of DeWitt High School. 

Pennsylvania, New York and Iowa had two First Team members each. Pennsylvania was led by Kayla Brendlinger of Slippery Rock High School and Kim Spiegel, who is from Port Trevorton, Pa.. Illinois is represented by Haley Augello of Lockport High School and Erin Golston, who is from Lake in the Hills, Ill. Iowa First Teamers were Roni Goodale of Bettandorf High and Cassy Herkelman of Cedar Falls High School.

Burkert, Golston and Spiegel are members of the USOEC women’s wrestling program at Northern Michigan Univ. and attend Marquette High School in Michigan. Burkert hails from Rocky Point, N.Y. 

Four First Team members were All-Americans on the Senior level by placing at the 2011 U.S. Open in Cleveland, Burkert, Golston, Brendlinger and Amanda Hendey of Beaumont High School (Calif.)

The First Team featured nine different wrestlers who won national scholastic-style titles this year, by claiming gold medals at either the 2011 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in Oklahoma or the 2011 USGWA National Championships in Michigan. The USA Wrestling Folkstyle National champions on the First Team were Burkert, Goodale, Hendey, McFarland, Salata, Webster, plus Kayla Miracle of Culver Academy (Ind.) The USGWA National champions on the First Team were Borrow, Goodale and Herkelman.

Six First Team members won USA Wrestling ASICS/Vaughan Junior National titles in the summer of 2010, including Augello, Brendlinger, Salata, Spiegel and Webster, plus Krista Revelle of Jefferson West High School (Kansas).

The First Team featured 10 seniors, one junior, one sophomore and two freshmen. In total, nine states were represented on the First Team. 

The Second Team was also star-studded, led by ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals champions Brieana Delgado of Hillcrest High School (S.C.), Miriam Moreno of Hereford High School (Texas), Chrissy Chow of Punahou High School (Hawaii) and Mindy Chow of Punahou High School (Hawaii). USA Wrestling Folkstyle National champions were Demi Strub of St. Leon East High School (Ind.) and Alexia Moreno of Turlock High School (Calif.). USGWA National champions included Erin English of North Roylaton High School (Ohio), Ashley Iliff of Newton High School (N.J.) and Jakeitha Baker of Raleigh High School (N.C.)

The Third Team featured ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals champion Megan Yamaguchi of Kalani High School (Hawaii), USA Wrestling Folkstyle National champion Samantha Klingel of Pleasant Valley High School (Pa.) and USGWA National champions Sherri Berube of Escanaba High School (Mich.), Jillian Jenkins of Albany High School (Calif.) and Carol Chuma of Surprise High School (Ariz.)

As the National Federation of State High Schools has yet to determine specific weight classes for girls wrestling, the athletes were selected based solely on achievement and ability. The top 14 athletes were named to the First Team, the second 14 athletes were named to the Second Team and the third 14 athletes were selected to the Third Team. Thirty athletes were named as Honorable Mention. An effort was made to make a reasonable spread of weights on each team. If the National Federation sets specific girls weight classes in the future, the selection committee will consider using those weight classes for the selection criteria at that time.

For the TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team, athletes were identified in three weight ranges: Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).

In total, 72 wrestlers were selected to TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team. California led all states with 13 selections, followed by Michigan with 10, Hawaii with six, and New York and Pennsylvania with five.

OK A total of 25 states were represented on the All-American Team. The team included 35 seniors, 15 juniors, 13 sophomores and nine freshmen. 

Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports among youth sports for women. It has been an Olympic sport for the last two Olympic Games, the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. There are an estimated 9,000 girls competing on the high school level in the United States today, and the number has grown each year for the last dozen years. Colleges continue to add women’s wrestling on the varsity and club level across the nation.

2011 TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Team

First Team (alphabetically)
Haley Augello, sophomore, Lockport, Ill, Lockport High School, light
Crystal Borrow, senior, Durand, Mich., Durand High School, upper
Kayla Brendlinger, senior, Slippery Rock, Pa.. Slippery Rock High School, light
Jenna Burkert, senior, Middle Island, N.Y., Marquette High School (Mich.), middle  
Erin Golston, senior, Lake in the Hills, Ill., Marquette High School (Mich.), light
Roni Goodale, senior, Muscatine, Iowa, Bettendorf High School, middle
Amanda Hendey, senior, Beaumont, Calif., Beaumont High School, middle
Cassy Herkelman, freshman, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Cedar Falls High School, light
Rachel McFarland, junior, Dewitt, Mich., DeWitt High School, light
Kayla Miracle, freshman, Culver, Ind., Culver Academy, light
Krista Revelle, senior, Meriden, Kansas, Jefferson West High School, upper
Julia Salata, senior, Canton, Mich., Canton High School, middle
Kim Spiegel, senior, Port Trevorton, Pa., Marquette High School (Mich.), upper
Emily Webster, senior, Cameron, Mo., Cameron High School, light

Second Team (alphabetically)
Jakeitha Baker, freshman, Raleigh, N.C., Raleigh High School, middle
Chrissy Chow, senior, Honolulu, Hawaii, Punahou High School, middle
Mindy Chow, sophomore, Honolulu, Hawaii, Punahou High School, middle
Brieana Delgado, senior, Fountain Inn, S.C., Hillcrest High School, middle
Erin English, senior, North Royalton, Ohio, North Royalton High School, upper
Hanna Grisewood, junior, Warsaw, N.Y., Warsaw Central, light
Sara Hildebrandt, senior, Granger, Ind., Mishawaka Penn High School, light
Ashley Iliff, senior, Newton, N.J., Newton High School, light
Alexia Moreno, sophomore, Turlock, Calif., Turlock High School, middle
Miriam Moreno, senior, Hereford, Texas, Hereford High School, upper
Jennifer Page, senior, Sacramento, Calif., Bella Vista High School, middle
Demi Strub, senior, Guilford, Ind., St. Leon East High School, middle
Mary Westman, junior, Cattaraugus, N.Y., Cattaraugus-Little Valley Apple School, upper
Jasmine Yanez, senior, Gilroy, Calif., Gilroy High School, light

Third Team (alphabetically)
Sherri Berube, junior, Escanaba, Mich., Escanaba High School, light
Carole Chuma, junior, Surprise, Ariz., Surprise High School, middle
Regina Doi, freshman, Kingsburg, Calif., Kingsburg High School, light
Rachel Hale, freshman, Bennington, Vermont, Mount Anthony High School, light
Hanna Hall, junior, Doylestown, Ohio, Chippewa High School, middle
Sophie Hertz, junior, Colorado Springs, Colo., homeschooled, middle
Jillian Jenkins, junior, Albany, Calif., Albany High School, upper
Samantha Klingel, senior, Kresgeville, Pa., Pleasant Valley High School, light
Anna McAleavy, junior, Houston, Texas, Cypress Creek High School, light
Sheridan McDonald, senior, Benton City, Wash., Kiona Benton High School, middle
Tamyra Mensah, senior, Katy, Texas, Morton Ranch High School, middle
Jamaie Scott, senior, Sacramento, Calif., West Campus High School, upper
Shelby Morrison, junior, Amarillo, Texas, Tascosa High School, light
Megan Yamaguchi, sophomore, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kalani High School, middle

Honorable Mention (alphabetically)
Cheyenne Carden, senior, Branford, Conn., Branford High School, middle
Danielle Coughlin, sophomore, North Andover, Mass., North Andover High School, light
Michaela Denny, sophomore, Warrenton, Mo., Warrenton High School, light
Marina Doi, freshman, Kingsburg, Calif, Kingsburg High School, light
Mabel Flores, senior, Los Banos, Calif., Los Banos High School, middle
Rosemary Flores, sophomore, Port Richmond, N.Y., Curtis High School, light
Steffanie Hampton, freshman, Onondaga, Mich., Leslie High School, light
Tonya Keegan, senior, Troy, Pa., Troy High School, upper
Tia Kingsley, senior, Webberville, Mich., Fowlerville High School, middle
Kalin Knight-Alvarez, senior, Vista, Calif., Oceanside High School, light
Kasey Kruczek, junior, Easton, Pa., Easton High School, upper
Desiree Lewis, sophomore, Sutherland, Va., Dinwiddie High School, upper
Stephany-Sarara Mix, junior, Arlington, S.D., Arlington High School, middle
Quinn Nagatani, junior, Waipahu, Hawaii, Pacific Buddhist High School, light
Kayla Petit, senior, Goodrich, Mich., Goodrich High School, middle
Cody Pfau, sophomore, Meeker, Colo., Grand Valley High School, light
Amanda Prough, senior, Wayne, Mich., Wayne Memorial High School, upper
Brenna Ramirez, sophomore, Manistee, Mich., Manistee High School, upper
Jaimie Reif, freshman, Racine, Wis., Kenosha Bradford High School, light
Lauren Richardson, senior, Bremerton, Wash., Bremerton High School, light
Casey Rue, sophomore, Middle Grove, N.Y., Saratoga Springs High School, light
Autumn Rux, freshman, Lansing, Mich., Lansing Eastern High School, upper
Marina Sanchez, junior, Riverside, Calif., La Sierra High School, light
Anela Santiago, senior, Kahuku, Hawaii, Kahuku High School, upper
Casey Silkwood, senior, Kenosha, Wis., Bradford High School, upper
Hope Steffenson, sophomore, Alaska, Kenai Central High School, light
Allene Somera, senior, Kailua, Hawaii, Kailua High School, light
Amy Spafford, junior, Camarillo, Calif., Royal High School, upper
Tamara Tillman, senior, Santa Fe, Calif., Santa Fe High School, light
Alesha Zappitella, sophomore, Conneaunt, Ohio, Conneaut High School, light