In 2023, the N.C. High School Athletic Association has officially recognized girls wrestling as a sport. Over 200 female wrestlers will participate in the WRAL HighSchoolOT Wrestling Invitational to vie for both individual and team championships.

The girls wrestling team from Hoke County won first place at the competition held at Knightdale High School on Saturday, beating second place team Havelock with a score of 154-124.

Noelia Hipolito and Zaria Robinson were the top performers for the Bucks, earning first place finishes in two events.

Hipolito emerged as the champion in the 165-pound weight division after defeating Stephanie Diaz-Mendoza of Riverside with a 9-2 score. In the 235-pound weight class, Robinson secured the first place by pinning Sophia Marshall of Rosewood at the 1:10 mark during the final round.

Azya Monroe of Hoke County placed second in the 100-pound weight category. She was pinned by Anna Ockerman of Corinth Holders at 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

Additional wrestlers from Hoke County who achieved placement were Sara Warren (4th place in the 114-pound weight class), Jianna Gomez (4th place in the 120-pound weight class), and Jada Lebron (4th place in the 145-pound weight class).

Natalie Titus, a member of Havelock’s team, helped lead them to a second place finish overall. She claimed the 145-pound championship by defeating Swansboro’s Maggie Milbery with a pin at the 3:22 mark in the final round. Additionally, Havelock’s Kennedie Snow placed second in the 132-pound championship.

Kamilah Brooks from Pasquotank County was awarded the title of Most Outstanding Wrestler at the competition. She achieved victory in the 126-pound category with a 4-0 decision over Alfa G. Dominguez Gutierrez from Cary. Brooks maintains a perfect record of 25 wins for the season.

Brooks successfully pinned all of her opponents before reaching the championship round. Her pins occurred in 11 seconds, 23 seconds, and 36 seconds respectively.

The following are the complete outcomes of the WRAL HighSchoolOT Wrestling Invitational.

Results for the Girls Individual Championship at the WRAL HighSchoolOT Wrestling Invitational.

100-pound weight class

• In the first place, Anna Ockerman (Corinth Holders) defeated Azya Monroe (Hoke County) in a match between two juniors with a score of 11-0. The match ended with Ockerman pinning Monroe in 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

• Kisinda Johnson (South Garner) placed third with a record of 5-1, defeating Isabella Raygoza (South Brunswick) with a fall in 0:18. Johnson, a sophomore, outperformed Raygoza, a freshman, who had a record of 11-9.

• Fifth place was secured by Aiza Navratil (Pinecrest) in the junior division with a record of 3 wins and 10 losses. She defeated Angela Chen (Cary), a sophomore with a record of 5 wins and 5 losses, in a fall at 0:53.

107-pound weight class

• The winner of first place is Lillian Prendergast (South Brunswick), a senior with a record of 25 wins and 0 losses. She defeated Megan Rowland (Pinecrest), a junior with a record of 16 wins and 1 loss, by a fall in 5 minutes and 45 seconds.

• In third place was Isabella Crandall from Athens Drive High School with a record of 19 wins and 2 losses, as a senior. She defeated Khiry Reese from Rosewood High School, a freshman with a record of 17 wins and 6 losses, by a fall in 4 minutes and 31 seconds.

• In fifth place, Zainab Hijawi from South Central beat Emily Jenkins from Green Hope with a score of 11-5. Hijawi is a sophomore, while Jenkins is a junior.

114-pound weight class

• First place was awarded to Addison Gore from Garner High School. She defeated Khaing Htway from New Bern High School in the 9-0 weight class for freshmen, with a victory by fall in 56 seconds.

• Third place was awarded to Sara Warren from Hoke County with a record of 20-2 as a junior, defeating Kori Belangia from Currituck County, who had a record of 11-6 as a freshman, by decision.

• In fifth place was Ariana Anampa from Green Hope High School with a record of 12-5 as a sophomore. She defeated Kaylum Mills from Croatan High School, a senior with a record of 21-5, by pinning her in 1 minute and 40 seconds.

120-pound weight class

• The winner of first place is Addison Vindigni from Cleveland (15-1, Jr.), who defeated Ahriana Scales from Pasquotank County (25-1, Jr.) with a score of 9-4.

• In third place was Anella Fabriziani from Willow Spring, a junior who defeated Hoke County’s Jianna Gomez, a sophomore with a record of 19-3, by a fall in 2 minutes and 47 seconds.

• Jannelle Sidbury (Athens Drive) secured 5th place with a win over Nadia Hinton (Cary). Sidbury, a freshman, had a record of 17-5, while Hinton, a sophomore, had a record of 15-9. The match ended with a fall at 1:15.

126-pound weight class

• The first place winner is Kamilah Brooks from Pasquotank County, who scored 21 points as a senior. She beat out Alfa G. Dominguez Gutierrez from Cary, also a senior, with a score of 4-0.

• Third place was awarded to DeAnna Fox from Green Hope, a sophomore who defeated junior Olivia Ready from Havelock with a score of 13-2. Ready’s fall was at 0:52.

• Fifth place was earned by Taylor Mendez from Western Harnett, a senior, with a record of 13-3. She defeated Ella Friedman from Millbrook, a sophomore with a record of 14-6, by fall in 2 minutes and 54 seconds.

132-pound weight class

• Ariyannah Parson (King’s Fork) won first place with a record of 15-0, as a junior, by defeating Kennedie Snow (Havelock) who had a record of 14-1, also a junior, by a fall in 5 minutes and 22 seconds.

• The third place winner is Alexis Mazura from Rosewood High School. She is a senior with a record of 17 wins and 2 losses. She defeated sophomore Hannah Carty from Willow Spring High School, who has a record of 14 wins and 3 losses, by fall in 2 minutes and 49 seconds.

• In the 5th place match, Marie Smith from Croatan High School won against Xanalee Hough from Louisburg High School with a score of 24-6. Smith, a senior, defeated Hough, a junior, with a fall in 0:28.

138-pound weight class

• Winner: Brooke Zak (Currituck County) defeated Sophia Sutton (Swansboro) by pin in 2 minutes and 44 seconds.

• Third place was awarded to Bella Murillo (Fike), a junior, for her record of 12 wins and 2 losses. She defeated Bridgitte Westbrook (Swansboro), a senior with a record of 15 wins and 5 losses, with a score of 3-2 in overtime.

• Isabella Campbell (Havelock) took 5th place with a record of 20 wins and 4 losses in the junior division, defeating Iyanna Crawford (Purnell Swett) in the sophomore division, who had a record of 16 wins and 4 losses but was disqualified.

145-pound weight class

• Natalie Titus (Havelock) took first place in the 21-1, Sr. category, defeating Maggie Milbery (Swansboro) in the 19-6, Jr. category with a fall at 3:22.

• Lara Gonzalez from Millbrook earned third place in the competition with a record of 16 wins and 1 loss. She defeated Jada Lebron from Hoke County, who is a sophomore with a record of 16 wins and 4 losses, by fall in 2 minutes and 8 seconds.

• In 5th place, Jessica Flowers (Ashley) won against Madison Seal (Currituck County) in the senior division with a score of 9-3. Madison Seal, a freshman, had a record of 8-5, resulting in a forfeit match.

152-pound weight class

• First place was awarded to Keira Rosenmarkle (Seaforth) in the match against Faith Bane (New Bern). Rosenmarkle, a sophomore, had a record of 17-0, while Bane, also a sophomore, had a record of 13-1. Rosenmarkle won the match with a score of 2-0.

• Kenley Riley (West Carteret) placed third with a record of 14-4 as a senior, defeating Dayna Bland (Wakefield) who also competed as a senior with a record of 20-4 by a score of 10-9.

• In fifth place, Kendall Morgan from Pine Forest, a senior, defeated Allyson Gouveia from Millbrook, a junior, with a fall in 3 minutes and 58 seconds.

165-pound weight class

• 1st Place: Noelia Hipolito from Hoke County defeated Stephanie Diaz-Mendoza from Riverside with a score of 9-2.

• In the third place match, Ebony Mejia-Aguilar from Millbrook High School, a senior, defeated Rohama Gebremichael from Wakefield High School, a junior, with a fall at 1 minute and 36 seconds.

• In the fifth place match, Emma Yopp from South Brunswick defeated Evie Alasin from Northeastern with a score of 18-10. Yopp is a sophomore and Alasin is also a sophomore, and Yopp won the match by a decision of 8-3.

185-pound weight class

• The winner of first place was Winston Yarborough from Cleveland High School, with a record of 14 wins and 0 losses. He competed against senior Amy Gilliams from South Central High School, who had a record of 14 wins and 1 loss. Yarborough defeated Gilliams with a score of 11-5.

• The third place winner was Mary Williams from Marlboro County with a record of 10 wins and 3 losses, who defeated Kyndal Harris from Havelock, who had a record of 16 wins and 7 losses, in the sophomore division with a pin at 0:58.

• Fifth place was awarded to Taylor St. Clair (Millbrook), a senior, with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses. She defeated Reil Gabriella (Swansboro), a freshman, with a record of 11 wins and 11 losses, by a score of 8-1.

235-pound weight class

• First place was earned by Zaria Robinson from Hoke County in the junior division with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses. She defeated Sophia Marshall from Rosewood, also in the junior division, who had a record of 16 wins and 2 losses with a fall in 1 minute and 10 seconds.

• Sanaa Hocutt (Southeast Raleigh) took the third place spot with a record of 13-1 as a sophomore, defeating Ja`Neisha Armfield (Marlboro County) 5-2, a senior, in a fall at 1:32.

• In fifth place, Ella Taylor from Cary defeated Laynie Valerin from Cleveland with a score of 13-7 in the freshman division. Valerin, also a freshman, had a record of 8-8 before the match and was defeated by Taylor in a fall at 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

Scores

The girls’ team standings for the WRAL HighSchoolOT Wrestling Invitational have been released. Results

1. Hoke County – 154

2. Havelock – 124

3. Millbrook – 103

4. Swansboro – 91

5. South Brunswick – 90

6. Currituck County – 79.5

7. Cleveland – 78.5

8. Cary – 70

9. Rosewood – 66

10. New Bern – 65

11. Marlboro County (SC) – 64

12. Pasquotank County – 62.5

13. Pinecrest – 52

14. Green Hope – 49

15. Athens Drive – 45

Source: highschoolot.com