Meet the All-South Jersey girls' wrestling team for the 2022-23 season

Tom McGurk, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·3 min read

First Team

100: Kloi Tighe, Gloucester (13-1). The sophomore became the second region champion in school history, pinning her way through three bouts to the title. She lost in the quarterfinal round at states, but rebounded with four straight wins to finish third. Tighe was crowned Queen of the East champ in December.

Delsea's Emma Coesfeld celebrates after pinning Gloucester's Jacklyn McDowell to win the 107 lb. final bout of the South Region girls wrestling tournament held at Williamstown High School on Sunday, February 19, 2023.
Delsea's Emma Coesfeld celebrates after pinning Gloucester's Jacklyn McDowell to win the 107 lb. final bout of the South Region girls wrestling tournament held at Williamstown High School on Sunday, February 19, 2023.

107: Emma Coesfeld, Delsea (25-4). The senior achieved history becoming South Jersey’s first female 100-win wrestler. She won her second regional with three consecutive pins. Coesfeld’s 27 pins ranked first in South Jersey and fourth in the state this season. She was the top seed in the bracket at states.

Pennsauken's Jada Pichardo celebrates with her coaches after pinning Lenape's Hailey Beck during the 114 lb. final bout of the South Region girls wrestling tournament held at Williamstown High School on Sunday, February 19, 2023.
Pennsauken's Jada Pichardo celebrates with her coaches after pinning Lenape's Hailey Beck during the 114 lb. final bout of the South Region girls wrestling tournament held at Williamstown High School on Sunday, February 19, 2023.

114: Jada Pichardo (30-7), Pennsauken. After winning 14 bouts as a freshman, Pichardo took a huge leap this winner, hitting the 30-win plateau with a regional title and a fourth-place finish at states.

Cedar Creek's Riley Lerner celebrates after defeating Somerville's Valarie Maldonado during the 120 lb. girls championship bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Cedar Creek's Riley Lerner celebrates after defeating Somerville's Valarie Maldonado during the 120 lb. girls championship bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

120: Riley Lerner (30-5), Cedar Creek. After finishing second at regions and states her first two seasons, the junior cleared both hurdles claiming both crowns. Lerner became the first state champion in school history (boy or girl) and the first girl state champ to hail from the Cape-Atlantic League. Her 82 career wins are tops for a wrestler in Cedar Creek history.

126: Kylie Wright (23-11), Egg Harbor Twp. The junior earned a seventh-place finish in the state, knocking off regional champ Shea Aretz in the placement bout. Wright placed third at regions.

132: Maya Hemo (10-3), Cherry Hill East. A state champion in 2022, Hemo wrestled for another crown this season but had to settle for second following a 5-0 loss to Kinnelon’s Kayla Vazquez. A two-time regional champion, Hemo plans to attend The Citadel in the fall. She was the Courier-Post Wrestler of the Year for the 2021-22 season.

138: E’marie Barge (13-6), Pennsauken. Competing in one of the most challenging brackets, the freshman worked her way to a third-place finish at regions and a fifth-place spot at states. Definitely a wrestler to watch in the next few years.

145: Isabella Prem (12-4), Lenape. It’s back-to-back first-team selections for this sophomore. After finishing fourth at the South Regional last season, Prem became the first female region champ in Lenape School District history. She avenged a loss to West Deptford’s Jaden Bennett in the regular season with a fall in the region final.

152: Abbigale Dudley (24-8), Rancocas Valley. After a third-place finish at regions, the freshman won three bouts at states en route to a fifth-place finish. Dudley placed first at the Brick Memorial Mustang Zoo Tournament, fourth at Elizabeth and won the Gloucester City Tournament.

More:Cherry Hill West's Ari Tyson earns South Jersey's Girls' Wrestler of the Year honor

165: Ari Tyson (19-1), Cherry Hill West. The sophomore is the Courier-Post Wrestler of the Year.

185: Macenzie Hunter (27-11), Pennsauken. Another Pennsauken wrestler to take her game to another level this winter. After winning 18 bouts last season, Hunter posted 27 this winter en route to a South Region title and a fifth-place finish at states. The junior was the top seed in the state bracket.

235: Brea Heil (29-3), Kingsway. The senior avenged a loss to Palmyra’s Samantha Domask in the region final with a 3-1 decision to place seventh in the state. She knocked off Domask to win the Queen of the East title and was champ at the Lady Bear Invitational. A region champ in 2022, Heil finished her scholastic career as a two-time state place winner.

Second Team

100: Mackenzie Markham, Kingsway, sophomore

107: Jaclyn McDowell, Gloucester, junior

114: Hailey Beck, Lenape, junior

120: Reagan Roxas, Kingsway, freshman

126: Shea Aretz, Buena, freshman

132: Olivia Palmer, Timber Creek, junior

138: Ziyona Jackson, Schalick/Cumberland, junior

145: Jaden Bennett, West Deptford, junior

152: Brianna Nguyen, Pennsauken, senior

165: Savanna Marlin, Rancocas Valley, senior

185: Paris Ford, Rancocas Valley, sophomore

235: Samantha Domask, Palmyra, freshman

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: The All-South Jersey high school wrestling team for 2022-23 season