Valley Sports ReportWILLIAMSPORT — Freshman Evelyn Cummings, junior Joyce Clink and senior Leah Nason claimed individual titles to lead Athens to the team title at the Williamsport Girls Varsity Wrestling Showcase here Saturday.
Senior Hanna Rathbun collected a second-place finish, while junior Abigail Wagner finished third in her weight class, and sophomore Memphis Paul placed sixth.
The Wildcats amassed 156.5 points, while runner-up Shikellamy tallied 145 points, third-place Nazareth had 136 points, and fourth-place Hughesville had 120 points. Towanda was sixth with 106.5 points, and Northeast Bradford was 11th in the 29-team field with 72 points.
Cummings, the sixth seed, was 4-0 — all by fall — to win the 190-pound bracket.
Cummings, who dropped down from 235, decked Towanda's Sophia Smallwood in 41 seconds in the round-of-16, then pinned Williamsport's third-seeded Mia Davis in 2:29 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Cummings pinned Central Mountain's second-seeded Ashlyn Miller in 3:30.
Cummings beat the first-period buzzer with a pin of Central Columbia's top-seeded Morgan Reichard in the finals.
Clink, the fourth seed, was 4-0 to win the 118-pound title.
Clink opened with a 58-second fall of Jazlin Jolin of Jersey Shore in the round-of-16, then scored a reversal with 27 seconds remaining to pull out an 11-10 decision over Crestwood's Rachel Shoemaker in the quarterfinals.
Clink scored a takedown late in the first period, and another late in the second period for a 6-2 win over top-seeded Skyler Wiest of Shikellamy in the semifinals.
In the finals, Clink hit a seven-point move in the opening moments of the match and dominated throughout in a 14-2 win over second-seeded Jaysa Kiss of Hughesville.
Senior Leah Nason, the top seed, was 3-0 to win the 235-pound title.
Nason decked Nazareth's Brianna Gold in 1:36 in the quarterfinals, then pinned fourth-seeded Sadie O'Dell of Muncy in 3:46 in the semifinals.
In the finals, Crestwood's Samara Bailey, the sixth seed, scored a takedown late in the first period and carried a 3-0 lead into the third period.
Nason, who started on top in the third period, turned Bailey early for two near-fall points, then collected four near-fall points with 15 seconds remaining to win a 6-3 decision.
Rathbun, the second seed, was 3-1 to finish second in the 130-pound bracket.
Rathbun opened with three straight pins, decking Jersey Shore's Chloe Corson in 54 seconds in the opening round, then pinning Hughesville's Madoka Charles in 53 seconds in the quarterfinals.
In the semis, Rathbun pinned Aubrey Rebuck of Shikellamy in 4:50.
Rathbun ran into a familiar foe in the finals in NEB's Anaiah Kolesar, who forged an impressive 20-2 technical fall in 5:14 to claim the title.
Abigail Wagner was 3-1 to finish third in the 170-pound weight class.
Wagner opened with a 61-second all of Southern Columbia's Daphney Bingaman in the quarterfinals, then lost via second-period fall to Central Mountain's Kendall Wagner in the semifinals.
Abigail Wagner bounced back in the consolation semifinals with a 19-second pin of Mifflinburg's Lydia Miller, then decked Adele Wecker in 50 seconds in the third-place match.
Sophomore Memphis Paul was 4-3 to finish sixth in the 136-pound bracket.
Paul opened with a 20-3 technical fall of Southern Columbia's Aryanna Vezo, then decked Sugar Valley's Skylynn Taylor in 1:17, before losing via second-period fall in the quarterfinals.
Paul bounced back with a 17-1 technical fall of Hempfield's Liliana Netzley in 3:55, then pinned Muncy's Eva Nagle in 2:51, before losing via third-period fall to Nazareth's Nyla Good in the consolation semifinals.
Paul was forced to forfeit the fifth-place match due to reaching her maximum limit of matches on the day.
Hailey Brinkley was 2-2 in the 100-pound bracket.
Brinkley scored a 17-2 technical fall in 3:57 over Hempfield's Bella Angelo in the opening round, but lost via technical fall in the quarterfinals.
Brinkley bounced back with an 18-second pin of Mifflinburg's Lillian Frederick in wrestlebacks, but was eliminated via third-period fall in her next match.
Alyssa Rinebold was 2-2 in the 106-pound bracket.
Rinebold opened with a pin of Shikellamy's Hailey Evans in 3:30, but lost via second-period fall in the quarters.
She bounced back with a pin of Mount Carmel's Tori Rossman in 3:48, but lost via second-period fall in the next round.
Mya Burke was 2-2 in the 112-pound weight class.
Burke lost via first-period fall in the opening round, but answered with pins of Sullivan's Kassidy Durland in 1:30, and Olivia Bozeman of Shikellamy in 1:59, before dropped a 14-7 decision to Shikellamy's Lilly Poff.
Kaylyn Keltz was 1-2 in the 142-pound bracket, with her only win a pin of Hempfield's Stella Zeamer in 2:00 in the opening round.
Makayla Brinkley was 0-2 at 124 pounds.
Athens returns to action Feb. 14 at the District 4 Championships at Williamsport High School.
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PHOTOS PROVIDED.
