photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Park’s Terriona Gibbons works on an arm bar against River’s Sydney Gust in the 235-pound championship match during Saturday night’s inaugural OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championships inside WesBanco Arena. Gibbons won by pin.

WHEELING — In just its first year of existence, the Wheeling Park girls’ wrestling team took second place out of 26 teams in the inaugural OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championships that concluded its three-day stay inside WesBanco Arena Saturday night.

The Patriots finished with 100 points which was 11 behind Warren Local and just 3.5 ahead of third-place East Liverpool.

“It’s pretty cool,” Wheeling Park head coach Danny Doyle said. “To see these girls working really hard every day in the (wrestling) room and then to come out here on Saturday night to show everyone just how hard they’ve worked was great.”

The margin of victory was provided by the Patriots’ Kymber Heldreth (185) and Terriona Gibbons (235) who recorded pins in the final two matches. Heldreth took down John Marshall’s Jaycee Mcendree in 1:01, while Gibbons went a little longer before dispatching River’s Sydney Gust in 2:58.

“They are the two that really got this team started,” Doyle said of his two champions. “Last year they were wrestling against the boys every day in practice.”

Doyle said that was a huge help.

“They will tell you themselves that wrestling with the boys is why they are atop the podium tonight,” he added.

The very first girls champion hails from Bellaire as freshman Lyla Blazek earned a 9-1 major decision over Steubenville’s Jamiah-el Bey at 100 pounds.

“It feels great,” Blazek said. “I feel like I can empower a lot of movement in the sport.”

Blazek said she got started in wrestling because of her younger brother, but when she asked her dad three years ago, he said, “no,” but she signed up anyway and has no regrets.

“I didn’t overthink anything. I didn’t let myself get into my head,” she explained. “Just get on the mat and wrestle. The worst thing you can do is think too much.”

Steubenville’s Talea Guntrum is a two-time OHSAA state champion, but she is glad the OVAC Ron Mauck added girls this year.

“It feels good, but I wish they would have started this tournament two years ago,” she said after winning the 135-pound title with a 12-second pin of Wheeling Park’s Grace Tamburin.

Guntrum wrestled three matches – winning all three by pin in a total of 29 seconds. She had earlier falls of 8 and 9 seconds.

For her accomplishments, albeit quick, she was named the first recipient of the Burke Award, symbolic of the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Other female winners were Shenandoah’s Layken Lively (107), Warren Local’s Emma Gorrell (114), Barnesville’s Ladyn Hines (120), East Liverpool’s Paige Cowan (126), University’s Alenna Blon (132), Warren Local’s Trinidee Mckenzie (145), Oak Glen’s Alexandra Watkins (152) and East Liverpool’s Alanna McGonigal (165).