Historic statewide girls wrestling invitational to include 20+ Section V athletes

More than 200 girls will wrestle Friday at Onondaga Community College during the first-ever NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Invitational.

There are 13 weight classes with 16 wrestlers competing in each. There are championship and consolation, or wrestleback, brackets in the one-day tournament.

“There are nearly 1,000 girls competing on girls wrestling teams across the state and we’re pleased to be able to have an event to showcase them on January 27," NYSPHSAA executive director Robert Zayas said in a statement. "We are hopeful this will develop into a state championship in the near future.”

It seems like that will be just a matter of time, based on information provided by the NYSPHSAA.

Sophie Pollack of Canandaigua wrestled at last year's SuperSectionals for girls in Brockport.
Sophie Pollack of Canandaigua wrestled at last year's SuperSectionals for girls in Brockport.

At the start of 2023, 37 states have fully sanctioned girls wrestling as an official sport recognized by their state high school executive associations.

Of the 37, 17 of those states officially added the sport within the last three years.

In July 2022, the NYSPHSAA announced that it upgraded girls wrestling to "emerging sport" status and that a statewide committee for girls wrestling would be formed.

There are 12 sections in the NYSPHSAA, and 10 have girls wrestling. The organization said six sections have all-girls teams.

According to the NYSPHSAA, it received 456 applications of interest for the event, but had to narrow the field to a total of 208 girls to form the brackets. The girls were selected based on experience, grade and representation across the state.

Here are the wrestlers at Section V schools who will try to make their way to the finals, which begin at 6 p.m.:

  • 94 pounds: Alyssa Adair (Alexander), eighth-grader; Bailey Bryman (Attica/Batavia), freshman; Alyssa Earsing (Alexander), seventh-grader; Abby Hargarther (Midlakes), seventh grader; Kayle Merrill (Alexander), eighth-grader, Anabelle Wessel (Alexander), eighth-grader

  • 104 pounds: Jasmine Brucato (Honeoye Falls-Lima), eighth-grader; Kennedy Lear (Alexander), seventh-grader

  • 107 pounds: Natalie Barrios (Waterloo), junior; Emmie Moore (Penfield), sophomore; Katie Thibault (Geneva), freshman

  • 114 pounds: Oriana Carrasquel (Midlakes), junior; Teegan Sibble (Bolivar-Richburg), sophomore

  • 120 pounds: Jayme Taylor (East Rochester), senior; Brooke Walsh (Brockport), junior

  • 126 pounds: Emma Gallaway (Alexander), eighth-grader; Olivia Miles (Midlakes), junior

  • 132 pounds: Isabell McLouth (North Rose-Wolcott), sophomore

  • 138 pounds: Elllanora Bode (Penfield), senior

  • 145 pounds: Madison Westerberg (Waterloo), sophomore

  • 152 pounds: Mikalah Bliss (Red Creek), senior

  • 165 pounds: Elizabeth Rushman (Canandaigua), junior

  • 185 pounds: Sophie Pollack (Canandaigua), senior

  • 235 pounds: Athena Hariram (Pittsford), sophomore

Tickets for the NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Invitational must be purchased at www.gofan.co/NYSPHSAA. Opening ceremonies are noon, wrestling at 12:15 p.m.

Includes reporting from Eugene Rapay of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V athletes in NY statewide girls wrestling invitational