A pair of Alaska wrestlers made the most of their last chance to qualify for the Olympic trials.
Dajan Treder of Anchorage and Rachael Shannon of Big Lake won their weight classes at the Last Chance Trials qualifying meet Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to earn spots in the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials.
Treder, a junior at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, won the women's 116.5-pound weight category.
Shannon, a coach at Wayland Baptist in Texas, won the women's 138.75-pound division.
"I'm so happy. I don't even know how to describe it," said Treder, a 2013 West High graduate.
"I went in knowing that it was going to be pretty difficult, but I also went in with a lot of confidence. I don't have the best technique, but I know how to a win a match."
Treder battled through an elbow injury to became a collegiate All-American this season. She placed seventh in the WCWA national championships in February and continued to train in preparation for Sunday's meet.
She wrestled four matches Sunday, winning two by technical fall and two by decision. In the championship match, she defeated Christina Powell of Missouri Valley 7-4.
Shannon won two matches Sunday, both by technical fall, to earn her spot at the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials, which are Saturday and Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa.
She wrestled for three seasons at Houston High School before transferring to Colony for her senior year. After graduating in 2010, she became a two-time college All-American at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
In recent years Shannon has spent her time in the mat room as a coach, but she returned to action this weekend and showed that she's still competitive.
Treder and Shannon will be among three Alaskans at the Olympic trials. The other is Michaela Hutchison of Soldotna, one of Alaska's greatest wrestlers.
In 2006 Hutchison became the first girl in the United States to win a high school championship while competing against boys, and she went on to become a three-time national champion and a four-time All-American at Oklahoma City University.
Hutchison is a coach at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois. She will compete at the Olympic Trials in the 116.5-pound weight class, where she could run into Treder.