ADCC West Coast Trials highlights: Brianna Ste-Marie, Amy Campo take home gold
The ADCC West Coast Trial was one of the biggest and best tournaments in grappling history. Because there was just too much action to cover at once, we’ll be spreading out our coverage of the event in several posts. Be sure to check back for results and recaps from every division at the ADCC West Coast Trials. View the recap of the 66 kg division here, the 77 kg division here, the 88 kg division here, and the -99 kg and 99+ kg divisions here.
As the only opportunity for North American female competitors to qualify for the ADCC World Championships, the West Coast Trials women’s divisions were, as expected, loaded with talent. In the 60 kg division, East Coast Trials winner Brianna Ste-Marie worked her way through arguably the most talent-rich division of the entire tournament to punch her ticket to her first ADCC World Championships. And in the 60+ kg division, Amy Campo upset Elisabeth Clay on her way to winning gold.
60 kg
After winning the East Coast Trials, Ste-Marie was understandably awarded the top seed. Her path to the finals was filled with elite competition.
In the quarterfinals, Ste-Marie met three-time no-gi world champion Raquel Canuto in what was one of the most anticipated matches of the event. Ste-Marie showed off her world class closed guard as she methodically worked to an armbar finish.
Next, in the semifinals, Ste-Marie faced 2020 no-gi world champion Nathalie “Tata” Ribeiro. In a razor-close match, Ste-Marie was able to secure a referee’s decision, punching her ticket to the final where she would take on Fight Sports representative Jasmine Rocha.
Against Rocha, Ste-Marie utilized her stifling top game and pressure passing to secure a 3-0 win.
Ste-Marie couldn’t have asked for a better year of competition. In addition to winning both ADCC North American Trials in the past year, she won a no-gi world championship (at brown belt) and captured a Who’s Number One title with a win over Amanda Alequin.
60+ kg
With the withdrawal of top seed Kendall Reusing, the women’s heavyweight division opened up considerably. Still, number-two seed Elisabeth Clay, the youngest-ever ADCC Trials winner, remained a favorite to take home gold.
Clay appeared poised to do just that, racking up submission wins in each of her first three matches. In the quarterfinals, though, Clay ran into Zenith representative Amy Campo. Campo used a relentless, high-paced guard passing attack to defeat Clay by a score of 13-0.
Campo carried the momentum of that dominant win into the finals, where she secured a heel hook finish on Legion American Jiu-Jitsu’s Paige Ivette. The submission was one of the best of the event.
Ivette was, in her own right, a standout of the weekend. A brown belt world champion, Ivette came into the tournament unseeded, but her submission win over Tara White in the semifinals showed that she belongs at the highest levels of the sport.
