Marshwood's Deanna Rix wins a 130-pound match against Noble's Heath Devoll in January. The victory was Rix's 100th, the first female to reach the mark in Maine.
By John Patriquin, Portland Press Herald via AP
News Page
Girls grapple with success against boys
By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY 3/3/05
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Marshwood's Deanna Rix wins a 130-pound match against Noble's Heath Devoll in January. The victory was Rix's 100th, the first female to reach the mark in Maine. |
In 2004 in Athens, for the first timce, women wrestled women for Olympic medals. "It was great! I mean, girls are wrestling in the Olympics now," says Nicole Woody, a Maryland high school freshman.
Marshwood's Deanna Rix wins a 130-pound match against Noble's Heath Devoll in January. The victory was Rix's 100th, the first female to reach the mark in Maine.
By John Patriquin, Portland Press Herald via AP
This winter Woody and other girls have made their own history — wrestling boys — on high school mats across the USA.
Girls wrestling boys isn't new, but their success has reached new heights. Some have won their way into state tournaments where no girls have gone before.
In Alaska and Maine, girls have come a victory shy of becoming the first of their gender to win a high school state title against boys.
"It's more than we've ever seen, and it's happening in new places," says Gary Abbott, director of special projects for USA Wrestling.
Nearly every breakthrough has come in the 103-pound class, the lightest division, where strength differences aren't so pronounced.
Woody is the first girl to make Maryland's Class 4A-3A state tournament, set for this weekend. Junior Jade Hendricks of Baltimore's Western Tech has done the same this year in Maryland 2A-1A.
Illinois and Oklahoma have had girl first-timers in state tournaments (Oklahoma freshman Joey Miller of Woodward High took fourth at 103 in Class 4A. She is the first female in the tournament's 84-year history). In Virginia a girl made the Group AAA tournament for the first time. In Washington two girls have been the first to earn state places (top eight). For the first time in Nebraska a girl won a state meet match.
But many advocates of women's wrestling continue to lament that only Texas and Hawaii have separate, state-sanctioned teams and state tournaments for girls.
"Hopefully, that will change in time," says Terry Steiner, USA Wrestling's national women's coach. "My concern is we need to open the doors a lot more. You have a few girls going out and fighting the system ... but it's a lot easier to walk across the gym and sign up for soccer."
In its 2003-2004 survey the National Federation of State High School Associations reported 4,008 girls were participating in high school wrestling compared with 238,700 boys. In 1990 the same survey reported that 112 girls were wrestling.
The girls enjoying success include several daughters of coaches. They wrestle year-round and compete in junior nationals for girls sponsored by USA Wrestling.
In January Maryland's Woody, 16, who is a junior national girls champ, wrestled in Russia with a U.S. women's team. Traveling alone, her flight was delayed because of weather for 13 hours in Paris.
She lost a match in Moscow the day she arrived. The next day she flew to Siberia.
"I didn't know who I was wrestling, just that she was 4 feet tall and 30 years old and built like a truck," Woody says.
She lost — to a Russian Olympian — but that steeled her return to high school competition.
She started wrestling when she was 9 (two brothers wrestled) and began this season as a junior varsity 103-pounder at Arundel High.
After going 19-1 in JV, she made the varsity because the boy ahead of her had grade problems. She's 8-3 in varsity. A fourth-place finish in a region tournament got her to states. Her goal is to place (top six in Maryland). "It's going to be real hard because there are six guys that beat me in junior league all the time," she says.
Freshman Michaela Hutchison of Skyview High in Alaska and senior Deanna Rix of Marshwood High in Maine were state runners-up this season. They are coached by their fathers.
Before this season, according to USA Wrestling, one girl had finished second in a state. Hutchison's goal is to break the title barrier. She has three more years.
"I have a lot of fun wrestling," the 103-pounder says.
In Maine's 130-pound final, Rix lost in double OT to a boy. She finished 20-2. "The two losses were to the same kid," says Rix, a two-time national junior champ who has wrestled in China and Germany in female age-group tournaments.
Since she started wrestling at 4, she's heard complaints. "I see stuff online that girls should wrestle in their own league," she says. "Some guys forfeited to me during my four years because they didn't want to wrestle a girl, but not much."
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Cheers & Jeers: Recognizing true. champions ;
Daily Oklahoman 3/4/05
Cheers
Woodward's Joey Miller also made history. The Woodward freshman placed fourth, marking the first time in Oklahoma state tourney history that a girl has won a medal.
BY STEVE SISNEY. THE OKLAHOMAN
Joey Miller of Woodward stands on the podium after receiving a medal
at the state wrestling tournament.
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USATODAY.com U.S. Olympic Athlete of the Week
USATODAY.com will select each U.S. Olympic Athlete of the Week based on competition in international events that are part of the Olympic Games.
2/22/2005
WRESTLING
Katie Downing won every period she wrestled by at least two points to take gold at the Gilbert Schaub Open in Tourcoing, France. Sara Fulp-Allen and Stefenie Shaw also medaled.
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BUCS WIN REGIONAL WRESTLING MEET
BY JOHN PARKER
Brooke's K.J. McLaughlin, top, tries to maintain control of Buckhannon-Upshur's Brittany Woodall during their Class AAA 112-pound match in the first r
Brooke's K.J. McLaughlin, top, tries to maintain control of Buckhannon-Upshur's Brittany Woodall during their Class AAA 112-pound match. Woodall won, 12-6. (AP Photo/Randy Snyder) |
Four Buckhannon-Upshur High School wrestlers grappled their way to first-place finishes at the 2005 AAA Region III wrestling meet on Saturday at Lewis County, leading the way to the team championship for B-U.
With 206 points, Buckhannon brought home the 2005 regional title. They were followed by Lewis County, who came in a close second with 201.50 points.
Winning titles for B-U were Brittany Woodall, Ike Ward, Brandon Demastes and John Rexroad.
A total of nine wrestlers will represent the Buccaneers at the AAA State Championship this weekend. Also qualifying for the state meet from Buckhannon are Drew Smallridge, George Lavis, Bryan Loudin, Bart Rhodes and Brandon Lane. The top four regional finishers in each weight class move on the state meet.
In regional action, Buckhannon sophomore Brittany Woodall pinned Bridgeport’s Will Brunswick in the first period and Lewis County’s Shawn Wine in the second for a first-place finish in the 112-pound weight class.
Senior Ike Ward brought home the 125-pound title by pinning Nicholas County’s Mike Tallamy in 63 seconds in semifinal action and grappling Bridgeport’s Anthony Ferrari to the floor in 1:39.
Another senior, Brandon Demastes, took the 145-pound weight class title for Buckhannon by pinning Bridgeport’s Zane Wright in the first period and Lewis County’s Shawn Clark in the second.
Demastes is heading to states after returning from an injury originally sustained during the 2004 football campaign.
With 26 wins and only two losses this year, Buckhannon senior John Rexroad pinned RCB’s Caz Holyfield in the second period and Lewis County’s Daniel Lattea in the first to win the 171-pound weight class title.
The state tournament will be held in Huntington on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Opening round bouts will pit Woodall against Brooke High School’s K.J. McLaughlin in 112-pound weight class. Ward will battle Hedgesville’s Steve Miller in the 125-pound bracket.
Smallridge will wrestle Brooke High School’s Jarrod Shaw in the 130-pound weight class.
In 135-pound action, Lavis will take on Riverside High School’s Anthony Owens. Demastes will be on the mat against University High School’s Matt Earle in the 145-pound weight class. Loudin will tackle Huntington’s Chad Nelson in the 152-pound bracket. Rhodes will compete against Jefferson High School’s Corie Gustines in the 160-pound weight class.
Rexroad will grapple Wheeling Park’s Adam Gibson in the 171-pound action, and Lane will be on the mat for Buckhannon against Nitro’s Eric Ollom in the 189-pound weight class.
The complete results:
Jared Loudi, 103 pounds
15-29, sixth place finish
Lost by fall to Nicholas County’s Marcus Evans; lost by 11-13 decision to Bridgeport’s Nick Sellas; lost by fall in first period to Greenbrier East’s Caroline Stout.
Brittany Woodall, 112 pounds
35-22, first place finish
Pinned Bridgeport’s Will Brunswick in first period; pinned Lewis County’s Shawn Wine in second period for championship.
Lucas Ziems, 119 pounds
7-31, fifth place finish
Lost by fall in second period to RCB’s Brian White; lost by fall in first period to Lewis County’s Robbie Tenney.
Ike Ward, 125 pounds
21-6, first place finish
Pinned Nicholas County’s Mike Tallamy in 63 seconds; pinned Bridgeport’s Anthony Ferrari in 1:39.
Drew Smallridge, 130 pounds
21-6, third place finish
Pinned Elkins’ Deric Nelan in first period; lost a 1-3 decision to Woodrow Wilson’s Sean Meade; pinned Lewis County’s Adam Alton in 36 seconds; won a major 13-0 decision over RCB’s Derek Satterfield.
George Lavis, 135 pounds
34-17, second place finish
Pinned Bridgeport’s Ben McClain in first period; pinned Nicholas County’s Jeremy Willis in first period; lost championship match by 10-7 decision to Lewis County’s Jeremy McCarty.
Brandon Demastes, 145 pounds
8-2, first place finish
Pinned Bridgeport’s Zane Wright in first period; pinned Lewis County’s Shawn Clark in first period for championship.
Bryan Loudin, 152 pounds
11-35, fourth place finish
Pinned Bridgeport’s Michael Keeble in first period; lost by technical fall to RCB’s J.J. Mayer; pinned Elkin’s Josh Whitby in 18 seconds; lost by fall to Greenbrier East’s Dexter Johnson in second period.
Bart Rhodes, 160 pounds
23-24, second place finish
Pinned Nicholas County’s Aaron Evans in first period; pinned Woodrow Wilson’s Matt Mabery in 35 seconds; lost championship match by a 10-5 decision to Lewis County’s Cody Johnson.
John Rexroad, 171 pounds
26-2, first place finish
Pinned RCB’s Caz Holyfield in 27 seconds; pinned Lewis County’s Daniel Lattea in first period to win the championship.
Brandon Lane, 189 pounds
18-25, third place finish
Lost by fall in third period to Woodrow Wilson’s Jacob Antoine; pinned Lewis County’s Josh Salyer in third period; pinned Greenbrier Easts’s Greg Woods in third period.
T. J. Strader, 215 pounds
10-30, fifth place finish
Pinned Greenbrier Easts’s Brandon Wilson in second period; lost by fall in first period to Nicholas County’s Wayne Taylor; won by default over Lewis County’s Richard Detamore.
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