The gym was flooded with spectators for the first-ever home girls’ wrestling meet on Wednesday, December 18. The meet was girls wrestling’s second competition as a team after their tournament on Wednesday, December 7.
The girls pulled through at home, winning 30-18 against Lower Merion and losing 30-42 against Pottstown.
The meet started out strong, with sophomore Lane Harrington winning her match against an opponent from Lower Merion. The night continued with wins from freshmen Maddy Lawson, Kai Czaplicki, and Kendal Bizzel-Brown.
“I didn’t think I would win… I didn’t want to say I would lose, but I was kind of expecting it. But winning definitely felt better than losing. I’m just excited to be on the girls team for the first time for the first year, and I hope it builds up throughout the year,” Lawson said.
The meet also featured a face familiar to many faculty members: Eric Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth is a Strath Haven alumn who graduated in 1993 and later returned to teach at the school as well as coach Haven’s football and wrestling teams. Hollingsworth served as an official at the wrestling meet. He currently works at Ridley High School as a dean and head coach of their football program.
“It’s good to see the numbers. I thought two of the three teams had a decent number of women wrestling, so I thought that was good. I think what we saw on the mat, like the product, was also pretty good,” Hollingsworth said. “I’m excited for Strath Haven and women’s wrestling in general.”
Many members of the youth girls wrestling team came to the meet with handmade signs for each player in tow, and several of the middle school wrestlers also competed.
“It was wonderful to see all the support from the community,” head coach Mr. Tony Gilliano said. “This team puts in a tremendous amount of work, and it’s great to see that they’re supported by our community. Obviously, we get to continue to grow as a team, but this was a great first time.”
The team’s next tournament is away in Elizabethtown on Saturday, December 21.
