Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) hosted the second annual WPIAL Girls’ Wrestling Individual Championships at North Allegheny High School this past Saturday. A total of 193 student-athletes competed over the day, with 13 wrestlers earning the distinction of being a WPIAL champion.
There were 11 different schools that produced champions, with Norwin being the lone school with multiple winners by boasting three. The other schools that had a gold medalist are Avella, Canon-McMillan, Fort Cherry, Kiski Area, Montour, Moon, Knoch, Plum, South Park, and Southmoreland.
Five student-athletes became the first two-time WPIAL champions in the sport – Plum junior Alaina Claassen, Norwin junior Josephine Dollman, Kiski Area junior Ava Golding, Moon sophomore Haley Smarsh, and Norwin sophomore Octavia Walker. Golding, Smarsh, and Walker all repeated at their 2024 weight classes.
The top six finishers in each of the 13 weight classes (100, 106, 112, 118, 124, 130, 136, 142, 148, 155, 170, 190, 235) have qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) West Regional Championships, which will be held on Saturday, March 1 at North Allegheny High School.
100 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Montour junior Kristen Walzer improved one position from her 2024 tournament, winning the first WPIAL girls’ wrestling gold medal of the day with a 7-0 decision against Shaler freshman Blythe Letters in the 100 weight class. Walzer reached the final with a fall in 1:16 and 19-5 major decision. Letters pinned both of her opponents to make the championship match, doing so in 3:44 and 5:10.
Seneca Valley sophomore Everly Harrell took bronze with a fall in 1:32 against Canon-McMillan sophomore Natalia Clem. The remainder of the podium was made up of Fox Chapel junior Atia DiGioia (5th) and Connellsville freshman Julieth Flores (6th).
106 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Fort Cherry junior Ella Trahan became her school’s first WPIAL girls’ wrestling champion, as she took the 106 title with a fall in 5:19 against Canon-McMillan sophomore Malia Ramos. Trahan pinned each of her opponents on the day, collecting them in 0:35, 3:06, and 2:00 en route to the final. Ramos started the day with two falls in 1:18 and 1:55 before earning a 13-6 decision in the semifinals.
Southmoreland freshman Rylee Mains earned bronze with a fall in 4:07 versus Seneca Valley sophomore Adele Shih-Calabro. The remainder of the podium was made up of Mt. Lebanon sophomore Sophia Beanner (5th) and Burrell sophomore Ella Campbell (6th).
112 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Canon-McMillan sophomore Marlee Solomon earned gold at the 112 weight class with a 14-6 major decision over West Mifflin freshman Kaila Keesecker. Solomon collected a trio of pins over her run to the final, doing so in 0:36, 1:02, and 2:33. Keesecker defeated her first round, quarterfinal, and semifinal opponents by pin, and needed a 5-2 decision in the round of 16 to advance.
Connellsville junior Trinity Moore claimed third with a fall in 0:19 against Ringgold junior Rhiana Tolliver. The remainder of the podium was made up of North Allegheny freshman Carly O’Connell (5th) and Southmoreland sophomore Taylor Chambers (6th).
118 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Knoch junior Braylee Ireland brought home her school’s first WPIAL girls’ wrestling gold medal, defeating Mt. Lebanon junior Paige Jox by a 7-3 decision in the 118 weight class. Ireland collected a pair of pins in 1:38 to open the tournament, then collected a 17-0 technical fall in the semifinals. Jox started her day with a 17-2 technical fall, added a quarterfinal fall in 3:04, and reached the championship match with a 17-5 major decision.
Canon-McMillan sophomore Yuni Ayala claimed bronze with a fall in 1:56 against Butler sophomore Brin Zehmisch. The remainder of the podium was made up of Greensburg Salem junior Sadie Sarver (5th) and Valley sophomore Emilia Hutcherson (6th).
124 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
In one of the best matches of the day, South Park sophomore Anna Duncan captured the 124 title with a fall at the 5:11 mark against Pine-Richland freshman Aariona Strader. Duncan won each of her matches by pinfall, doing so in 1:10, 4:20, and 2:41 in run to the final. Strader won by fall twice to open the day, then collected a narrow 8-7 decision in the semifinals to secure her championship spot.
Beaver senior Emmaleah Cunningham placed third with a fall in 1:38 against Burrell senior Bella Stewart. The remainder of the podium was Plum sophomore Addison Claassen (5th) and Valley senior Paula Sanchez (Valley).
130 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Moon sophomore Haley Smarsh successfully defended her gold medal at the 130 weight class, becoming the league’s first two-time champion with a 12-1 major decision against Plum junior Saphia Davis. Smarsh pinned her first three opponents, doing so in 0:28, 0:51, and 2:17. Davis, the 2024 champion at 124, sandwiched a fall in 3:04 between technical falls of 18-3 and 18-2 en route to the final.
Seneca Valley senior Maddee Fischer took bronze with a fall in 2:06 against Woodland Hills senior Maranda Weems. The remainder of the podium was made up of Mt. Lebanon freshman Juliana VanSlyke (5th) and Connellsville sophomore Emma Petrovich (6th).
136 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Kiski Area junior Ava Golding needed two tiebreaker periods to claim her second WPIAL girls’ wrestling title at 136, prevailing against Connellsville senior Janayah Nobles in a 5-1 decision. Golding reached the championship match with three falls, picking them up in 0:58, 0:13, and 1:39. Nobles started the day with technical falls of 17-2 and 22-6, then eked out a 7-6 decision in the semifinals.
Laurel junior Maggie Alfera won bronze with an 8-1 decision over Canon-McMillan freshman Ava Williams. The remainder of the podium was Fox Chapel sophomore Lauren Bachman (5th) and North Allegheny sophomore Lorelei Bungard (6th).
142 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Avella sophomore Abigail Dolanch gave her school their first WPIAL girls’ wrestling champion, winning the 142 gold with a fall in 1:37 against Upper St. Clair freshman Grace Nasman. Dolanch had the lone bye in the bracket to begin the tournament, then pinned her next two opponents in 0:53 and 1:35. Nasman started the day with a fall in 1:56, then won with major decisions of 11-0 and 9-0 to reach the final.
Kiski Area sophomore Alyssa Tresco claimed bronze with a 6-2 decision versus Trinity junior Alexia Ashby. The remainder of the podium was made up of Butler senior Kaitlynn Plopi (5th) and Burrell sophomore Katie Koehler (6th).
148 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Norwin junior Josephine Dollman joined the two-time WPIAL champion club with a win in the 148 weight class, as she earned a fall in 0:24 against Canon-McMillan senior Evangeline Gray. Dollman was dominant in her run to the finals, picking up pins of 0:19, 0:14, and 1:11. Gray won by major decision in her first two matches, doing so with scores of 16-2 and 8-0, before collecting a 10-8 decision in the semifinals.
Trinity junior Eliana Ashby finished third with a fall in 1:00 against Pine-Richland senior Tiffany Gathers. The remainder of the podium was made up of New Castle junior Kaylee Flowers (5th) and North Allegheny senior Maya Scott (6th).
155 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Norwin sophomore Karsyn Champion kept the Knight train rolling at 155, winning with a 11-8 sudden-victory decision over North Allegheny junior Sophia Folks. Champion started with a bye, then posted technical falls of 21-3 and 21-4 in her run to the championship match. Folks pinned each of her three pre-final opponents, collecting them in 2:36, 5:29, and 5:11.
Laurel sophomore Contessa Cotelesse took third with a fall in 2:16 against Seneca Valley Kaeleigh Tuell. The remainder of the podium was made up of Connellsville senior Imani Cameron-Botti (5th) and Canon-McMillan junior Alaya Henderson (6th).
170 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Norwin sophomore Octavia Walker became a two-time WPIAL gold medalist at 170, successfully defending her title with a fall in 0:37 against Avella sophomore Virginia Smith. Walker began the day with a bye, then earned a fall in 1:23 in the quarterfinals, and an 18-2 technical fall in the semifinals. Smith collected three falls to reach the final, picking them up in 1:11, 1:00, and 2:16.
Canon-McMillan junior Audrey Calgaro collected bronze with a fall in 2:00 versus Seneca Valley junior Hannah Hornick. The remainder of the podium was made up of Connellsville sophomore Olivia Shultz (5th) and Greater Latrobe senior Lili Maxwell (6th).
190 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Plum junior Alaina Claassen was the fifth student-athlete to earn a second WPIAL girls’ wrestling title, claiming the 190 crown with a 3-0 decision against Valley senior Arianna Bernard. Claassen started the tournament with a bye, then posted pins of 0:45 and 1:27 to qualify for the championship match. Bernard pinned her first two opponents in 1:34 and 3:45, then collected a 4-3 decision in the semifinals.
Canon-McMillan senior Natalie Rush captured bronze with a fall in 2:30 against Peters Township sophomore Liliana Giulianelli. The remainder of the podium was made up of Albert Gallatin freshman Jenna Chapman (5th) and Butler sophomore Olivia Hageman (6th).
235 LB. WEIGHT CLASS RECAP
Southmoreland junior Zoey Murphy capped the day with an improvement on her 2024 runner-up finish, earning the 235 gold medal with a fall in 0:42 against Woodland Hills junior Brooklyn Pearson. After a first-round bye, Murphy picked up pins in 1:13 and 0:12 to make the final. Pearson earned wins via fall in 1:27 and 3:45, with a 5-0 decision in the quarterfinals sandwiched in between.
Butler sophomore Monica Osborne took home third with a fall in 1:53 versus Canon-McMillan London Ellis. The remainder of the podium was made up of Greater Latrobe junior Elizabeth Kantoris (5th) and Trinity sophomore Daelyn Norris (6th).
#WPIAL