Maryland Women Snag Hardware in Spokane!

Over the weekend of April 9th through the 12th ladies of all ages gathered in at The Pilot in Spokane, Washington for the Women’s Nationals and World Team Trials.

World Team Trials, which were the best of three finals, were contested in the U17, U20, and U23 Divisions with Maryland gaining a champion and World Team Rep in all three, with Archbishop Spalding’s Taina Fernandez doing the heavy lifting by earning the U17 and U20 spots.

FERNANDEZ IS A DOUBLE WORLD TEAM MEMBER

Fernandez is no stranger to the trials and the world stage as she will be in pursuit of her third straight U17 World Championship in Azerbaijan in late July (the 27th to Aug 2nd). A few weeks after that, the junior will step into the world U20 realm for the first time in Slovakia for a mid-August test (17th to 23rd).

“My heart is genuinely just so full!” Fernandez said excitedly to High School On SI. “I’m so grateful that I kept trusting in God’s plan through all the highs and lows. The process definitely wasn’t easy, but I knew what it promised would be worth it. For the U17 finals, I just wanted to make a statement, since it was my very last year at the age level. Additionally, as it was the last two matches overall for both U20 & U17, I wanted to pour everything I had into them and end off strong.”

Chronologically, the U20 Crown came first for Fernandez as that competition got underway on Thursday and concluded on Friday. Fernandez encountered a star-studded field in this bracket, including taking on a collegiate wrestler, Presbyterian’s May Cuyler, in the finals.

In the early going of the first round, Fernandez got a scare unlike any she has endured over recent competitors when she fell behind on the scoreboard. 4-2. It wasn’t a fluke either and for a hot minute Fernandez was in trouble on her back but returned to safety.

From there it was over for Cuyler as Fernandez shook that off and went to work posting a 14-4 technical superiority win 43 seconds into the second period. U20 wrestles two, three-minute periods. When they ran it back, Cuyler lasted into the second frame before falling victim to an 11-0 tech in 4:04.

Fernadez, who competed for the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, is currently the top-rated girl at 145 pounds in High School on SI’s latest Girls’ National Rankings, but it seems she has migrated up to the next class as her 68-kilogram bracket in U20 is roughly equal to 150 pounds. Two ladies ranked at 155, fell to Fernandez as she advanced, California’s No. 16 Olivia Davis (8-4), No. 24 from Iowa, Skylar Slade (10-0 in 38 seconds). Two other techs were on Fernandez’s U20 stat line.

Fernandez threw down with some of the155-pound higher-ups in the U17 69-kilogram bracket (roughly 152 pounds), including recent PanAm Games Champ, No. 4 Matilda Hruby (Colorado), who she handled with back-to-back 10-0 counts in 1:08 and 1:38. The U17 ladies wrestle two-minute periods.

In the semifinals, Fernandez torched No. 5 Janiya Johnson (PA/TN) 11-0 in 2:44. Pennsylvania’s Maddison Miller was decked in 1:53 following a 24 second period in Fernandez’s opener. The U17s started on Saturday and finished on Sunday.

The Cavalier took on a similar, yet quite different challenge last summer when she won Fargo Titles in the 16U and Junior Divisions on the same day. Her biggest challenge yet awaits and while it won’t need to be accomplished on the same day, it is still something that will push Fernandez in new ways.

“I did do something similar in Fargo,” Fernandez offered. “But this felt extra special in its own way, as I knew it was to make world teams, with one being my last chance to make the U17 team and the other my first chance to make the U20 team.

“Throughout the four days of lots & lots of wrestling, I just let my determination to make both teams drive me. I kept telling myself that it would be worth it, that this moment of hardship is gonna be worth the moment of pride I was going to have after I left it all out on the mat every single match.”

With a two-week break between the two World Championships, there will be time to reflect and reset as well as recharge, which was something she was not afforded at Fargo or here, where there was no break in the competition once she got underway.

“As for handling two world championship tournaments, thankfully, they won’t be back-to-back like Nationals,” Fernandez added. “But I’m just so excited. Making both world teams was something that I earned over the course of four hard but so rewarding days. And as I earned my world team births, I plan to earn my world team titles, one title at a time.

“I’m so grateful for how the U20 & U17 world team trials went, but now that it’s over, I understand that it’s time to work even harder to prepare for both Worlds. But it’s definitely not something that I’m going to look at as a burden, but a blessing to be able to go out there and do what I love, not once, but twice!

“Lastly, I want to add that I’m so grateful for the people God has placed around me. My family, friends, and coaches, I couldn't have done this without them, and I hope they know that they play an essential role in not just my success, but my entire life.”

SUMMER SHINES

Fernandez’s Spalding teammate, Summer Mutschler (Cavalier WC), earned All-American status with a stellar performance that saw her land in fifth in the U17 49-kilogram class.

Mutschler is ranked eighth at 105 pounds nationally (No. 1 in MD at 110) and her weight at nationals was around 108 pounds when converted over. In the placement match, the sophomore won on criteria, 5-5, versus Colorado’s Peggy Susan Dean (No. 4 at 100 pounds).

Mutschler’s weight was a mix of girls from the surrounding weights, and her losses came to two Jersey Girls, Gabriella Conte (No. 9 at 110) and eighth-grader Bella Manno. Big wins were gained over No. 11 at 105, Alicia Kenfack (ND), 12-2, and Michigan’s Tatiana Castillo (No. 26 at 110) by fall, 2:54.

Two other pins were added along with a 10-0 tech. One of the pins came in 1:46 over Wisconsin’s Dilynn Albrecht, who finished eighth.

“(It) feels great to see the work I’ve been putting in starting to come together,” said Mutschler. “Earning AA status at Women’s Nationals means a lot, and I’m proud of the overall performance—but there’s still more to improve. Back to the lab.”

SZKOTNICKI GAINS WORLD BIRTH

Former South River Star, Alexandra Szkotnicki, who placed amongst the boys at states is now excelling on the ladies’ national stage and will be repping Team USA at 59 kilograms at the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas come October (12th to 18th).

Szkotnicki wrestles at McKendree University and faced off with another college competitor, Aurora University’s Alexis Janiak, and swept their final showdown. Skotnicki stuck Janiak then came back with an 11-6 decision to wrap up the gold. To reach the finals, three pins and an 11-0 tech were used by Skotnicki.

Another U23 Marylander hit the awards stand in Love Daly, who was at Wyoming Seminary for high school, and now plies her trade at Sacred Heart. Daly finished eighth at 72 kilograms, losing her placement match to New Jersey’s Ella Poalillo (No. 1 at 155), who was an U17 World Bronze medalist in 2025.

EVA E IS GOLDEN

A young lady in the 10U slate, Eva Encarnacion, did Maryland proud as a double finalist in Freestyle and Greco Roman, which was only offered to the elementary level girls. Encarnacion’s weight was in pounds not kilos and she put the work in at 62 for both disciplines.

Gold was struck in Freestyle with a 5-0 blanking of Kansas’ Nara Jackson in the finals. Other than that, Encarnacion didn’t spend much time on the mat in putting up 10-0 techs versus Washington’s Paisley Irving (24 seconds) and Georgia’s Arya Roberston (42 seconds). Alaska’s Joni Kopiasz was stuck 20 seconds into their quarterfinal meeting. Encarnacion met the same girl in the Greco finals in Jackson but came up on the short side of the score in this one, 3-1.

Gabriella Gauthier (Southern Maryland WC Wolf Pack) met a familiar foe in her 12U 112-pound third-place bout with Maryland Mana’s Gabreille Brady, who she disposed of with a 2:24 pin.

We apologize if we missed mentioning anyone. If we did, please drop us a line and will rectify that. We did not go over every bracket looking for people close to placing…this was a monstrous endeavor, so our focus was on those that earned All-American nods.