Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) set its seedings for the WPIAL Girls’ Wrestling Individual Championships on Tuesday afternoon. The championship tournament will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15 at North Allegheny High School, with a total of 228 student-athletes – including eight reigning champions – competing for the gold.
Returning as champions from the inaugural WPIAL Girls’ Wrestling Individual Championships are Canon-McMillan senior Natalie Rush (190), Kiski Area junior Ava Golding (136), Laurel sophomore Contessa Cotelesse (148), Moon sophomore Haley Smarsh (130), Norwin junior Josephine Dollman (142) and sophomore Octavia Walker (170), and Plum juniors Alaina Claassen (235) and Saphia Davis (124). Golding, Rush, Smarsh, and Walker will all look to defend their titles at the same weight classes. Smarsh will have Davis competing against her at the 130 weight class, and Rush has Claassen in the same bracket at 190.
There are 47 schools that will be represented with at least one student-athlete at the WPIAL Girls’ Individual Championships: Albert Gallatin, Ambridge, Avella, Beaver, Bethlehem-Center, Brownsville, Burgettstown, Burrell, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Carlynton, Connellsville, Derry, Elizabeth Forward, Ellwood City, Fort Cherry, Fox Chapel, Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Hempfield Area, Kiski Area, Knoch, Laurel, McGuffey, Montour, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, The Neighborhood Academy, New Castle, North Allegheny, Norwin, Penn Hills, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Plum, Quaker Valley, Ringgold, Seneca Valley, Shaler, Southmoreland, South Park, Trinity, Upper St. Clair, Valley, West Mifflin, and Woodland Hills.
The top six finishers in each weight class will qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Wrestling West Regional on Saturday, March 1 at North Allegheny High School.
100 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 11
Top Four Seeds: #1 Blythe Letters (9), Shaler; #2 Kristen Walzer (11), Montour; #3 Natalia Clem (10), Canon-McMillan; #4 Mia Jordan (12), Southmoreland
2024 Final: Valarie Solorio (Canon-McMillan) def. Kristen Walzer (Montour), 16-1 tech fall.
106 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 19
Top Four Seeds: #1 Ella Trahan (11), Fort Cherry; #2 Malia Ramos (10), Canon-McMillan; #3 Isabella Martinez (9), Valley; #4 Ella Campbell (10), Burrell
2024 Final: Capri Chambers (Canon-McMillan) def. JoAnna Saad (North Hills), fall in 2:15.
112 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 22
Top Four Seeds: #1 Marlee Solomon (10), Canon-McMillan; #2 Trinity Moore (11), Connellsville; #3 Carly O’Connell (9), North Allegheny; #4 Rhiana Tolliver (11), Ringgold
2024 Final: Isabella McNutt (Hampton) def. Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan), fall in 1:51.
118 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 21
Top Four Seeds: #1 Paige Jox (11), Mt. Lebanon; #2 Braylee Ireland (11), Knoch; #3 Brin Zehmsich (10), Butler; #4 Sadie Sarver (11), Greensburg Salem
2024 Final: Ana Malovich (Butler) def. Trinity Moore (Connellsville), fall in 3:44.
124 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 23
Top Four Seeds: #1 Anna Duncan (10), South Park; #2 Aariona Strader (9), Pine-Richland; #3 Emmaleah Cunningham (12), Beaver; #4 Addison Claassen (10), Plum
2024 Final: Saphia Davis (Plum) def. Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon), 5-0 dec.
130 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 23
Top Four Seeds: #1 Haley Smarsh (10), Moon; #2 Saphia Davis (11), Plum; #3 Maddee Fischer (12), Seneca Valley; #4 Juliana VanSlyke (9), Mt. Lebanon
2024 Final: Haley Smarsh (Moon) def. Asia Fowler (Woodland Hills), fall in 2:31.
136 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 17
Top Four Seeds: #1 Ava Golding (11), Kiski Area; #2 Janayah Nobles (12), Connellsville; #3 Maggie Alfera (11), Laurel; #4 Lorelei Bungard (10), North Allegheny
2024 Final: Ava Golding (Kiski Area) def. Janayah Nobles (Connellsville), 8-2 dec.
142 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 17
Top Four Seeds: #1 Abigail Dolanch (10), Avella; #2 Alyssa Tresco (10), Kiski Area; #3 Grace Nasman (9), Upper St. Clair; #4 Kaitlynn Plopi (12), Butler
2024 Final: Josephine Dollman (Norwin) def. Grace O’Korn (Peters Township), fall in 1:04.
148 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 20
Top Four Seeds: #1 Josephine Dollman (11), Norwin; #2 Evangeline Gray (12), Canon-McMillan; #3 Elaina Ashby (11), Trinity; #4 Maya Scott (12), North Allegheny
2024 Final: Contessa Cotelesse (Laurel) def. Hannah Hornick (Seneca Valley), fall in 1:35.
155 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 15
Top Four Seeds: #1 Karsyn Champion (10), Norwin; #2 Contessa Cotelesse (10), Laurel; #3 Sophia Folks (11), North Allegheny; #4 Imani Cameron-Botti (12), Connellsville
2024 Final: Leyna Rumpler (North Allegheny) def. Imani Cameron-Botti (Connellsville), fall in 1:25.
170 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 15
Top Four Seeds: #1 Octavia Walker (10), Norwin; #2 Audrey Calgaro (11), Canon-McMillan; #3 Virginia Smith (10), Avella; #4 Hannah Hornick (11), Seneca Valley
2024 Final: Octavia Walker (Norwin) def. Audrey Calgaro (Canon-McMillan), fall in 4:33.
190 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 14
Top Four Seeds: #1 Alaina Claassen (11), Plum; #2 Natalie Rush (12), Canon-McMillan; #3 Arianna Bernard (12), Valley; #4 Jenna Chapman (9), Albert Gallatin
2024 Final: Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) def. Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township), fall in 2:17.
235 LB. WEIGHT CLASS
Qualifiers: 11
Top Four Seeds: #1 Zoey Murphy (11), Southmoreland; #2 Vie Filar (12), Fox Chapel; #3 Alex Gosnell (10), North Allegheny; #4 Monica Osborne (10), Butler
2024 Final: Alaina Claassen (Plum) def. Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland), fall in 1:50.
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