1/27/2024
The 2023-2024 Redhawk girls wrestling team competed in the
first ever IHSA Girls Regionals this weekend.
The tournament was held at Shepard High School. Wrestlers competing needed place in the top
six of the 41 team event to advance to the IHSA Girls Sectionals. Naperville Central placed three out of seven
girls competing. The Hawks won 14
matches at the tournament against 13 losses.
Ellen Purl (120) and Dezi Azar (125) were back-to-back finalists, both
taking second place. Gracie Meluch (115)
took sixth place. All three wrestlers
will compete at Schaumburg February 9-10 for a chance to advance to the IHSA Girls
State Tournament which will be held in Bloomington.
Ellen Purl, one of 25 competitors at 120 pounds, came into the tournament unseeded. Her incredible run to the finals included four wins by fall, two of which were come from behind victories. Purl defeated Gavin of Hinsdale Central in the opening round of 32 to advance to Basmajian of Metea Valley in the round of 16. Both matches occurred on Friday. Purl came from behind to pin Basmajian who was seeded seventh. Saturday morning saw Purl in the quarterfinals against Horton of Glenbard West. Once again Purl came from behind to win by fall. Horton had earlier defeated the second seed. Now a semifinalist and assured a ticket to Sectionals, Purl took a 0-0 match into the second period and pinned Madrigal of Lockport to make the finals. Purl lost by fall to top seeded Sylvester of West Aurora in the championship match. Purl finished with a well-earned silver.
Top seeded Dezi Azar competed at 125 pounds. She won by fall on Friday night against Paz
of Wheaton North to qualify for the quarterfinals. Saturday morning Azar learned that she became
a sectional qualifier by way of medical forfeit from Harty of Wheaton
North. Azar pinned Rochsh of host
Shepard in the semifinals to make the finals.
Senior Aphay of Riverside-Brookfield won by fall over Azar in the title
match.
Freshman newcomer Gracie Meluch (115) won her Friday night
match by fall over Landgrebe of Batavia to make the quarterfinals. Saturday morning Meluch lost by fall to Duncan
of Wheaton Warrenville South. Needing two
wins to advance to sectionals, Meluch placed Thornton’s shoulders to the mat
for the stick in the first match.
Thornton is from Lemont. The victory
advanced Meluch to the “blood round” of the tournament, which is the “win or go
home” match. Meluch rolled Skibicki of
Lockport to her back for the fall and earned her ticket to sectionals. Meluch lost to Konopka of Glenbard West in
the consolation semifinals and to Duncan once again in the fifth-place match,
finishing sixth.
Junior Annika Hull (100) just missed her chance to make the sectional
tournament, losing in the blood round to Dodgers of Leyden. Earlier, Hall pinned Almazon of Shepard to
make the blood round. Hull finished 2-2
on the tournament and is an alternate for sectionals. Annika finishes the season with a record of
14-13.
Junior Bianca Arredondo, competing at 130 pounds, finished
1-2 on the day. Arredondo won by fall
over Sorica of Lyons Township. Freshman
Arianna Rico, wrestling at 145 pounds, won her Friday match over Workman of
Lyons to make the quarterfinals. Arredondo
ends her season at 11-16. Rico finished 1-2. Freshman Sophia Liu lost both of her matches
in the event but went the distance against Magyar of Neuqua Valley, almost scoring
in the third period to tie or win.
Magyar won 5-1.