PLAINS TWP. — Wyoming Valley West’s Isabella Seip and Wilkes-Barre Area’s Taydem Sanchez turned in the top performances Saturday at Wilkes-Barre Area as girls conducted their own competition at the Wyoming Valley Conference Wrestling Tournament for the first time.
Seip was named Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 118-pound title.
In a prelude to the late tournament drama that would decide the boys title a couple hours later, Sanchez won the final bout of the girls event to lift host Wilkes-Barre Area to the team championship.
Seip followed a first-period pin in the quarterfinals with two decisions, one a major, allowing opponents just one bout point in the process. Her 6-1, championship match decision over Nanticoke’s Emily Kivler helped the Spartans to third place out of nine teams.
“It means a lot to me,” Seip said of the OW award. “I put a lot of work into this sport.”
Seip controlled the championship match.
“I just kept it at my pace and was patient,” she said.
Nanticoke took the lead in the next-to-last bout when Sierra Ripka pinned Wilkes-Barre Area’s Maura Oley in 55 seconds at 170.
Sanchez returned the favor in the head-to-head bout that followed. Her pin of Nanticoke’s Michelle Pastruizaca in 2:13 at 190 brought the Wolfpack from 2½ points behind to a 3½-point victory.
Wilkes-Barre Area finished with 146 points. Nanticoke was at 142½ and Wyoming Valley West had 89½, a half-point ahead of Hanover Area.
Nine schools were represented.
With the sport still in its formative years for girls, there were some differences from the boys tournament. The first final featured Hanover Area teammates Claire Gyle and Morgan Osburn against each other. Four weight classes did not have brackets – three consisted of a round-robin among three wrestlers and another was a best-of-three series between the only two competitors.
Nanticoke had four champions, two more than any other school.
Penelope Serrano (112) and Ripka won finals while Elizabeth Kus (142) and Keira Landmesser (235) also finished first in their weight classes.
Jacqueline Hernandez, at 148, was the other Wilkes-Barre Area champion.
Wyoming Valley West, Hanover Area and Hazleton Area each had two champions.
Brooke Long, at 155, was Wyoming Valley West’s other champion.
Gyle and Santina Saroka gave Hanover Area titles at the two lightest weight classes.
Lynzee Andreuzzi and Miah Molinaro won at 130 and 136 for Hazleton Area.
Crestwood’s Rachel Shoemaker, at 124, won the other title.
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