US women take six U23 World medals in Las Vegas
Two golds, one silver and three bronzes, and Kylie Welker's third straight 76kg title headlines the haul.
Team USA's women closed U23 Worlds in Las Vegas with six medals from 10 entries and a combined 22-8 record, per @justinjbasch.
The golds went to Kylie Welker at 76kg and Cristelle Rodriguez-Dobler at 53kg. Adaugo Nwachukwu of William Penn took silver at 62kg. Morgan Turner medaled bronze at 50kg, with Everest Leydecker bronze at 55kg and Reese Larramendy bronze at 65kg. Iowa's women's program alone accounted for three of the six, with Welker, Leydecker and Larramendy all on the podium.
That is a podium rate no other American squad in the building came close to this week.
Welker's three-peat was the headline
Welker won her third straight U23 World title at 76kg and did it without surrendering a point all tournament, outscoring the field 38-0. FloWrestling noted she needed only 48 seconds for a tech in the final. She is the first American woman to win three consecutive U23 World titles, as covered earlier.
Rodriguez-Dobler, who wrestles for Doane, finished her 53kg run with a 55-second pin in the final.
USA Wrestling summed up the closing day by pointing to Welker's gold plus the Turner and Leydecker bronzes, which capped Team USA's day on Thursday.
What it says about the pipeline
Six medalists out of 10 starters, and the women's freestyle group was the only American team in Las Vegas that produced that kind of return. Iowa putting three wrestlers on a U23 World podium in one tournament is the clearest signal yet of where the college women's talent is pooling.
@justinjbasch asked followers which medal run impressed them most. The 38-0 answer is hard to argue with.
Kylie Welker makes history as the first woman to win three U23 gold medals for team USA, and she only needed 48 seconds for a tech in the finals!
Six of 10 Americans on the podium, and a combined 22-8 record. Iowa's women's program alone accounted for three of the medals.
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