Miami East makes history as first girls state wrestling champion

History, as well as that trophy on display in the glass case, will remember the Miami East Vikings as the first team state champion in Ohio high school girls wrestling.

The wrestlers won’t soon forget their victory parade. Fire trucks escorted the Vikings through the school district, including trips through the villages of Casstown and Fletcher, as residents cheered their triumphant return from the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association’s state championships.

Make no mistake, Miami East coach George Shore is proud of the Vikings. A team that started with 18 girls – 17 of them going into the season with 0-0 career records – ended up as the best in Ohio. But what Shore will always remember about last Saturday and Sunday at Hilliard Davidson High School is this:

“The real winner of the weekend was girls wrestling in Ohio,” Shore said. “We fought and scratched and clawed to move girls wrestling just inches ahead. This weekend we threw a 99-yard bomb and pushed girls wrestling ahead like never before.”

If there were any doubters who said there was no interest in an all-girls high school state wrestling tournament in Ohio, the Vikings – along with the nearly 250 wrestlers from 99 programs – took them down faster than Erin Hamby’s 15-second pin (the third fastest in the tournament) to claim third place in her bracket.

“The theme of our weekend was let’s show our heart,” Shore said. “Let’s dig deep and stick to the plan. Stick to your training. Just every situation where the girl could have quit, she didn’t. We rolled in with a lot of mojo and a lot of heart.”

The Vikings had 16 wrestlers compete at the state meet, led by junior Olivia Shore. Shore made history last season as the second girl to qualify for the OHSAA high school boys state meet and the first to win a first-round match. She added to her already lengthy resume with a state championship in the 111-pound weight class.

Sidney’s Josie Davis (126) and Beavercreek’s Kaileigh Nuessgen (131) also claimed individual state titles.

Shore went 4-0 and won every match by pin. She won the championship match in 4:36 over Parma Senior’s Liz Matis. Shore pinned her first three opponents in 0:21, 0:28 and 1:47.

Also scoring podium finishes (top eight) for the Vikings were Hamby (third at 170), Korrah Patton (fifth at 143), Camryn Miller (fifth at 160), Bella Lewis (sixth at 101) and Sydney Preston (sixth at 235).

Joining them on the state title team were Emily Adkins, Natalie Bair, Lily Bruggeman, Kelly Buck, Ella Demmitt, Josie DeSautels, Morgan Nosker, Kirsten Overholser, Shelby Preston, Sarah Root and Alivia Wade.

East scored 149.5 points to top Columbus Olentangy Orange’s 122.5. Orange brought a meet-high 18 wrestlers. Teams with more than 14 competitors had to designate one point scorer per bracket, but additional team members were allowed to compete in the same bracket.

“We said early on we’re going to put a trophy behind that glass. We didn’t know if it would be the first-place trophy, but we planned on putting one there,” Shore said. “We’re super blessed it is the championship trophy. … I just want to give a shoutout to the Miami East community and the way they supported these girls. Just seeing how blessed I am to have this opportunity.”

Sidney finished sixth as a team with four wrestlers, highlighted by Davis’ state championship and Jadah McMillen’s fifth-place finish. Davis pinned all five of her opponents in 0:47, 0:48, 1:05, 2:30 and 4:41.

Nuessgen edged Miamisburg’s Cassia Zammit 5-2 for the title at 131.

Springboro’s Rylee Gust also reached the podium with fourth place at 116.

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