Takedown Report

High School Girls wrestling

Girls wrestling is on the rise in New York

Fredonia coach Ross Conti called female wrestling “the fastest growing sport in country.”

That is now evident in Chautauqua County.

Last season, Chautauqua Lake was one of three female wrestling varsity teams in New York State and the only girls-only team in Section VI. However, now there are over 35 girls wrestling programs across the state, with four teams in Section VI, including two in Chautauqua County this year. Joining Chautauqua Lake this season is Fredonia, who adds to a list that includes Orchard Park and a Niagara-Frontier League team in Section VI.

“We’re excited to have it at Fredonia,” Conti said of the newly-formed Fredonia team. “I really like our squad of kids. We’ve really had a good time.”

The two pioneer programs in Chautauqua County will share the stage on Wednesday as Fredonia travels to Chautauqua Lake for the first girls-only dual meet in Section VI history.

Fredonia boasts 15 girls on its female wrestling roster this season, with 12 who have competed so far. Conti hopes to have close to 25 female wrestlers next year.

“Most of the girls we have, this is a really new thing for them,” said Conti. “They are learning, they are coming along. This is a tough endeavor, and they are getting the hang of that.”

The Lady ‘Billies are a diverse group of wrestlers, including various other extracurriculars on their resumes.

“It’s great that a lot of these girls are involved in things like orchestra, dance, and all these other things,” said Conti. “You don’t want your team to be one-dimensional.”

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is in the process of making girls wrestling a fully-sanctioned sport statewide. … rest of story at Observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2023/01/girls-wrestling-is-on-the-rise-in-new-york

Oklahoma Girls travel to Wonder Woman, bring back hardware

Last weekend was the 4th Annual Wonder Woman Tournament held in Columbia, MO. This is the largest women’s only tournament in the country that comes with the some of the toughest competition for high school women’s teams. While it was clear from the start that the odds were against outside states, with Missouri having the majority of their own wrestlers competing, Oklahoma still showed up willing to take their chances.  

On Thursday morning, wrestlers showed up from all over getting ready for weigh-in. There was hardly a blank space across the main floor in sight, as they all waited patiently for their teams to be called-in one at a time to be weighed in and added to their perspective brackets. Seats started filling up quickly, with lawn chairs sat up in every available place lining the arena. To say it was a packed house would be an understatement. Supporters from everywhere came to take-in some of the toughest matches and unbelievable wins as the tournament pushed through several hundred matches in the first day. Every division had Fargo placers, … rest of story at Owrestle.com/oklahoma-girls-travel-to-wonder-woman-bring-back-hardware/

NATIONAL GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS FOR JANUARY RELEASED, WITH TWO NEW NO. 1 ATHLETES IN THE HEART OF THE HIGH SCHOOL SEASON

USA Wrestling, FloWrestling and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has published its January 2023 rankings for high school girls wrestlers for the 2022-23 season. This national ranking evaluates all girls enrolled in grades 8-12, and athletes from all 50 states are eligible for selection.

This ranking leaned heavily on the scholastic season, where athletes have been competing for their high school programs. There are a number of major in-season events where teams from a number of states have participated including the FIGHT tournament in Ohio, the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Iowa, the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions in California, the Wonder Woman in Missouri, the Holy Angels in North Carolina and many others.

Some of the traditionally strong high school boys tournaments are now having strong girls divisions, including the Reno Tournament of Champions in Nevada, the Beast of the East in Delaware, the Powerade in Pennsylvania and others. So many strong holiday tournaments were held in numerous states.

The first of the annual state high school championships was held in Alaska in December.

In the January rankings, there were only two new No. 1 athletes since the November selections: Emily Sindoni of New York (132) and Mishell Rebisch of Michigan (152)

Destiny Rodriguez of Oregon, who was No. 1 at 152 last ranking, moved up to 164 pounds, and is now No. 1 at that weight class.

Repeating in the No. 1 positions are Gabriella Gomez of Illinois (100), Audrey Jimenez of Arizona (105), Alex Szkotnicki of Maryland (112), Elena Ivaldi of California (117), Everest Leydecker of Arizona (122), Shelby Moore of Washington (127), Valerie Hamilton of Illinois (138), Maddie Kubicki of Missouri (144), Sabrina Nauss of Michigan (180), Savannah Isaac of Ohio (200) and Kiera Ganey of Illinois (225).

There were only minimal changes in the Pound-For-Pound (P-4-P) rankings. … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/January/06/Girls-High-School-rankings

January 7, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized