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Miller wins national tournament

Woodward News 3/23/05

Joey cradles Whitney Conder of Washington

AKE ORION, Mich. - Two Woodward girls brought back honors from the United States Girls Wrestling Association National Championships at Lake Orion High School.

Joey Miller won the high school division at 105 pounds and was also named outstanding wrestler in the lighter weights. Miller is a freshman at Woodward High School.

Lacy about to pin Essence Brown of Wisconsin

Lacy Wallis, a third grader at Cedar Heights Elementary, won second place in the 66-pound elementary divison. It was the first national competition for Wallis.

Miller, the first girl ever to medal in the Oklahoma High School State Championships, defeated Whitney Conder of Washington 9-5 in the national championship match.

The No. 1 seed, Miller drew a first round bye and pinned Christina Varland of Wyoming in the second round. She then won by technical fall, 18-0 over Dianna Acors of New York in the second round. In the third round she defeated Sarianna Savola, an exchange student from Finland, 8-2.

The championship was Miller's sixth in the USGWA. She won twice at the elementary level, twice at the middle school level and this was her second title at the high school devel. Miller has lost only one folkstyle - high school and college style wrestling - match ever to a girl.

Miller will next compete in the Missouri Valley freestyle tournament April 1-3, then a national tournament in California later in April.

Wallis dropped her first match at nationals to Amanda Alejandro from Arizona, then beat Tiffany Masters of Wisconsin 6-2, Essence Brown of Wisconsin by fall in 2:32, Angelica Torres of Wisconsin by fall in 2:39 and Paige Payne of Kentucky, 4-0 for second place.

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