Local female wrestlers excel at regional competition

Local youth wrestlers recently competed at the Southeast Regionals Tournament hosted by USA Wrestling in Cherokee, N.C. The five female athletes were competitive in each of their classes finishing in the top 5.

The competition was a qualifying tournament for the 2023 U.S. Marine Corps Junior & 16U Nationals, a national Freestyle and Greco tournament held every year in Fargo, N.D. The Southeast Regionals this year had competitors from more than 20 states in attendance representing their local club teams. There were at least 10 women representing the Beaufort County area at this tournament.

Vivian Patricia Urriola, a rising freshman at May River High School, competed in the 16U, 117-pound class. She is the only female at Reverence Wrestling Club (RWC) who competed in both Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling.

Urriola took first place in Freestyle wrestling and third place in Greco wrestling.

“This was an exciting competition for me,” Urriola said. “I am thankful to Reverence for the training and my teammates for all our efforts.”

The other athletes from RWC who competed in Freestyle wrestling across different ages and weights included: Sophia Perez who is a student at McCracken Middle School (14U, 110 pounds) placed first; Aleysha Mendez, a student at Red Cedar Elementa- ry (8U, 52 pounds) placed second; Amaia Mendez, a student at Red Cedar Elementary (10U, 76 pounds) placed third; and Angely Mendez, a student at Bluffton Middle School (14U, 119 pounds) placed fourth.

These girls attend wrestling practices at RWC up to four days a week, multiple hours per day, throughout the year. RWC offers a dedicated women’s class that the girls attend, as well as regular practices, strength training, and agility work. Their year-round commitment to the sport of wrestling was evident as they faced tough competition from many states at the Southeast Regional Tournament.

“We are so proud of their efforts and expect many great things from them in the future!” says Emily Maffei, operations director at RWC.

Reverence Wrestling Club (RWC) was founded in 2020 by Blake and Emily Maffei with a purpose-driven approach toward growing Beaufort County’s overall youth and high school wrestling culture and fostering widespread wrestling superiority from athletes in the Lowcountry.

The wrestling club operates year-round, promoting and practicing Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman styles with an emphasis on athletics, acrobatics, and academics. For more information, visit reverencewrestling.com.

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