PATTAYA, Thailand – It wasn’t the medal she came to Thailand looking for, but King College’s Alli Ragan will take it.

Ragan (Carbondale, Ill./King College) was the lone U.S. women’s freestyle medal, earning a bronze at 63 kg/138 lbs., on Friday at the 2012 FILA Junior World Championships held at Eastern Sports Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand. 

It was the second medal of the week for the U.S. women’s freestyle team, as Ranga joined Erin Golston, who won a bronze medal on Thursday. 

“I wanted the gold of course, but I’ll take any medal,” said Ragan.  “I guess at the end of the day, you have to be happy with what you get and built upon what you didn’t do.”

After losing in the quarterfinals, Ragan had to play the waiting game. But once given new life Ragan opened up her offense and came away with her second Junior World bronze medal after pinning Tetyana Lavrenchuk of Ukraine at 63 kg/138 lbs.

Ragan won the first period 1-0 after winning the ball draw and scoring from the tie-breaking leg clinch starting position. In the second, she caught her opponent’s momentum and threw a headlock, sending Lavrenchuk to the mat. After readjusting her grip, the officials called for the fall at 50 seconds into the second period. 

“After I lost (the quarterfinal) match, I was down in the dumps, but luckily that girl came back and brought me in,” said Ragan. “I brought my offense more to the table. In that third-place match, I knew she was going to tie up. I felt it there, and said okay, let’s go for it.”

Ragan started off the day with a three-period victory over Laura Gavriliuc of Romania. Ragan lost the first period 1-1, the on the strength of a three-point double leg takedown in the second, won that period 3-3. In the third, it was all Ragan as she used another powerful double leg to score three points and eventually win the third 4-0.

In the quarters, Ragan fell to Anastasiya Huchok of Belarus by fall in 48 seconds. Ragan was pulled back into the repechage after Huchok made the finals and Ragan made the most of the opportunity, dominating Germany’s Nadien Wienauge 4-0, 6-0 to reach the bronze medal match. 

Huchok would eventually win the championship, beating Maria Lyulkova of Russia in the finals. 

“I think Alli did a great job,” said Junior World Team coach Jason Moorman, who is also Ragan’s coach at King College. “We just said you have to be on the attack. She has a lot of different tools and she’s scoring a lot of different ways. You didn’t see that until the very next match.

Kristi Garr (Goodrich, Mich./OCU/Gator WC), Sarah Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind./King College) and Julia Salata (Canton, Mich./King College) all competed on Friday, but failed to reach the medal matches.

Garr, wrestling at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., lost to returning Junior World bronze medalist Emilia Vuc of Romania 6-1, 7-0 to open the competition. Garr was eliminated when Vuc was beaten by Japan’s Yuki Irie in the quarterfinals. Garr finished 15th

Hildebrandt, wrestling at 55 kg/121 lbs., won her opening round match in three periods, 1-0, 2-0 over Moldova’s Elena Turcan to advance to the quarterfinals, but was beaten in that round by Azerbaijan’s Yarina Dubovska 1-0, 3-1, 1-1. Hildebrandt finished in 11th place.

When Dubovska was beaten in the quarterfinals by Ukraine’s Tetyana Kit, Hildebrandt was eliminated from medal contention. 

Salata, wrestling at 72 kg/158 lbs., started off strong, defeated 2011 Junior World bronze medalist Elmira Szydykova of Kazakhstan 3-0, 1-3, 3-1. In the quarterfinals, Salata was pinned by Halina Leuchanka of Belarus in 28 seconds. Leuchanka was pinned in the semifinals by France’s Cynthia Vescan, thus eliminating Salata from medal contention. 

Salata would finish in eighth place.

Ragan, Hildebrandt and Salata all compete for King College in Bristol, Tenn., while Garr competes for Oklahoma City University. 

FILA JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Pattaya, Thailand, September 7

Women’s Freestyle Results
48 kg/105. Lbs
Gold – Yuki Irie (Japan)
Silver – Thi Hang Vu (Vietnam)
Bronze – Mercedesz Denes (Hungary)
Bronze – Nadezda Fedorova (Russia)
5th – Sara Jezierzanska (Poland)
5th – Emilia Vuc (Romania)
7th-  Kamala Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
8th- Mamta Rani (India)
9th- Victoria Jeppsson (Sweden)
10th – Jade Papke (Canada)
15th – Kristi Garr (United States)

55 kg/121 lbs. 
Gold – Kanako Murata (Japan)
Silver – Xuechun Zhong (China)
Bronze – Petra Olli (Finland)
Bronze –Tetyana Kit (Ukraine)
5th – Virginia Jimenez (Venezuela)
5th –Kathrin Neumaier (Germany)
7th- Yarina Dubovska (Azerbaijan)
8th- Orkhon Puredorj (Mongolia)
9th-  Zalina Sidakova (Belarus)
10th – Liisa Andersson (Sweden)
11th – Sarah Hilderbrandt (United States)


63 kg/138 lbs.
Gold – Anastasiya Huchok (Belarus)
Silver – Maria Lyulkova (Russia)
Bronze – Alli Ragan (United States)
Bronze – Yekaterina Larionova (Kazakhstan)
5th – Tetyana Lavrenchuk (Ukraine)
5th – Braxton Stone (Canada)
7th- Wen-Ling Chen (Chinese Taipei)
8th- Laura Robocinska (Poland)
9th- Haruka Sato (Japan)
10th – Hye-Bin Kim (Korea)

72 kg/158 lbs.
Gold – Feng Zhou (China)
Silver – Cynthia Vescan (France)
Bronze – Gamze Durukan (Turkey)
Bronze – Halina Leuchanka (Belarus)
5th – Justina DiStasio (Canada)
5th – Illena Macovei (Romania)
7th-  Epp Mae (Estonia)
8th- Julia Salata (United States)
9th-  Tae-Kyung Lee (Korea)
10th – Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan)	

U.S. Women’s freestyle performances
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Kristi Garr, Goodrich, Mich., DNP/15th 
LOSS Emilia Vuc (Romania) 6-1, 7-0

55 kg/121 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt, Granger, Ind. DNP/11th 
WIN Elena Turcan (Moldova) 1-0, 2-0
LOSS Yarina Dubovska (Azerbaijan) 1-0, 1-3, 1-1

63 kg/138 lbs. – Alli Ragan, Carbondale, Ill. - Bronze
WIN Laura Gavriliuc (Romania) 1-1, 3-3, 4-0
LOSS Anastasiya Huchok (Belarus) Fall :48
WIN Nadien Wienauge (Germany) 4-0, 6-0
WIN Tetyana Lavrenchuk (Ukraine) 1-0, Fall :50

72 kg/158 lbs. – Julia Salata, Canton, Mich.
WIN Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan) 3-0, 1-3, 3-1
LOSS Halina Leuchanka (Belarus) Fall :28
 
Team Standings
1. Japan 53
2. China 42
3. Ukraine 41
4. Turkey 33
5. Russia 29
6. Mongolia 25
6. United States 25
8. Belarus 24
9. Canada 23
10. Poland 19
11. India 17
11. Romania 17
13. Kazakhstan 15
14. Azerbaijan 13
15. Germany 12
16. France 9
16. Vietnam 9
16. Sweden 9
19. Finland 8
19. Hungary 8
21. Korea 7
22. Venezuela 6
23. Estonia 5
23. Chinese Taipei 5
25. Moldova 2
26. Bulgaria 1
26. Thailand 1