The University of Maine Wrestling Club attended the 2024 National Club Wrestling Association National Championship. The meet took place in Bossier City, Louisiana, from March 14 to March 16. The UMaine Student Government supported the team’s trip by using a portion of the student activity fee to fund the travel expenses.
Six UMaine students qualified for the Nationals meet, and three participated. The students who wrestled in the meet were third-year Emma Fonger, second-year Thomas Kelly, and first-year Gabriel Kelley. Fonger wrestled in the women’s 155-pound weight class, while Thomas Kelly competed in the men’s 174-pound weight class. Gabriel Kelley entered the men’s 157-pound weight class. However, he would forfeit both of his matches in the tournament, and finish the season with a 7-9 record.
With a record of 4-1 this year, Fonger was seeded fourth out of 22 individuals in her weight class. This earned her a first-round bye in the bracket, meaning her first match came in the second round. Fonger’s first opponent was Marie Marbet, a second-year student from Washington State University who had an 11-6 record. Fonger won the match with a pin in 1:30 to advance to the next round.
Her next opponent was fifth-seeded Jah’Mya Hill from Allen University. Hill is a first-year student who has accumulated a 6-5 record on the season. Fonger won again with a pin, this time in 6:03, a more lengthy battle.
Fonger advanced to the semifinal round, facing off against the number one overall seed, Mikayla Silverman, a third-year student from UCLA with a 9-0 record. Silverman won the match with a technical fall, scoring 15 points in 2:49. Silverman also went on to win first place in the bracket.
Fonger competed again in the consolation bracket, facing off against second-seeded Samantha Tuttle, a fourth-year student from Grand Canyon University with a 4-3 record. Tuttle pinned Fonger in 6:03.
In her last match of the day, Fonger competed for fifth place against Orianna Morales, a fourth-year student from Grand Canyon University, who had a 6-2 record. Morales pinned Fonger in 3:47. However, after a well-fought tournament, Fonger would earn sixth place in the women’s 155-pound weight group bracket.
Kelly entered the meet with a 7-6 record in competition this year. In his first match in the men’s 174-pound weight class, he faced Onailyn Diaz, a graduate student from the University of Las Vegas Nevada with a 6-9 record. Kelly pinned Diaz in 2:54 to advance to the next round.
His next match would be against fourth-seeded first-year student Anthony Marshall, who earned a 28-6 record competing for Emory and Henry College. Marshall pinned Kelly 5:36 into the match, sending him to the consolation bracket.
In his first consolation match, Kelly’s opponent forfeited, advancing him to another round. He then wrestled against Adam Gluck, a third-year student from Ohio State University with a 9-5 record. After a 6:00 fight, Kelly prevailed, pinning Gluck. He would move on to compete against second-year RPI student Sean Haas. Seeded tenth overall with an 18-6 record, Haas pinned Kelly in 3:46, which eliminated Kelly from the tournament.
