MARSHALL, MO. - The Oklahoma City Stars women's wrestling took a 25th-place finish in the 52-team field at the two-day Missouri Valley Open with Sophia Smith being the Stars top finisher.
Senior Sophia Smith gave the Stars its best finish of the two-day event in the women's 123-pound class as Smith started with two 10-0 tech fall defeats over wrestlers from Iowa Central Community College and Texas Women's University.
Smith continued with more success making her way into the quarters winning by a 4-3 decision over Sierra Chiesa from Pennsylvania to earn a semifinal bid. The senior earned yet another victory with a 5-2 decision over Carissa Qureshi from California to gain a spot in the finals. In the first-place match, Smith's big day came to a close after going down by an 8-0 decision to Felicity Taylor who was previously an NCWWC National champion. Smith finished her weekend at 5-1 making her way through the 64-man bracket to earn a runner-up finish in the 123-pound class supplying the Stars with 22.0 team points.
Avery Ashley, a sophomore out of Lucas, Texas, wrapped up the two-day open with a four-place finish in the women's 116-pound class giving OCU 22.0 team points. Ashley started with a win over Emily Anderson from Campbellsville University by way of fall in 1:32. After dropping round three, Ashley came back with five straight victories, three of which came by a 10-0 tech fall with her final win coming in the consolation semifinal by a 10-2 decision over Maddie Mackenzie from Simon Fraser University. In the third place match Ashley went down by fall in 2:24 to Payton Stroud of McKendree University.
In the women's 155 Presley Given's went 5-2 earning 9.5 points after three tech fall defeats and a win by fall over Elise Falcetti from Missouri Valley College in 2:34.
Oklahoma City wrapped up the Missouri Valley Open with a 25th place finish in the 45-team pool as Augsburg University was crowned as victors of the open.
OCU will take a break until after Thanksgiving and return to the mat on December 1 at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas.
