On February 15, close to 200 athletes coming from 11 separate schools competed in the second annual WPIAL Girls’ Wrestling Individual Championships at North Allegheny High School. Of those 193 athletes, 13 were named champions, including 3 from Norwin, the most of any competing school.
Josephine Dollman, Karsyn Champion, and Octavia Walker all placed first in their weight classes: 148, 155, and 170 respectively. Because of their performance at the WPIAL level, the three girls qualified for the PIAA West Regional Championship, at which they could punch their ticket to the State Championships
“Last year, I placed fourth at WPIALs and first at the West Regional tournament after I upset everyone ranked above me,” Champion said.
A fairly new sport, women’s wrestling continues to expand, and these three girls are great examples of the talent and potential Norwin’s future holds.
“It’s the fastest growing female sport, and scholarships from colleges are definitely becoming more noticed,” Walker said.
At the West Regional Championship, Walker placed 2nd and Champion placed 3rd. Unfortunately, Dollman was unable to compete due to an injury.
The girls headed to Hershey, PA to compete in the PIAA State Championship from March 6 to March 8.
“Even if I don’t get the outcome I want, I need to just keep putting in the work,” said Walker. “It definitely will be disappointing, but I’ve put in so much work this season, and I just need to trust God and myself.”
