Baraka Bouts field cut in half during semifinals

Megan “Mashed Potatoes And” Davey def. Olivia “The Barnyard” Barnard

The fight began with Davey, a Walsh senior, landing jabs to the head. Both fighters kept the fight in close proximity, and the referee was forced to step in very early after a series of shots to Barnard’s head. Barnard, a Breen-Phllips sophomore, attempted to respond after the stoppage, but Davey again got the advantage, forcing her opponent into the ropes.

At the start of the second round both fighters again began very aggressively, but as punches were thrown, Davey forced Barnard on her heels, forcing another stoppage. After a break to fix Barnard’s headgear, she showed improvement by blocking punches. However, she could not force Davey to give up any ground herself.

The final round unfolded in similar fashion. Despite a valiant effort by Barnard to set the tone, Davey was able to continuously force Barnard back. It took everything for Barnard just to avoid getting caught against the ropes. Ultimately, Davey won by unanimous decision.

 

Madalyn “Trash Human” Schulte def. Jenna “No Beef” Whelan

It was an early contest of strength and agility. Schulte, a McGlinn senior, opened with several quick, powerful jabs to Whelan’s head. However, Whelan, a Lewis sophomore, kept it close, and both fighters were unable to gain any ground, landing several punches each.

In the second period, Whelan landed quick shots, then retreated or blocked very well. However, she began to wear down, unable to escape as quickly. Schulte’s strength briefly overwhelmed Whelan, forcing a stoppage by the referee. Whelan decided to keep it closer and prevent Schulte from taking advantage of her length, bringing the round to a close.

In the last round, Whelan attempted to force Schulte into a corner, but Schulte quickly turned it on her opponent, cornering her and forcing another stoppage. Whelan then took several shots to the head attempting to get closer to her opponent, but was unable to land a significant series of blows. In the end, Schulte’s strength wore down Whelan and earned her a unanimous victory.

 

Nicole “The Not-So-Nice Canadian” Waddick def. Nora “Lost Her Wraps And Mouthguard A Week Before Tournament” Tucker

As the bout began, Waddick, a McGlinn senior, came out firing, relentlessly attacking her opponent. Even as Tucker responded with some punches, Waddick quickly responded, attacking high and low. Tucker, a freshman from Welsh Family, regained her composure after the initial onslaught and put together a good series, but Waddick reemerged by the end of the round.

Waddick again initiated the fight, attempting to get inside of Tucker’s reach. Tucker used her strength to try and force Waddick into a better position, but Waddick used her speed to land more blows on Tucker, constantly circling around her.

In the final round, it looked as if Waddick would again set the tone, but Tucker responded and forced Waddick back. The fight began to reach a stalemate as Tucker would not give in to Waddick’s repeated blows, forcing both fighters to simultaneously retreat. In the end, Waddick’s speed outmatched Tucker’s strength as the former emerged victorious unanimously.

 

Jessica “You Know What I Mean?” Zlaket def. Jennifer “Kinetic Jenergy” Lies

Zlaket, a Flaherty senior, quickly moved to the center of the ring to begin, but both fighters were aggressive to start, landing vicious blows. They both kept their distance, using their equal reach to land hits. However, Zlaket emerged in the first round as she landed ferocious blows, hitting Lies’ core and head as the former attempted to block the barrage.

In the second, Lies attempted to set the tone, but Zlaket soon responded, forcing Lies back. Both fighters were unable to get close to one another, but Zlaket gained the advantage, keeping Lies on her heels, throwing punches high and low, giving the Lewis junior no opportunity to respond. By the end of the round, Zlaket drew blood from Lies’ nose, forcing an official stoppage at the bell.

Lies attempted once more to set the tone early, but was thrown back by a hard hit. She continued to be aggressive, however, attacking Zlaket and forcing her to be defensive. Zlaket continued to duck under Lies’ jabs, trying to run out the clock and land shots to Lies’ abdomen. She successfully undermined Lies’ final push, as won by unanimous decision.

 

Delaney “Sharkface” Bolton def. Tori “T-Bone” Llorens

Bolton, a junior from Welsh Family, came out energetic, quickly initiating the fight, but Llorens quickly pushed her back, nearly getting her to the ropes. Bolton responded vigorously, forcing Llorens back. It continued to be a back-and-forth affair as Llorens landed several right hooks, getting close and making contact on hard punches, but Bolton would respond with even more quick jabs.

Bolton gained the upper hand early in the second round, forcing Llorens backwards. The Lewis senior was able to push Bolton off and gain space, but despite a few solid blows, she was again forced back to the ropes by Bolton’s onslaught of punches.

Bolton’s speed was again too much for Llorens in the final round, as the senior never had time to consistently attack Bolton whenever she got close. Llorens would not give up though, forcing the fight into close proximity and trying to land every punch she could. However, it would not be enough as Bolton won unanimously.

 

“Captain” Morgan Williams def. Gweneth “Mary Lou” McCain

Williams, a McGlinn senior, initially set the tone, keeping out of reach of McCain and getting close enough to land strong punches. McCain would dodge many though and circle her opponent, eventually connecting on some solid punches of her own. However, Williams used her strength to her advantage, getting close and connecting repeatedly.

Williams sought to impose her will, getting close to McCain and constantly attacking her head, but the Lewis junior would respond with her own punches, punishing Williams for her aggressiveness. Williams continued to steadily hit McCain, being patient in her approach as the second round came to a close.

In the final round, both fighters sought to impose their will, attacking each other furiously. Neither could take control, with both landing blows left and right. McCain continued to keep space while Williams attempted her close-range approach. Williams’ strength was the deciding factor as she continually forced her way into McCain’s space, emerging victorious by unanimous decision.

 

Caroline "Spicy Bicey" Bice def. Alexandra “Lights Out” Lesnik

Bice, a freshman in Walsh, connected on huge shots at the start of the first round. Lesnik, a senior also representing Walsh, responded immediately with huge right hooks. Bice ended the first teeing off on Lesnik.

Bice maintained her momentum into the second round and landed huge combinations to Lesnik’s head and didn’t stop there. She was full of energy heading into the third and final round and continued to connect with her combinations, despite the fact Lesnik was continuing to put pressure on Bice. Bice was declared winner by unanimous decision.

 

Bailey Baumbick def. Nyambe “Kema-Nator” Tuchscherer

Both fighters came into the fight extremely aggressively. Baumbick, a Cavanaugh sophomore, landed on good combinations as the first round progressed, but she didn’t get away completely free, as Tuchscherer, a Welsh Family senior, connected on a few swings at the end of the first.

Baumbick bounced off the stool strong in the second and knocked Tuchscherer off her feet in the middle of the round, a turning point in the match. Baumbick held her momentum well into the third round and connected on huge right hooks on several occasions. Baumbick was declared winner by split decision.

 

Marissa “The Minnesota Monster” Kivi def. Ellie “The Deli” McCarthy

Kivi, a Lewis senior, came out swinging hard in the first round and was able to successfully defend most of McCarthy’s punches. However McCarthy, a Ryan sophomore, was able to connect on a good punch just as the bell rang to end the second round. Kivi kept pressure on McCarthy going into the third round and the referee stopped the fight after she connected on a huge right jab.

Kivi displayed impressive footwork in the third round, but McCarthy was able to exploit some weaknesses in Kivi’s defense. While the final round went back and forth, with each woman landing solid punches, Kivi was declared winner by unanimous decision.

 

Anne Marie “Go Ham” Hamon def. Tori Clinton

It was a defensive start as the first round got underway between Clinton, a Ryan freshman, and Hamon, a Pasquerilla East junior, but Hamon soon went on the attack and the fight opened up a bit. Both fighters initially struggled to land any real solid blows until they neared the end of the round and both began going for big shots.

In the second round, Hamon was able to get Clinton on the ropes early on, and while both landed their jabs, Hamon appeared to land the better punches. The two boxers got tied up near the end of the round and looked tired as they headed to the final round. In the third, both came out swinging with Hamon still more on the attack, each fighter going to get in their final hits for the win. Shots to the head landed more frequently down the stretch as defense waned with fatigue. Hamon cornered Clinton and forced a referee stoppage to check on Clinton before the final bell rang, bringing with it a win for Hamon by unanimous decision.

Sydney Carlino def. Audrey “Slim Shady” Immonen 

In the first round, both fighters began by throwing a string of fast punches. Carlino, a Cavanaugh sophomore, landed blows as she went for a mix of body and head shots. Immonen, a Farley senior, was able to rebound and hold her own, as each fighter landed punches towards the tail end of the round. In the second, both came out with furious energy, with Carlino seeming to get in the early punches but Immonen countering and getting some head shots. Late in the round there was a referee stoppage for medical attention for Immomen. In the final round, both fighters again got off to a roaring start, each getting in punches with Carlino starting the round a bit more successfully but Immomen landing some strong jabs, as well. Both fighters looked tired while giving their last push down the stretch, but Carlino landed a few more blows in the final 30 seconds en route to a unanimous decision victory.

 

Erin Guilfoile def. T.C. “Totally Cool” Burrows

In the first round, each fighter came out throwing some of the biggest, most powerful punches thrown all night with both being able to back her opponent against the ropes at some point in the opening frame. Guilfoile, a Breen-Phillips senior, appeared to be going for more body shots while Burrows, a Lewis junior, responded with some successful shots to the face.

In the second, it was Guilfoile starting more aggressively on the attack, but Burrows made a quick effort to counter. Both fighters began to look fatigued in the mid-second round but ultimately used it to their advantage and landed some very strong blows as defense became more of a struggle.

In the final round, Guilfolile quickly took Burrows to the corner, throwing some big final punches. Both found some revamped energy down the stretch in a tight contest, with Guilfoile primarily on the attack, and that was the difference as the Breen-Phillips senior took the fight by split decision.

 

Courtney “C-West” Weston def. Camila “Camelot” Carballo

The first round started with an even fight, as both Carballo, a senior in Cavanaugh, and Weston, an off-campus senior, switched momentum often and landed a number of punches, with Weston landing a number of strong right hooks that eventually prompted the referee to check on Carballo. Continuing to fight at close quarters in the second round, both fighters appeared to land an even number of punches, continuously going back and forth, though their arm speed began to slow down. In the final round, both fighters came out with a renewed energy, with Carballo landing a right jab that paused the fight.

By the end, both fighters paid little attention to defense and instead focused on trading blows to the opponent’s head, and the judges awarded Weston the victory by split decision.

 

Ande “Full Throttle” Gradel def. Jiale Hu

The first round of the all-Cavanaugh matchup saw a technically sound and even fight, as both the junior Gradel and senior Hu were successful in keeping their hands up and then lashing out at their opponent, each landing several hard jabs to the head. The second round saw more movement around the ring, as Gradel came out the aggressor and landed a combination to the head of Yu, who responded in turn by landing a flurry of punches to the head of Gradel, pushing her back.

Gradel was largely the one who dictated movement, and that trend continued into the third round, where Gradel landed a combination against a tiring Yu that caused a stoppage. Overall, the fight was back-and-forth with both fighters landing a good amount of punches, but Gradel’s control of the match earned her the victory by unanimous decision.

 

Shannon “Hawaiian Punch” Hennessey def. Alexa “Play Despacito” Stachowski

Hennessey controlled the first round, going low and landing jabs to the body and uppercuts to the head of the taller Stachowski, pushing her around the ring. The Ryan senior held her ground, but Hennessey landed many more punches. The second round continued much in the same way, as Hennessey used her energy and quick hands to fight at close quarters and land flurries of punches — punches that stopped the fight twice within the middle round. The Breen-Phillips senior kept up her energy in the final round and pushed Stachowski back into the railing, stopping the match with a strong right hook. Although Stachowski picked up her intensity and landed a flurry of punches to the head of Hennessey at the very end of the round, the judges awarded the Breen-Phillips senior the victory by split decision.

 

Emily “The Miniature Menace” DeRubertis vs. Claire “GG” Kelsey

The first round saw a largely even fight, with DeRubertis coming out with a lot of energy and landing a flurry of punches early on. The Lewis senior largely dictated pace in the first round, but Kelsey, a Lyons senior, was able to land several quality jabs to keep her opponent at bay. DeRubertis again came out stronger in the beginning of the third period, but Kelsey was able to slow the pace and use her length to land jabs to the head of her opponent and began to control the round, keeping her opponent at a distance. Round 3 saw a back-and-forth affair, as the momentum of the match switched often with both DeRubertis and Kelsey landing quality jabs to the head of the opponent.

For controlling the pace of the match and landing more punches, the judges awarded DeRubertis a split-decision victory.

Meghan “Watch Out Joe” Guilfoile def. Molly O’Connor

Guilfoile got off to a lightning-fast start, striking O’Connor several times, stunning her with rapid-fire shots to the head and body. Despite not having the height advantage, Guilfoile, a sophomore residing in Breen-Phillips, looked like the bigger fighter by taking control of the fight in the early round. O’Connor, on the other hand, tried to adjust to Guilfoile’s quick offense by using her reach defensively and taking an extra step back to create more space. Guilfoile switched up her strategy mid-round, waiting for O’Connor to go on the offensive and then exploiting O’Connor’s slower arms by countering with headshots.

In the second round, O’Connor, a sophomore in Cavanaugh, adjusted well to Guilfoile’s fast-paced offense, making Guilfoile miss on several occasions. Guilfoile pushed O’Connor onto the ropes with a stream of punches, but O’Connor fought her way out of it and kept Guilfoile on her heels for the remainder of the round.

In the final round, both fighters ditched the defensive playbook and just went at it offensively, punch after punch. Neither fighter seemed to have an advantage until O’Connor took consecutive hits to the head, prompting the referee to check on her before continuing the match. Trying to recover, O’Connor gave it her all and tried to make a case for herself, but in the end Giulfoile was too much, winning the match by unanimous decision.

 

Emma “Lil’ J” Jennings def. Erin Doyle

From the start of the match, it seemed that neither fighter was able to take an advantage. Both Doyle and Jennings had quick feet and were hard-hitting, matching each other on offense and defense after one round. In the following period, Doyle, a sophomore in Pasquerilla East, would land plenty of head shots on her opponent. Jennings, a junior living in Welsh Family, would have her own boast as well, as she kept landing hits on Doyle’s body and improved her defense in the second round as compared to her opening round performance. During the final minute of the round, Jennings only allowed Doyle to land a handful of punches, while countering successfully several times.

During the final round, both women increased their energy as the intensity in the ring was at its peak. A succession of big hit after big hit eventually slowed down Doyle, as Jennings took advantage of Doyle’s exhaustion for a few moments before Jennings herself was visibly drained. Nevertheless, Jennings landed several shots to the head of Doyle, and her efforts were rewarded with a win via unanimous decision.

 

Laura “Rad Dad” Hernandez def. Belin “The Filipino Phantom” Mirabile

Hernandez, a sophomore living in Cavanugh, found her rhythm early in the bout, landing two big hits on Mirabile on the match’s first thrown punches. Mirabile responded with a well-executed 1-2 combo. Hernandez shrugged it off and went back to bringing the offense to Mirabile. A senior in McGlinn Hall, Mirabile ducked and kept her head low as she tried to push through the constant barrage of punches. After a brief pause in the match because of equipment issues, Hernandez rocked Mirabile with a series of huge hits. Mirabile was put in the corner where she kept getting hit until the referee stopped to check on Mirabile. After resuming the fight, the first round came to an end.

The second round began where Hernandez left off. Hernandez had Mirabile on the ropes as she delivered a punch that was heard in every corner inside Dahnke Ballroom. In the corner again, Mirabile had to get checked by the referee once again. Hernandez managed to bully Mirabile into the corner once more but, Mirabile escaped into the center of the ring, avoiding another trap.

In the final round, Hernandez continued her dominance and got Mirabile into the corner again. After receiving several hits while in the corner, Mirable was checked on by the referee one final time. Hernandez kept playing her game and was awarded a victory by unanimous decision.

 

Francie “Dr. Cool” Gradel def. KJ “Kanjam” Jamsek

Shorter but quicker, Gradel, an off-campus senior, quickly set the tone of the match by hitting Jamsek with quick body shots. Jamsek, a sophomore residing in Flaherty, showed no signs of backing down however, hitting Gradel with many counter-punches. After powering through Gradel’s initial burst, Jamsek slowed down the fight as the first round progressed, trying to figure out how to properly get at Gradel. In the second round, Gradel once again got off to a quick start, landing several hits on the sophomore. Jamsek though, would show off her own quick punching ability, executing several combos on Gradel. However, the senior landed a huge hit on Jamsek who tumbled a bit onto the ropes. Jamsek would avoid further damage by grabbing onto Gradel and forcing the referee to split them up. The referee would soon after check on Jamsek before the round ended. In the final round, Gradel continued her pattern of starting off strong, hitting Jamsek with a flurry of punches. Even though Jamsek defended well against a good deal of the punches, Gradel still got plenty of big hits on Jamsek’s head. The sophomore would be on the ropes again right before the match ended, and the judges handed the win to Gradel via unanimous decision.

 

Gina “The Machina-A” Guzzardo def. Connie Chen

Arguably the fight that drew the biggest crowd, Guzzardo and Chen fought in an action-packed bout. Chen, a sophomore in Cavanaugh, started the match by tempting Guzzardo with a series of fakes. Guzzardo, an MBA graduate student living off campus, responded with an aggressive offense, hitting Chen in the head and body with a quick succession of punches to counter Chen’s attempts at headshots. In addition, the taller Guzzardo was relatively slow on her feet compared to Chen, but used her punches and arms to make up for it, as she confidently and casually strolled around the ring.

The second round started with a brief timeout called by the referee, but Chen adapted her game with a much better offense. Using a combination of quick hands, quick feet and smaller size, Chen took advantage of Guzzardo’s slow footwork and managed to get a massive left hook on the graduate student. In the final round, with the crowd chanting “Gina,” Guzzardo looked to end the night with a victory.

Both fighters started the round with an offensive display as each woman kept hitting the other with a plethora of jabs. Guzzardo took a quick timeout to adjust her headgear, but when the match resumed she went back to using her reach to her advantage. Chen, however, found holes in Guzzardo’s defense and landed jabs on Guzzardo’s face. Nevertheless, Guzzardo had Chen on her toes defensively. After the final bell, the judges awarded Guzzardo the win via split decision.

 

Molly “The Silent G” Giglia def. Kaitlyn “Branda-No-No-No” Brandano

Giglia took the advantage early, using a series of quick combos and landing a majority of her punches. Brandano, a junior in Farley, was slow to react, with her offense lacking as Giglia took control of the fight. After Giglia landed several hits on Brandano, who was not countering, the referee checked up on Brandano. After the end of the first, Giglia, a junior in Cavanaugh, had all the momentum. In the ensuing round, Brandano demonstrated a better defensive strategy. Brandano stayed her distance, but at the cost of having little to no offense, and the strategy led her to be unable to generate anything against Giglia, who even managed to land more combos on Brandano. The referee stopped to check on Brandano and decided to stop the match for good in the second round, giving Giglia the win. As the results were announced, an emotional Brandano couldn’t hold back the tears and Giglia was handed handed the win by referee-stopped contest.

 

Stephanie “Smack Attack” Mackley def. Grace “In Your Face” Carroll

Both women started the match landing big hits on each other. For a moment, both of them went at each other with a series of quick jabs to the head. Mackley, an off-campus graduate student, used her offense to push Carroll to the ropes for a bit. As the round progressed, Carroll kept trying to land punches, but Mackley defended well and effectively blocked a lot of Carroll’s attacks. The second round began with Mackley getting several head shots on Carroll. The taller Carroll lifted her chin up to try and create a little more separation between Mackley’s gloves and her face. Carroll, a graduate student representing Walsh, matched Mackley’s offense in the final moments of the second round with hard shot after hard shot.

The final round saw Mackley briefly lose her balance as she tried to counter. Carroll took advantage of the moment to hit Mackley several times. A parade of punches ensued, as each fighter landed several hits. Mackley began to tire out halfway through the round and Carroll — needing a big moment to have a chance at winning the match — tried her best at hitting a dagger punch. Mackley remained on the defensive for the rest of the match and Carroll tired out after pushing hard. In the end, the first two rounds were enough for the judges to unanimously vote Mackley the winner.