American Gold Sports Alliance

Athlete Spotlight

All Eyes are on Krysten Anderson as She Inherits Grave Digger in Monster Jam

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By: Victoria Weaver | NBC Sports

The 2021 Monster Jam season looks different than years past, in part because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has affected every part of racers, teams, and fans’ daily lives, but also because Krysten Anderson has inherited the famous Grave Digger monster truck. And with that, the most famous ride in the sport has its first full-time, female driver.

When a driver levels up and takes on a new challenge, there is always a heightened level of scrutiny. Now add a family legacy, an iconic truck, gender politics, as well as a shortened 2020 season that limited her seat time and you’ll start to understand the pressure of Anderson’s Stadium Series debut.

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AGSA February Athlete of the Month Wins 2021 High School National Girls Folkstyle Nationals Tournament

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This past February, Samantha Spielbauer was chosen to be the American Gold Sports Alliance’s Athlete of the Month.  Sam plays varsity basketball, while also competing as a wrestler at Clayton Ridge High School in Guttenberg, Iowa. Even though this is her first year of wrestling, Spielbauer surprised everyone by winning her first-ever state wrestling championship during the third annual Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association’s girls state tournament. Building upon her successes, Sam competed 2021 High School National Recruiting Showcase and Girls Folkstyle Nationals Tournament on March 27th and 28th.

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Iowa high school wrestling: Meet the 2021 All-Iowa Girls’ Wrestling Team

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Cody GoodwinDes Moines Register

The continued growth of girls’ wrestling in Iowa reached new heights this season.

There were 683 girls that wrestled across the state, according to Trackwrestling. At the girls’ state tournament in January, sponsored for the third year by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, 457 girls from more than 100 schools competed.

The numbers are continuing to pop and the overall talent level is rising, too, and both of those facts are represented here, in our 2021 All-Iowa Girls’ Wrestling Team.

In this, we selected Elite members for our girls’ wrestling team, the wrestlers we consider to be the best of the best at the 12 weights contested at the IWCOA girls’ state tournament. We also included 12 additional honorable mention picks.

This year’s Elite Team selections represent nine different schools. There are five seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and one freshmen. The honorable mention picks include three seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen.

As the sport continues to grow and evolve here in Iowa, we feel it is our obligation to grow and evolve with it. Elite team members will be invited to the virtual Des Moines Register’s All-Iowa Sports Awards in Des Moines this June. 

The selections were made based on in-season results, Register staff observations, and consultations with high school, college and recruiting contacts. Records listed are from Trackwrestling.

All-Iowa Elite Girls’ Wrestlers

106 pounds: Ella Schmit, jr., Bettendorf

Two-time IWCOA girls’ state champ, three-time finalist. Went 23-7 overall this season, and 5-0 against girls, all pins. Qualified for the IHSAA state wrestling tournament, one of just four girls to ever do so. 

113 pounds: Eva Diaz, jr., Waverly-Shell Rock

IWCOA girls’ state champ. Went 24-0 with 21 pins this season. Recorded four first-period pins and a technical fall at the IWCOA girls’ state tournament.

120 pounds: Kiki Connell, sr., Charles City

IWCOA girls’ state champ and a two-time girls’ state medalist. Finished 28-6 overall this season. Outscored her five opponents at the state tournament by a combined 43-8.

126 pounds: Lilly Luft, soph., Charles City

IWCOA girls’ state champ and now a two-time girls’ state medalist. Went 23-1 this season with 15 pins, including three at the state tournament, where she outscored her opponents 43-9 across five matches.

132 pounds: Annika Behrends, jr., Waverly-Shell Rock

IWCOA girls’ state champ, and now a two-time girls’ state champ and three-time finalist. Went 11-0 this season with seven pins. Rallied to win both her semifinals and finals match to win gold at this year’s state tournament.

138 pounds: Abby McIntyre, sr., Glenwood

IWCOA girls’ state champ and now a two-time girls’ state champ. Went 15-1 overall this year with 11 pins, including five at the state tournament, four of which occurred in the first period. Grand View signee.

145 pounds: Naomi Simon, fr., Decorah

IWCOA girls’ state champ. Went 26-1 this year with 23 pins, including 12 in the first period. Recorded five pins at the state tournament, where she also outscored her opponents by a combined 22-0.

152 pounds: Madison Diaz, sr., Waverly-Shell Rock

IWCOA girls’ state champ. Finished the season 21-0 with 16 pins. Recorded four pins and a technical fall en route to first at the girls’ state tournament. Grand View signee.

160 pounds: Samantha Spielbauer, soph., Clayton Ridge

IWCOA girls’ state champ. Finished 13-5 overall with 13 pins, including 11 in the first period and six in under a minute. Became Clayton Ridge’s first state wrestling champ, boy or girl.

170 pounds: Morgan Smith, sr., Denver

IWCOA girls’ state champ. Finished 14-10 with 14 pins, including four at the girls’ state tournament. Beat the fourth-, third-, and second-place finisher en route to a state title.

195 pounds: Rachel Eddy, soph., Independence

IWCOA girls’ state champ, and now a two-time girls’ state finalist. Went 14-0 this season with nine pins. Joins her uncle, Scott, as a state wrestling champ for Independence. (Scott Eddy won an IHSAA Class 2A state title in 1997.)

285 pounds: Millie Peach, sr., Iowa Valley

IWCOA girls’ state champ and finished her career as the first three-time girls’ state champ. Went 23-13 overall this year, but 5-0 with five pins against girls. Went a combined 9-0 at the three girls’ state tournaments with nine pins, including seven in the first period.

Honorable Mention

  • Sophie Barnes, soph., Lewis Central
  • Abby Boehm, sr., North Fayette Valley
  • Grace Gray, jr., Ankeny Centennial
  • Emma Grimm, sr., Osage
  • Olivia Huckfelt, fr., Spencer
  • Keeley Kehrli, soph., East Buchanan
  • Jasmine Luedtke, fr., Ottumwa
  • Adyson Lundquist, soph., Southwest Valley
  • Avery Meier, sr., Waverly-Shell Rock
  • Sydney Park, jr., Davenport Assumption
  • Bella Porcelli, fr., Southeast Polk
  • Alexis Ross, soph., Fort Dodge

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitterat@codygoodwin.

COLLEGIATE RECORD: Tara Davis Sets Outdoor LJ Standard

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By Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA

Tara Davis is synonymous with collegiate history now.

Davis, exactly two weeks after breaking the collegiate record in the indoor long jump, established the all-time collegiate standard in the outdoor version with her 7.14m (23-5¼) effort at the Texas Relays this afternoon. That topped the former collegiate record of 6.99m (22-11¼) set by Jackie Joyner of UCLA way back in 1985.

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Goalie Charlotte Cagigos Skates a Rare Path in Men’s Pro Hockey in France

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Charlotte Cagigos is the backup goaltender for the Drakkars of Caen, an otherwise all-male team in France’s Division 1 ice hockey league. Her story is exceptional in French professional sport.

A woman plying her craft surrounded by male colleagues is rare in French sport, but that is what every day on the job looks like for Charlotte Cagigos.

“When I arrived in Caen, I never thought I’d make the pro team someday. And then, I never thought I’d play a game with them,” the 20-year-old goalie tells FRANCE 24. “I don’t want to set limits for myself.”

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AMERICAN GOLD SPORTS ALLIANCE SPONSORS HANNAH GLADDEN, OLYMPIC QUALIFIER WRESTLER

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By: Tara Miller | AGSA

Hannah Gladden is a 24-year-old athlete from Gadsden, Alabama. When she first started wrestling as a freshman in high school, she was the only female wrestler in her school. Through hard work and dedication, she became the first girl in the state of Alabama to compete in the Alabama High School Wrestling State Tournament. Today, Gladden is a 2x National Team Member, 2016 Olympic Trial Qualifier, 2014 Pan American Champion, 2018 Pan Am Silver Medalist, and 2019 US Open Runner-Up. 

Now, Gladdan’s sights are set on something much higher, qualifying for the USA National Women’s Wrestling Team and earning a spot on the USA Olympic Wrestling Team. However, without a sponsor, the costs of competing in the upcoming tournaments were more than Gladden could do on her own. That’s where the American Gold Sports Alliance decided to step in. When President Steve ‘Sid’ Caesar learned about Gladden’s National Team and Olympic quest, it all just made sense. “When I first saw her story, I instantly knew that AGSA would be a great partner to help her reach her goals,” said Caesar, “She’s a hardworking, dedicated young woman who inspires others to push themselves and achieve their dreams. That’s what AGSA and our Wrestling For Gold Initiative (WFGI) is all about – supporting wrestlers so they can inspire other wrestlers.” 

In addition to AGSA’s sponsorship, Gladden set up a GoFundMe page so others could help her with the costs. In just two days she already collected over half of her goal. “It’s just so incredible,” Gladden told AGSA, “the wrestling community is excellent. It’s one big family and everyone supports each other, no matter where you are from.” 

Gladden will compete in the final qualifier March 26-27 in Fort Worth, Texas. When she finishes in the top two of her weight class she will then move on to compete in the Olympic Trials, the first week of April. Gladden will then participate in the US Open in Las Vegas, looking for her spot on the Olympic team. It’s a long road ahead for Gladden, but with the American Gold Sports Alliance’s help, her chances are looking up. 

If you would like to help Hannah, please consider donating to AGSA at www.agsa.org/donate and select ‘Hannah Gladden Wrestling’ in the subject.

The American Gold Sports Alliance is a 501c(3) Sports Foundation. 

Callans Tosses a Perfect Game to Defeat Parkside 5-0

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Jim Powers – Coordinator of Athletic Communications

St. Louis – For the second consecutive day, Alyssa Callans tossed a no-hitter to lead the Maryville softball team to a 5-0 win over Wisconsin-Parkside Sunday afternoon at the Maryville Athletic Complex. Callans was perfect on the day in striking out 14 Rangers and not allowing any Parkside base runners to help the Saints win the weekend three-game series.

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Paralympic Superstar Alice Tai Signs With Speedo

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by: Brandi West

Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, has today announced the signing of British Paralympic swimmer Alice Tai MBE.

Tai, who competes in the SB8, SM8 and S8 categories, is a champion at Paralympic, World, European and Commonwealth level and will look to add to her already stellar career at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

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