MOUNT VERNON — Nearly a hundred female wrestlers, representing communities from in and around Ohio, squared-off Saturday at Pleasant Street Elementary School in the 2006 United States Girls’ Wrestling Association Ohio Girls’ Open Tournament.
Mount Vernon coach and tournament organizer John Brown said, “I think that it went really well. We had the highest (participation) that we have had so far. We had 95 girls and I thought that it ran really smooth.
“I was really pleased with how the Mount Vernon girls did this year. A lot of the first-year girls got a win. I thought that was outstanding for them to come in and do that. I was real pleased with how they turned out and how the tournament ran,” said Brown.
Lindsay Curry led the charge for the Mount Vernon girls as she defeated Erica Bowling of Cleveland, 15-13, in the final match to capture first place in the 116-pound high school division.
Curry had pinned a pair of opponents in her first two matches, including eventual fourth-place finisher Mallory Perry of Mount Vernon.
In her third match, Curry defeated Emily Anderson, a past nemesis of hers. “I just wrestled Emily at the Arnold Tournament (in Columbus) and she pinned me there,” said Curry, “so I was really nervous. She got me stuck in a head and arm lock the last time and I wasn’t ready. So, this time, I just stayed out of headlock.”
Bowling had Curry tied up in Round 2 of the final match and was leading in points. Brown, who was kneeling on the edge of the mat, called out to her, “Turn hard into her, Lindsay!” Curry, suddenly spun, reversed Bowling and popped up off the mat. The look of disbelief on Bowling’s face was telling.
“I just saw her on the other side of me, so I just turned and got her,” said Curry.
Curry was able to contain Bowling, in Round 3 of their match, to take first in her class. “She (Bowling) was pretty strong,” said Curry. “I really couldn’t do anything except to hold her down there.”
Brown said, “I think that she (Lindsay) did a great job. I was very pleased. In her finals match, she got herself down and made a few mistakes, but never quit wrestling. She came back strong, caught (Bowling) on her back and won the match 15-13.”
One hundred two-pound class runner-up Renay Bakley of Mount Vernon had a difficult day as she was hampered by a recurring rib cage injury. Engy Mostafa of Toledo defeated Bakley to take first. “When she threw me — when I tried to stop it — I just kind of twisted and it brought back all of the pain that I had before,” said Bakley. “After that, it just kind of messed me up and I was not able to do as well as I should have.”
Katelyn Stickley of Mount Vernon made an impressive showing, finishing third among a field of older and more experienced girls at the 129-pound class. Stickley defeated Katy Yoder, 11-8, in her first match. Jennifer Peabody finished first, pinning Stickley in the final match. “I was satisfied with my first match,” said Stickley, “I had my mental toughness totally and that helped me through it a lot. I think that I lost all my mental toughness in my last match. The first thing to give out is not your body — it’s your mental toughness.”
Among the middle-schoolers, Heather Watts of Mount Vernon lost an 8-3 decision in the finals to Jessica Antoine of Melrose to finish second in the 176-pound class.
Mount Vernon’s Bridget Fawcett took third at 129 pounds, while Abby Gilligan of Gambier was third in the 115-pound class.
Lindsay Curry’s younger sister, Katie, was runner-up in the 103-pound middle school class, losing to class winner Emma Hanks of Garfield Heights.
Jessica Leaman of Utica took third place in the 95-pound middle school class with a pair of wins, including a pin.
Haley Brown of Mount Vernon defeated Christine Kanor of Akron in the 82-pound middle school class to place second. Brown went on to the final round where she lost a 2-0 decision to winner Felicia Kozub of Medina.
“This is definitely a step in the right direction (for girls wrestling),” said John Brown, “I am real pleased watching the progression and the technique of the girls increase each year. We get a lot more close matches and not as many runaways. We are getting more and more girls who have technique and talent at this level and I think that is great.”
