The Valley Christian girls wrestling team was in action at the D2 Section 2 meet on Monday, November 27th, at Moon Valley High School. The 5 wrestlers faired out well and had good success. For most of the team, it was their first meet, so I am sure there was some nervous feelings going into the tournament, but they were able to shake those nerves off quickly, So, let us get into how the girls did in the first meet of the season... 

Last year, there was only one female wrestler, Andie Donahue. She and her older sister Reese Donahue ('22) are a big reason for the start of the girls wrestling program at Valley, but after Reese graduated, Andie was the only girl on the team. This year, however, things changed in that regard, as fellow senior Maia Brinkman joined Andie along with three sophomores (Bella Goldman, Hanah Goldman, and Aubrie Piasecki). So, for four of these girls, this was their first wrestling tournament ever. They really showed up well as every girl on the team was able to win at least one round during their respective matches. 

During the first round, sophomore Hannah Goldman won her first match by a score of 8-1 and senior Andie Donahue won hers with a pin. During the second round, every girl was able to take home a W. Hannah Goldman was able to win another round with a 14-2 score, Maia Brinkman won her 2nd match with a pin after a fireman carry throw during the 3rd round. Sophomore Aubrie Piasecki won with a 2nd round pin and fellow sophomore Bella Goldman also won her 2nd round match with a pin. Lastly, Andie Donahue won her 2nd round match with another pin, this time being in the third round of the match. 

Considering this was their first meet in their careers, you could obviously tell that some nerves were going to kick in. Sophomore Hannah Goldman said she was "nervous mainly about getting hurt." She also added "this is my first contact sport before; I've done track and other non-contact sports but nothing like this before". Senior Maia Brinkman said, "I was worried about getting injured" and after her first match she did point out that her neck was sore for a couple of days. Despite the fear of injury, both wrestlers said it has been a lot of fun and that they think they are doing exceptionally well so far this season. Senior Andie Donahue shared that the new wrestlers are "overall doing pretty good. They just need to keep working on technique to continue improving and it will lead to more successes at future meets." 

Overall, this was a good showing for the girls at their first wrestling tournament. Obviously, there's room for improvement and since it is their first time wrestling some bumps in the road were to be expected. For them to have such a strong showing at their first meet is a great sign for the girls and just further proves that the potential of this team is sky high and they have a good chance to do something special this year in helping to build a strong program here at Valley.  

You can catch the girls team in action again at Buckeye High School for the Jerry Benson Tournament this Friday and Saturday!