NTL GIRLS WRESTLING: ATHENS CROWNS SIX CHAMPS AT PANTHER VALLEY CLASSIC (December 20, 2025)

Valley Sports Report
CRESSON, Pa. — Athens crowned six champions and had three others finish in the top-four here Saturday in girls wrestling action at the Panther Valley Classic here on the campus of Mount Aloysius College.

Seniors Hanna Rathbun and Leah Nason, junior Joyce Clink and Abigail Wagner,  sophomore Memphis Paul and freshman Skylynn Payne all claimed weight class titles, while freshman Evelyn Cummings was a runner-up, sophomore Alyssa Rinebold and freshman Millicent Steves each finished third, and sophomore Abigail Ahern was a fourth-place finisher.

For Rathbun and Payne, it's their third title each this season.

Clink went 4-0, including a trio of first-period falls, to win the 124-pound weight class.

Clink flattened Bellwood's Elliana Patterson in 17 seconds in the round-of-16, then decked Somerset's Trinity Oyster in 37 seconds in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Clink led 7-4 when she pinned East Strooudsburg's Jayden Learn at 3:21.

Clink collected her 124-pound bracket gold medal after pinning East Stroudsburg's Lilly Dubinsky in 1:44.

Rathbun went 4-0 — all first-period pins — to win the 136-pound bracket.

Rathbun flattened Northern Bedford's Isabella Baker in 27 seconds in the opening round, then had her longest match of the tourney, pinning East Stroudsburg's Camilla Jablonski in 1:44 to reach the semifinals.

In the semis, Rathbun gave up a takedown in the first 10 seconds, but ended the match with a fall over Huntingdon's Noelle Rasmovicz at 54 seconds.

In the 136-pound finale, Rathbun pinned Penn Cambria's Bethany Watt in 1:40.

Paul went 3-0 — all first-period falls — to win the 142-pound bracket.

Paul opened with a pin of Huntingdon's Maggie Linn in 64 seconds. Her next two matches didn't last that long combined.

In the semifinals, Paul decked Philipsburg-Osceola's Kendal Meersand in 39 seconds, then capped her title run by flattening Northern Bedford's Ryann Welsh in 10 seconds.

Payne was 2-0 to win the 190-pound title. She led teammate Millicent Steves, 6-1, when she pinned her the 49-second mark in the semifinals.

In the finals, Payne needed just 41 seconds to pin Penn Cambria's Autumn Yeoman.

Wagner was 2-0 to win the 170-pound title She pinned Penn Cambria's Isabella Atkins in 53 seconds in the semifinals, then received a forfeit from Huntingdon's Riley Bierly in the finals

Senior Leah Nason was 2-0 to win the 235-ppound title. She opened with a pin of Philipsburg's Daisy Glessner in 5:22 in the semifinals.

In the finals, Nason started out on top of Cummings in the third period of a scoreless battle. Nason turned her for a fall at 4:38.

Cummings reached the finals with a pin. She led her semi-final opponent, Northern Bedford's Emilee Beach, 5-0 when she reversed her, and turned it into a pin at 2:46.

Rinebold was 3-1 to finish third in the 106-pound bracket.

After losing by fall to Bellwood's Juliette Cuevas in the quarterfinals, Rinebold roared back through the consolation bracket.

In her first wrestleback match, Rinebold decked Somerset's Colbie DeWitt in 41 seconds to advance to the consolation semifinals, where she pinned North Star's Starla Vansluytman in 50 seconds.

In the third-place match, Rinebold decked Hiuntingdon's Siera Ponofino.

Ahern was 2-2 to finish fourth in the 142-pound weight class. She opened the tournament with a third-period pin in the quarterfinals, reversing Huntingdon's Lucianna McCall to take a 10-7 lead, then turning the move into a fall at 5:26.

After losing in the semifinals, Ahern pinned East Stroudburg's Angela Clare in 4:45 to advance to the third-place match, which she lost via first-period fall.

Freshman Chelsey Renninger was 2-2 in the 136-pound bracket. After losing her opening-round match, she scored a 35-second fall over North Star's Marley Griffith, then fought off her back in the second period to pin Jablonksi in 3:38 before bowing out in the blood round.

Freshman Makayla Brinkley was 1-2 at 130 pounds. She won her opening round match by fall in 1:14 over Northern Bedford's Ayanna Hall, but lost the next two.

Steves was 0-1 and finished third in the three-person 190-pound bracket, while sophomore Hailey Brinkley was 0-1 at 100 pounds and freshman Charlotte Rosh was 0-1 at 155 pounds, and sophomore Isabella Henry a 0-2 at 130 pounds.

Athens returns to action Jan. 3 at the Curwensville Girls Tournament.

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IN PHOTO: Athens senior Hanna Rathbun. ... VSR STOCK PHOTO.

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