Senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, Katie Harmeyer vs. sophomore from Madison, Wisconsin, Francesca “Frank the Tank” Masciopinto
Opening up the first bout of the night for Ring B, both women in the ring began a defensive battle. As the first round began, Harmeyer threw a few big punches that just didn’t seem to land where she wanted. (Editor’s Note: Harmeyer is a Viewpoint copy editor at The Observer). Masciopinto’s quick mobility in the ring helped her to dodge the hits from her opponent. Harmeyer did not back down from her aggression but was clearly worn out as Masciopinto continued to elude her hits. Masciopinto, having conserved her energy in the first round, came out firing in the second round, and ultimately, landed two big hits on Harmeyer, causing the referee to check her twice. In the final round of Ring B’s first bout, Masciopinto finished strong by forcing Harmeyer into a gloves-up position and drilling her with big swings. And the winner, by split decision: Francesca “Frank the Tank” Masciopinto.Junior from San Francisco, California, Cece Giarman vs. sophomore from Bridgewater, New Jersey, Ella Pfaff
Pfaff dominated the first round by forcing Giarman backward into the ropes continuously. Pfaff, a mobile defender, fought back valiantly against her opponent. Giarman’s domination seemed to persist throughout the second round, cornering Pfaff several times, and landing some big punches. In the third round, Giarman's physicality was on display again. She quickly dodged Pfaff's several swing attempts to her head and neck areas. Pfaff finally landed a big hit on her opponent, knocking her headgear loose. After a slight pause to readjust Giarman’s headgear, she absolutely dominated her competition hitting back at Pfaff at high speed. And the winner, by split decision: Cece Giarman.
Sophomore from Saint Joseph, Michigan, Chiara Thrum vs. senior from Rumson, New Jersey, Sophie Kressler
Kressler began the first round with a dominating performance, landing some big punches on the head of her opponent. Thrum, missing several punch attempts was continuously greeted with waves of quick hits to the crown by Kressler. Kressler was a patient defender, waiting until her opponent had exhausted her vigorous efforts to make her move.After her swings had not quite landed where she had intended, Kressler took advantage of this opportunity to come in with a big hit to end the first round. As the second round began, Thrum was cornered early. Kressler utilized her waiting strategy again in the second round to throw her punches only when her opponent had exhausted her attempts. With a low blow to Thrum early in the third round, Kressler seemed to knock her off focus, forcing Thrum to take steps into the back of the ring and to go on the defense. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Sophie Kressler.
Sophomore from St. John, Indiana, J. J. Jorgenson vs. sophomore from New York, New York, Emily Chudy
Jorgenson dominated from the first punch. Chudy was on defense for almost the whole of the first round. Chudy began to pick up momentum toward the end of the first round, cornering Jorgenson briefly before the bell was rung. Jorgenson began strong in the second round with a punch to the crown of Chudy’s head, knocking her off balance for the remainder of the round. Chudy took a powerful lead in the final round but was unable to keep it as Jorgenson responded quickly with a wave of punches, but not before Chudy punched her face mask up pausing the round. The rest was a close matchup of intensity and skill from both boxers. And the winner, by unanimous decision: JJ Jorgenson.Senior from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dania Abdul Rahman vs. sophomore from Naperville, Illinois, Nicole Lies
Rahman began the bout with an explosive start; cornering Lies almost immediately in the first round. Lies was a strong defender throughout the entirety of the first round, conserving her energy and landing only a few strong punches on her opponent. Rahman, a mobile offender, seemed to exhaust her opponent throughout the second round. Lies was resilient in her efforts, ending the second round with two strong hits to Rahman’s crown, knocking her off balance before the bell rang. In the final round, their intensity matched. Both boxers came out firing waves of punches at the other. Rahman, on the defense this round, struggled to gain an offensive lead on Lies. Lies finished out the final round strong, dominating her opponent with a burst of forceful and precise hits. And the winner, by split decision: Nicole Lies.Sophomore from Elmhurst, Illinos, Annie Guinan vs. senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Deidre “Dirty D” Lagore
Guinan began the first round with a powerful start, pinning Lagore against the ropes. Guinan held a dominant lead for the whole of the first round. Her endurance seemed unaltered as she was showered with punches by Lagore toward the end of the first round.The intensity in the second round was at an all-time high. Lagore landed a nasty punch on Guinan’s cheek which knocked her headgear loose. Guinan fought back, and fast. She defended herself with a herculean effort as she gained back her strength and landed a low blow on Lagore. Looking exhausted going into the third round, the boxers appeared to be well-matched. Guinan, leading early in the final round was pinned against the ropes. In a momentum switch, the crowd began chanting “Annie, Annie” and she bounced off the ropes making a swift comeback attempt with a few quick hits on her opponent. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Deidre Lagore.
Senior from Columbia, Maryland, Hannah “Ghostrider” Collins vs. senior from Sinsbury, Connecticut, Avery “Hurricane” Garrity
Collins, on the offense early in the round, held a strong start landing several consecutive punches to the head of her opponent. Sinsbury, conserving her energy early, still looked powerful. At the start of the second round, Garrity dominated, but then quickly went on the defense. Collins wrapped her glove around Garrity’s head forcing her to lose rhythm for a moment, but then Garrity responded with a hard blowback to the crown of Collins’ headpiece. Garrity came out firing in the final round, cornering Collins almost immediately. Still, on the offensive, Garrity pushed Collins around the perimeter of the ring. Garrity knocked Collins’ headgear loose again, prompting the referee to intervene and readjust it midround. Both boxers appeared winded after this well-balanced matchup. And the winner, by split decision: Avery “Hurricane” Garrity.First-year from Hudson, Ohio, Kaitlin “The Wall” Mohlenkamp vs. senior from Charleston, South Carolina, Carly “The Wall” Hall
The battle of “The Walls” was underway with Hall absolutely obliterating her opponent from the start of the round. She pushed Mohlenkamp around the entire perimeter if the ring. The whole of Dahnke Ballroom erupted with a duel of “Kaitlin” versus “Carly” shouts. The aggression of Hall was eminent by all spectators. The beginning of the second round appeared to be better matched in terms of intensity, but Hall pulled ahead once again with a dominating performance, cornering Mohlenkamp. Mohlenkamp fought back valiantly, loosening Hall’s headgear with a blow, and prompting the referee to step in to readjust. As the final round began, shouts for “Carly” resounded in the ballroom. Hall pinned her opponent against the ropes and continued the beatdown. Mohlenkamp remained grounded but was obviously shaken by her opponent’s aggression. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Carly “The Wall” Hall.First-year from South Bend, Indiana, Monica “MC4” Caponigro vs. junior from Houston, Texas, Sabrina “Golden Stinger” Curran
Curran took the lead early in the first round with an electric start pushing her opponent against the ropes. In a momentum switch, Caponigro took the offense drilling her opponent with a wave of punches. Curran began the second round with a wild intensity. Caponigro exhibited great mobility and defensive skill but was repeatedly attacked by her opponent with a rain of hits to the crown. Curran hit Caponigro with two blows forcing a timeout in the ring. The third round was a sight to be seen as Caponigro cornered Curran who had seemed to be leading throughout the bout. Caponigro ended the third round with a hit to Curran’s head. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Sabrina Curran.
Firs-year from Ashland, Oregon, Ainsley “Free Energy” Gibbs vs. junior from Michigan City, Indiana, Molly “M Capes” Caplice
Both boxers led with intensity at the start of the bout. Gibbs appeared to have a quick lead pinning her opponent against the ropes. Caplice, however, responded quickly by pushing Gibbs back and showering her with hits. In the second round, Caplice dominated causing Gibbs to be on the defense. Caplice landed a hit to the side of Gibbs's head causing her to step back into a corner of the ring.At this point, both boxers looked well-matched with no clear winner in sight. Caplice looked strong on the defense early in the round, conserving her energy by ducking the high hits of her opponent. Caplice waited until Gibbs appeared exhausted to push her into the corner of the ring and land several blows to the crown of Gibbs’ head. Gibbs ran out to the center of the ring but could not regain her strength to the point of her opponent who finished the bout strong with a shower of hits. And the winner, by split decision: Molly “M Capes” Caplice.
Sophomore from Houston, Texas, Gabi “Texan Perfection” Cano vs. senior from Peoria, Illinois, Kara “The Crusher” Kramer
Cano led early on with an electric start but quickly retreated as Kramer landed numerous hits, full force to the head of her opponent. Momentum switched back and forth between the two boxers for the whole of the first round. Kramer came out firing in the second round, her opponent on the defense. But Cano came back stronger than ever, forcing a pause of round, the referee calibrating if Kramer could recover from the hit Cano had just delivered.Cano, a mobile defender, dodged the hits of Kramer with ease and tired her opponent with a showering of hits just before the end of the second round. Kramer once again led offensively, knocking Cano’s headgear loose with a hard hit. Cano landed a swing on Kramer, causing the referee to intervene and cause a pause of the round once again. The intensity of this round could be felt by all present. The boxers ended the bout with a hug before the decision was even announced. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Gabi “Texan Perfection” Cano.
Graduate student from Evansville, Indiana, Katherine “The Bruiser” Bender vs. graduate student from Palo Alto, California, Veronica “Tasmanian Devil” Mendoza
Mendoza came out firing early in the first round, cornering Bender. Bender responded with an aggressive set of hits that pinned Mendoza against the ropes. Mendoza continued her fighting effort cornering her opponent, causing the referee to pause the round and reset. The second round was a strong start by Mendoza causing obvious stress on her opponent. Mendoza, a mobile defender, dodged Bender’s many attempts to land a hit. As the second round progressed,Bender seemed to be pulling ahead by pushing Mendoza against the ropes, but Mendoza quickly landed a punch that wrapped around Bender’s headgear pushing Bender into the ropes instead. This competitive battle in the second round ended with Mendoza tripping and falling into the ropes. At the start of the third round, Bender had a lead landing a hit to Mendoza’s cheek. Mendoza stayed grounded and dodged some hits but looked exhausted by her opponent’s efforts in the final round. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Veronica “Tasmanian Devil” Mendoza.
Sophomore from South Bend, Indiana, Sydney Herczeg vs. sophomore from Easton, Pennsylvania, Lizzie “The Stifle Rifle” Stifel
Early in the first round, Stifel came out firing quick hits at her opponent. Herczeg patiently awaited Stifel’s rest to land a blow to the crown of her headgear, pausing the round. Stifel, a mobile defender, dodged a series of swings by Herczeg. Herczeg wasted no time to land a punch on her opponent though, landing another hit, and causing a second pause.The matchup was a competitive one as they chased each other around the ring landing few, but hits on each other. Herczeg led the final round with a “let her come to you” kind of approach. She waited patiently in the center of the ring for Stifel to come to her, and when she did, she landed a punch to the gut. And the winner, by unanimous decision: Sydney Herczeg.
Sophomore from Lombard, Illinois, Caitlin “KO Caitlin” Yarusso vs. senior from Manhattan Beach, California, Erin “The Swimmer” Jackson
In the final bout of the night, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause for this Sophomore/Senior matchup. Jackson, with an early offensive lead, forced Yarusso in the corner. Jackson continued this electric energy throughout the match. Yarusso had a difficult time moving her gloves from her face, as Jackson, a swift hitter, would meet her face with a rain of punches each time she tried to move from this position.Yarusso had a much stronger start in the second round landing some hits on Jackson’s chest, clearly exhausting Jackson. Jackson fought back hard, though, forcing Yarusso back on the defense, locking her in her gloves-up position again. In the final round, Jackson came out firing some hits to Yarusso’s head causing her to retreat toward the ropes and focus less on landing hits. While Jackson continued hits to the head, Yarusso found success with swings to Jackson’s body instead, clearly exhausting her opponent just before the bell rang. And the winner by unanimous decision: Erin “The Swimmer” Jackson.
