Star Beacon
February 15, 2007 07:15 am
—
Females have
held their own
this season
For many years, wrestling was considered strictly a boys sport, but more and more girls are breaking into the ranks. They've been successful at the venture, too.
This year, freshman Ashley Keenan made her mark on the Edgewood wrestling team. She has been a vital part of the Warriors' push to their first Northeastern Conference championship since 1970 and the first in the 22-year career of coach Greg Stolfer at the school. Her third place at the NEC Tournament was vital to the Warriors' drive to the title and made her the highest-placing female wrestler in NEC Tournament history.
With a 22-5 record entering Friday's Division II sectional tournament at Lake Catholic High School, Keenan has the best winning percentage of any area 103-pounder at .815. She is a candidate to advance to the Division II district tournament at Akron Firestone High School next weekend.
Keenan does not hold the distinction of being the first girl to place in the NEC Tournament, however. That distinction belongs to Lakeside junior Brittany Dell, who placed fourth at 125 pounds in the 2005 NEC Tournament.
Dell has remained an important part of the Lakeside squad. Although she did not wrestle in this year's NEC Tournament, she wrestled a fair portion of the schedule at 125 pounds for the Dragons.
By comparison, Pymatuning Valley sophomore Trisha Gruskiewicz is a new arrival in the sport, just taking up wrestling this season. She has been a key contributor to the Lakers in their drive to an Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Division IV team title.
Gruskiewicz has compiled a 6-5 record at 112 pounds, earning a pin and a decision along the way. She has also been an excellent wrestling partner for Tim Goodman, who has wrestled the majority of the matches at 112, MacCuillan Clancey, who has compiled a 16-15 record at 103 pounds, and Eric Massie at 119 pounds.
Dell is the veteran of the group, having started wrestling in the fifth grade and continuing through the junior high ranks. She has totally immersed herself in the sport, trying to compete in as many girls events offered in Ohio and around the region as possible, attending summer camps and helping out with the Little Lizards youth program that has been set up by Lakeside.
"I get dusted a few times, and it is a bit weird that I'm the only girl on the team, but I still enjoy it," she said. "I think some of the guys were a little hesitant, but now they've become like brothers to me."
Keenan is in her third season of wrestling, getting her start in the Braden Junior High program.
"A bunch of my friends signed me up for it," she said. "(Edgewood teammate) Jordyn Dickey bet me that I wouldn't stay with it for more than two weeks, but the more I got into it, the more I liked it.
"At first it seemed a little weird to me, but I've really come to like wrestling. I've really come to enjoy being around the team. They're a lot of fun, especially all the seniors."
She has also found other support systems in her family.
"My older sister, Shannon, is a sophomore," Keenan said. "I think she likes to brag about me a bit."
"Last year when I started to win a lot of matches, I really started to get into it," she said. "That made me work really hard to try and get even better. Now, if I'm told I need to do 200 pushups, I do them."
Stolfer is glad Keenan showed up in his wrestling room, too, providing strength at the top of his lineup and pushing other Warriors like his son, Gregory, at 112 pounds and Kody Severino at 119. He saw her potential in junior high.
"She placed fourth at the Auburn Junior High Tournament in eighth grade," he said. "She did that against boys from Mentor and Riverside, so I knew she was a real good wrestler.
"Ashley has contributed as much to our success as anybody. She's a competitor. She always brings her A game when she wrestles. She's won 75 percent of her matches. I like the odds when you've got a wrestler like that out on the mat."
Until this year, Gruskiewicz played basketball in the winter, but the encouragement of a teacher and one of the other PV wrestlers convinced her to try it.
"I've always played basketball before, but I didn't want to play this year and I wanted to try something new," she said. "My gym teacher, Mr. (Jeff) Petrelli (an assistant wrestling coach), encouraged me to try it. Jarrod Woodard, who's also a wrestler, said I should try it, too.
"I like it a lot. I think I'm going to do it again next year."
One of the issues one might expect, the objection of parents, has really not been much of an issue for the three girls.
"My mom and dad were pretty surprised when I told them I was doing it," Gruskiewicz said of Steve and Sharon Gruskiewicz. "They've been real supportive, though. They're fine with it."
She has also found the Lakers are glad she's on the team and have tried to be helpful.
"All the guys on the team are pretty nice," Gruskiewicz said. "I haven't had anybody that has been mean to me.
"The first week was really hard for me because I didn't know anything. It probably took me a couple weeks to get comfortable, and the guys helped. I found out the conditioning is different than it is for cross country, too, because you use less muscles in cross country. I think wrestling conditioning will help me out for track later."
Keenan has found her parents, John and Krisia Keenan, among her biggest fans.
"My mom has always been real supportive about it," Keenan said. "At first, I'm not sure how my dad felt about it, but he told me recently that he didn't think I'd go this far with it and that he was really impressed with what I've done."
She has also found Stolfer a big help.
"Mr. Stolfer has been real supportive of me," Keennan said. "I think he watches out for me. I respect him a lot."
Stolfer said he treats Keenan just like any of his other wrestlers.
"She's just like one of the boys," he said. "I chew on her just like the boys.
"She's always got a smile when she steps on the mat. I'm not sure what that's all about, but I guess she enjoys what she's doing."
Dell said it took a while to convince her parents, Desiree and Shawn Dell, that wrestling was the right decision, but she's won them over. She's also cleared a big hurdle with her classmates.
"At first, my mom didn't like me doing it, but I think she likes it now," she said. "I think they're pretty supportive of it."
"Most of the girls in school are really supportive of me. I think most people applaud what I'm trying to do."
Perhaps the biggest issue the girls have to face is weight control, or trying to stay at a weight where increasing strength by male wrestlers makes it tougher for them to compete.
"When I was first starting out, I couldn't keep my weight under control," Gruskiewicz said. "I wasn't able to do it for a while, even though when I run cross country, I'm usually somewhere between 110 and 117 pounds.
"I didn't have to lose that much weight, but it was hard. I guess I had to learn to eat better. I think I've got that under control now, and I do feel better."
Dell has found out how tough it is to compete at a higher weight and advises Keenan and Gruskiewicz to stay as close to this year's weight as possible.
"It's better to stay at a lower weight because the guys' strength, especially in their upper body, becomes greater the higher the weight goes," she said. "I wish I had stayed at a lower weight."
Enjoying success has only increased Keenan's competitive fire.
"At first, I just wanted to be as good as the guys," she said. "Now it's not enough to just be a girl wrestler. Now I need to do well. My goal now is to try and win an NEC championship before high school is over."
Milestone
Perry senior Corey Hersman is the latest area wrestler to achieve the coveted 100-win level. He now has compiled 108 victories after earning the Chagrin Valley Conference championship at 189 pounds.
The list
Teams not turning in information for Mat Marks this week include Berkshire, Chardon, Madison, NDCL and Newbury.
Note to coaches
Even though tournament action begins Friday and another federal holiday is on tap Monday, the Star Beacon is still in search of the records of wrestlers with winning percentages of .500 or better for Mat Marks. Information is collected each Monday night. Information can be called in locally to 998-2323, extension 280 or long distance at 800-554-6768, extension 280. Records may also be faxed to 440-998-7938 or can be emailed. Those choosing to email their information are asked not to send attachments.
Pearson is the wrestling beat writer for the Star Beacon. He can be reached via email at kpearson@starbeacon.com.
Star Beacon Print Edition: 2/15/2007
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