Tricia Saunders HS Excellence Award honors impressive young women
By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, in recognition of the growth of girls high school wrestling in the United States, established the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2014. This major recognition is given to outstanding female seniors in states that sponsor a female high school state wrestling championship.
Each year, in addition to the state-level awards, the national Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award is presented to one exceptional female wrestling student-athlete. The national winner is honored at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Weekend each year, along with all of the other major awards presented by the Hall of Fame.
The award, presented annually to a high school senior, is based equally on outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement and citizenship or community service.
This was added to the official Hall of Fame program, in addition to the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award program, which is sponsored each year for exceptional boys high school wrestlers.
Tricia Saunders, who inspired the award, was a four-time World Champion, a member of the FILA Hall of Fame and the first female Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“I am very honored to have my name associated with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's High School Excellence Award, and am impressed with the accomplishments of all of the high school athletes who have earned this recognition,” Saunders said. “It is great to see the inclusion of female athletes in the 2014 class, and it is my hope that we continue to see an increase in the number of states that host high school state championships for girls. It is inspiring to see so many hard working, talented young wrestlers give back to their communities, while excelling both athletically and scholastically at the highest levels.”
A review of the winners of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award to date:
2014 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award - Marina Doi, California
A wrestler since age 3, Marina Doi won her second California Interscholastic Federation state championship in 2014, avenging her only loss of the season with a 7-1 decision in the 101-pound state finals. Her 16-1 season record for Kingsburg High School, as well as a host of international accolades, have earned her the inaugural Patricia Saunders High School Excellence Award.
Doi, whose identical twin sister Regina is also a very successful wrestler, has also been a star on the international level. She is a three-time FILA Cadet World Medalist, taking gold in 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan with her 3-0, 2-0 win over 2011 Cadet World bronze medalist Svetlana Ankicheva of Kazakhstan. In 2011, she won silver and in 2013, she won bronze and Regina a silver to become the first sisters to both medal in the same World championship.
She is a four-time USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner, a three-time FILA Cadet Pan-American Champion (2011-2013), and a two-time Reno Worlds champion. She and Regina both won Cadet national titles in Fargo in 2011, Marina at 88 pounds and Regina at 95, and in 2013, wrestling in the same weight class, the two were named co-champions at the Junior Nationals so that they wouldn’t have to wrestle each other.
Most recently, she won the Body Bar Women’s National Championship in May. Wrestling in the same weight class, she defeated Regina to earn a spot on the U.S. World Team and will compete in Croatia in August. Earlier in the spring, she won the Oklahoma Nationals and the Western Junior Regional.
Selected as her school’s valedictorian, Doi maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average at Kingsburg High School and will attend King University in the fall. She has run several wrestling clinics for young athletes and volunteers as a tutor at a local daycare. She is also involved with her school’s Advance Via Individual Determination (AVID) and Pre-Med clubs.
Other Finalists
• Shannon Pa’aaina, Mid-Pacific Institute (Hawaii)
• Kiera Gabaldon, North Salem High School (Oregon)
• Lyssa Maki, Northeast High School (Tennessee)
• Taylor Alva, Cypress Woods High School (Texas)
• Kiaya Van Scoyoc, Lakes High School (Washington)
2015 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award - Marizza Birrueta, Washington
Marizza Birrueta is a three-time Washington state high school wrestling champion for Grandview High School in Grandview, Washington. She is also a state freestyle champion. At the national level, Birrueta is a member of Team Washington and won a USA Wrestling Junior National title last year. She placed first at the 2015 Flo Reno Worlds.
In addition to winning wrestling tournaments, Birrueta also has a series of historic firsts to her credit. In 2012, she was the first male or female from her school to make it to state as a freshman. In 2013, she was the first female to ever win a state title for Grandview High School. She was also part of the first team to bring a national championship back to her home state when Team Washington won the Junior Women’s National Duals in 2014.
Over the last four years, Birrueta has maintained a 3.4 GPA and has chosen to attend Oklahoma City University in the fall. In addition to wrestling, she lettered in track and field. Birrueta was Homecoming Princess in 2012-2013. As a part of her community service, she has coached a local youth wrestling program and volunteered at her church.
This year marks the Hall of Fame’s second annual Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, given to outstanding female seniors in states that sponsor a female high school state wrestling championship. Saunders, who inspired the award, was a four-time World Champion, a member of the FILA Hall of Fame and the first female Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Other Finalists
• Brittany Woods-Orrison, Mt. Edgecumbe High School (Alaska)
• Alyssa LaFrancis, Rancho Buena Vista High School (California)
• Carly Jaramillo, Lahainaluna High School (Hawaii)
• Jessica DeHart, Hood River Valley High School (Oregon)
• Alexandria Knowles, Science Hill High School (Tennessee)
• Daniela Flores, Hanks High School (Texas)
2016 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award - Katie Brock, Tennessee
Katie Brock was a seventh grade cheerleader when she met Sequatchie County High School wrestling coach Junior Auburn and told him that she wanted to wrestle. It was an encounter that would change her life.
As the only female wrestler in the area, Brock had to overcome obstacles and criticism to compete. She found support through her teammates and her coaches who viewed her as a competitive wrestler, not as a girl.
As a freshman, she became the first wrestler, male or female, from Sequatchie County High School to win a state championship. Three years later, she pinned her way through the state tournament to become a four-time Tennessee state champ. The former cheerleader turned wrestler has captured more state championships than any other team or individual in school history.
Brock finished with a career record of 113-2 in three different weight classes, and as a senior, earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the regional and state tournaments. She received the Best Match award in 2014.
During her high school career, Brock was not only the captain of the wrestling team all four years, but also lettered in volleyball and was team captain as a senior. Despite her busy schedule, she maintained a GPA of 3.54.
In her spare time, Brock volunteers at the Sequatchie County Fair, winning the “Fairest of the Fair” title in 2015, and is involved in the Junior Health Council, the Beta Club, and the Connect Crew at SCHS. Brock has accepted a scholarship and signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the one of the nation’s top programs, Campbellsville University in Kentucky, where she plans to study pediatric nursing.
Other Finalists
• Roberta Christopher, Chief Ivan Blunka School (Alaska)
• Gabby Garcia, Valencia High School (California)
• Teshya Alo, Kamehameha High School (Hawaii)
• Payton Rigert, Hood River Valley High School (Oregon)
• Brianna Holcomb, Hanks High School (Texas)
• Jordyn Bartelson, Puyallup High School (Washington)
USA Wrestling
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, in recognition of the growth of girls high school wrestling in the United States, established the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2014. This major recognition is given to outstanding female seniors in states that sponsor a female high school state wrestling championship.
Each year, in addition to the state-level awards, the national Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award is presented to one exceptional female wrestling student-athlete. The national winner is honored at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Weekend each year, along with all of the other major awards presented by the Hall of Fame.
The award, presented annually to a high school senior, is based equally on outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement and citizenship or community service.
This was added to the official Hall of Fame program, in addition to the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award program, which is sponsored each year for exceptional boys high school wrestlers.
Tricia Saunders, who inspired the award, was a four-time World Champion, a member of the FILA Hall of Fame and the first female Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“I am very honored to have my name associated with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's High School Excellence Award, and am impressed with the accomplishments of all of the high school athletes who have earned this recognition,” Saunders said. “It is great to see the inclusion of female athletes in the 2014 class, and it is my hope that we continue to see an increase in the number of states that host high school state championships for girls. It is inspiring to see so many hard working, talented young wrestlers give back to their communities, while excelling both athletically and scholastically at the highest levels.”
A review of the winners of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award to date:
2014 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award - Marina Doi, California
A wrestler since age 3, Marina Doi won her second California Interscholastic Federation state championship in 2014, avenging her only loss of the season with a 7-1 decision in the 101-pound state finals. Her 16-1 season record for Kingsburg High School, as well as a host of international accolades, have earned her the inaugural Patricia Saunders High School Excellence Award.
Doi, whose identical twin sister Regina is also a very successful wrestler, has also been a star on the international level. She is a three-time FILA Cadet World Medalist, taking gold in 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan with her 3-0, 2-0 win over 2011 Cadet World bronze medalist Svetlana Ankicheva of Kazakhstan. In 2011, she won silver and in 2013, she won bronze and Regina a silver to become the first sisters to both medal in the same World championship.
She is a four-time USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner, a three-time FILA Cadet Pan-American Champion (2011-2013), and a two-time Reno Worlds champion. She and Regina both won Cadet national titles in Fargo in 2011, Marina at 88 pounds and Regina at 95, and in 2013, wrestling in the same weight class, the two were named co-champions at the Junior Nationals so that they wouldn’t have to wrestle each other.
Most recently, she won the Body Bar Women’s National Championship in May. Wrestling in the same weight class, she defeated Regina to earn a spot on the U.S. World Team and will compete in Croatia in August. Earlier in the spring, she won the Oklahoma Nationals and the Western Junior Regional.
Selected as her school’s valedictorian, Doi maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average at Kingsburg High School and will attend King University in the fall. She has run several wrestling clinics for young athletes and volunteers as a tutor at a local daycare. She is also involved with her school’s Advance Via Individual Determination (AVID) and Pre-Med clubs.
Other Finalists
• Shannon Pa’aaina, Mid-Pacific Institute (Hawaii)
• Kiera Gabaldon, North Salem High School (Oregon)
• Lyssa Maki, Northeast High School (Tennessee)
• Taylor Alva, Cypress Woods High School (Texas)
• Kiaya Van Scoyoc, Lakes High School (Washington)
2015 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award - Marizza Birrueta, Washington
Marizza Birrueta is a three-time Washington state high school wrestling champion for Grandview High School in Grandview, Washington. She is also a state freestyle champion. At the national level, Birrueta is a member of Team Washington and won a USA Wrestling Junior National title last year. She placed first at the 2015 Flo Reno Worlds.
In addition to winning wrestling tournaments, Birrueta also has a series of historic firsts to her credit. In 2012, she was the first male or female from her school to make it to state as a freshman. In 2013, she was the first female to ever win a state title for Grandview High School. She was also part of the first team to bring a national championship back to her home state when Team Washington won the Junior Women’s National Duals in 2014.
Over the last four years, Birrueta has maintained a 3.4 GPA and has chosen to attend Oklahoma City University in the fall. In addition to wrestling, she lettered in track and field. Birrueta was Homecoming Princess in 2012-2013. As a part of her community service, she has coached a local youth wrestling program and volunteered at her church.
This year marks the Hall of Fame’s second annual Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, given to outstanding female seniors in states that sponsor a female high school state wrestling championship. Saunders, who inspired the award, was a four-time World Champion, a member of the FILA Hall of Fame and the first female Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Other Finalists
• Brittany Woods-Orrison, Mt. Edgecumbe High School (Alaska)
• Alyssa LaFrancis, Rancho Buena Vista High School (California)
• Carly Jaramillo, Lahainaluna High School (Hawaii)
• Jessica DeHart, Hood River Valley High School (Oregon)
• Alexandria Knowles, Science Hill High School (Tennessee)
• Daniela Flores, Hanks High School (Texas)
2016 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award - Katie Brock, Tennessee
Katie Brock was a seventh grade cheerleader when she met Sequatchie County High School wrestling coach Junior Auburn and told him that she wanted to wrestle. It was an encounter that would change her life.
As the only female wrestler in the area, Brock had to overcome obstacles and criticism to compete. She found support through her teammates and her coaches who viewed her as a competitive wrestler, not as a girl.
As a freshman, she became the first wrestler, male or female, from Sequatchie County High School to win a state championship. Three years later, she pinned her way through the state tournament to become a four-time Tennessee state champ. The former cheerleader turned wrestler has captured more state championships than any other team or individual in school history.
Brock finished with a career record of 113-2 in three different weight classes, and as a senior, earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the regional and state tournaments. She received the Best Match award in 2014.
During her high school career, Brock was not only the captain of the wrestling team all four years, but also lettered in volleyball and was team captain as a senior. Despite her busy schedule, she maintained a GPA of 3.54.
In her spare time, Brock volunteers at the Sequatchie County Fair, winning the “Fairest of the Fair” title in 2015, and is involved in the Junior Health Council, the Beta Club, and the Connect Crew at SCHS. Brock has accepted a scholarship and signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the one of the nation’s top programs, Campbellsville University in Kentucky, where she plans to study pediatric nursing.
Other Finalists
• Roberta Christopher, Chief Ivan Blunka School (Alaska)
• Gabby Garcia, Valencia High School (California)
• Teshya Alo, Kamehameha High School (Hawaii)
• Payton Rigert, Hood River Valley High School (Oregon)
• Brianna Holcomb, Hanks High School (Texas)
• Jordyn Bartelson, Puyallup High School (Washington)
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