Leathers named Outstanding Wrestler at Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals in Texas

IRVING, Texas – High school star Becka Leathers of Oklahoma won a loaded 55 kg/121 lbs. division and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals on Sunday.

Leathers, a 2013 Cadet World Team member, defeated past Junior World Team member and Cadet World champion Haley Augello, who competes for the New York AC and King College in two straight matches in the championship series. Leathers won the first bout 10-1 and the second bout 6-2.

Leathers was seventh at the 2013 FILA Cadet World Championships, which was her first international event.

Champions in the eightWorld Championships weights earn a spot on the U.S. FILA Junior World Team, which will compete in the FILA Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, August 5-10.

All nine of the championship best-of three series were finished in two straight matches.

Qualifying for the U.S. Junior World Team for the second straight year was Cody Pfau of the Gator Women’s RTC, the champion at 48 kg/105.75 lbs. Pfau, who was fifth at the FILA Junior World Championships last year, won in the finals in two straight bouts over Amy Hou of the USOTC. In bout one, Pfau won a wild 11-10 decision, but came back in bout two to score a pin in 1:17. Pfau attends Oklahoma City University.

It was a rematch of last year’s Junior Nationals finals, also won by Pfau.

Qualifying for her second U.S. age-group World Team of the year was Amy Fearnside of the Titan Mercury WC, the college star from Jamestown University at 51 kg / 112.25 lbs. Fearnside scored a pair of technical falls in the finals, stopping New Jersey’s Sierra Blasone in the finals 10-0 and 12-2. Fearnside also earned a spot on the 2014 U.S. University World Team with a victory at the University Nationals earlier this spring.

In addition to Leathers, there were two other members of the 2013 FILA Cadet World Team members who made this year’s FILA Junior World Team, Marina Doi of California at 44 kg / 97 lbs. and Alexis Porter of New York at 63 kg / 138.75 lbs.

Doi defeated her twin sister Regina Doi of California in the championship finals in two straight bouts, 7-0 in bout one and by injury default in bout two. Marina Doi was third at the 2013 Cadet World Championships and was a 2012 Cadet World champion.

Porter defeated Olivia Seppinni of California in the championship series, 5-2 and 11-4. Porter, who competes for the New York AC, was a 2012 and 2013 Junior Nationals champion, while Seppinni placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. Senior Open.

Perhaps the most dominant performance of the day came from 2012 Cadet World silver medalist Kayla Miracle of the Sunkist Kids, a high school star from Indiana, who defeated Gabrielle Weyhrich of Nebraska in the championship series, with a pin in 3:56 and an 11-0 technical fall.

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