H.S. GIRLS WRESTLING: ATHENS LANDS SEVEN ON PODIUM IN FOURTH-PLACE FINISH AT RUGGED CURWENSVILLE TOURNAMENT (2025-01-04)

Valley Sports Report
CURWENSVILLE, Pa. — Junior Leah Nason led seven Athens girls to the podium here Saturday as the Wildcats placed third in the 24-team field  at the rugged Curwensville Wrestling Tournament.

Nason was a runner-up for the Wildcats, while senior Emma Renninger placed third in her weight class, sophomore Abigail Wagner, juniors Hanna Rathbun and Haily Young, and freshman Hailey Brinkley placed fourth, and freshman Alyssa Rinebold finished sixth.

Corry Area claimed the team title with 147 points, while Hickory was second with 136.5, Clearfield was third with 106, Athens tallied 105, and Northern Bedford was fifth with 83.

Nason, the third seed at 235 pounds, trailed Bedford's Noelle Murray, 3-0, before reversing her to her back for a fall at 1:29 in the quarterfinals.

Nason fought off her back in the opening moments of the semifinals, and trailed second-seeded Daisy Glessner of Phillipsburg-Osceola, 7-1, at the end of the second period.

Nason took Glessner directly to her back for a fall at 2:42 to advance to the finals.

In the title match, Nason lost via first-period fall to top-seeded Mylah Steinbuch of Bedford.

Renninger, the third seed at 112 pounds, pinned Northern Bedford's Yasmin Miller in 1:47 in the quarterfinals, then dropped a 7-0 decision to Hickory's fifth-seeded Emma Johnston in the semifinals.

Renninger bounced back in the consolation semifinals with a pin of Nativity BVM's Erin Talmadge in 1:27.

In the third-place match, Renninger pinned Miller again, this time in 1:29.

Wagner, the fourth seed at 170 pounds, trailed her quarter-final match against Hickory's Trinity Webster, 12-8, when she reversed her to her back for a fall at 3:26.

Wagner battled second-seeded Grace Crestani of Bald Eagle Area before losing via fall at 5:47.

Wagner bounced back in the consolation semifinals with a pin of third-seeded Bailee Scott of Bellefonte in 4:26, but lost via second-period fall to third-seeded Whisper Abercrombie of GM.

Young, the fourth seed at 190 pounds, opened the day with a pin of Bald Eagle Area's Shaylin Harter in 54 seconds, but lost via second-period fall to top-seeded Liliana Giulianelli of Peters Township in 3:24.

Young bounced back in the consolation semifinals with a pin of third-seeded Emily Neeper of Curwensville in 4:33, but lost the third-place match via second-period fall to sixth-seeded Aylee Johnston of Clearfield.

Brinkley and Rinebold finished fourth and sixth, respectively, for the Wildcats in the 100-pound bracket.

Brinkley, the sixth seed, lost via second-period fall in the quarterfinals, then bounced back with a pin of Corry Area's Aubrey Tenney in 2:12 in the wrestlebacks.

Brinkley picked up a medical forfeit in the consolation semifinals, then lost via second-period fall to Hershberger in the third-place match.

Rinebold, the fourth seed, trailed 7-2 to fifth-seeded Mariah Hershberger of Bedford before scoring a fall at 3:23 in the quarterfinals.

Rinebold lost via second-period fall to top-seeded Haley Hoffman of Hickory in the semifinals, then issued medical forfeits in each of her next two bouts to finish sixth.

Freshman Isabella Henry, the ninth seed at 124 pounds, won her opening-round match via fall over Peters Township's Thomasina Moncheck in 3:29, but lost via tech fall to top-seeded Alexis Lauta of Corry Township in the quarterfinals.

Henry bounced back with a pin of Corry's Leah Mitchell in 4:05, but lost via second-period fall to Warren's Bryndalyn Lindell in her next bout to finish the day at 2-2.

Sophomore Kaylynn Kletz was 1-2 at 118 pounds, with her lone win a second-period fall in the first round of wrestlebacks.

Freshman Annika Lezak was 0-2 at 130 pounds, and sophomore Janaya Heinrich was 0-2 at 142 pounds.

Athens returns to action Jan. 17-18 at the Coal Cracker Invitational at Jim Thorpe Pa.

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