Orange’s Martin makes history

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More than 200 girls made history by competing in the first ever OSWCA State Girls Wrestling Tournament Saturday and Sunday at Hilliard Davidson High School.

Only 14 of them made history twice, though, winning their respective weight classes to become part of the first batch of state champs the sport of girls wrestling has ever seen.

Olentangy Orange’s Taryn Martin was one of the 14, finishing a perfect 5-0 to take the title at 137.

Martin marched to the championship match with relative ease, winning three of her first four matches with pins. She forced Highland’s Hunter Elswick to the mat in 3:25 to get things started, then took just 1:13 to pin Miami East’s Morgan Nosker in the quarterfinals.

She got Piqua’s Beth Herndon in the semis, who she cruised past 17-2, then pinned Western Brown’s Lacie Reese in 4:23 to set up a date with Big Walnut’s Aliya Martin in the final.

Aliya Martin was just as dominant early on. After a first-round bye, she pinned Columbus East’s Zenay Umphrey in 5:33 and forced Firestone’s Emily Lorenzon to the mat in 3:47. She blanked Delaware Hayes’ Ari Avant 5-0 in the semifinals, but that’s where her run ended as Taryn Martin used a first-period pin to secure the title.

Taryn Martin (first), Aliya Martin (second) and Avant (sixth) all placed in the weight class … and that was just one of the 14. Delaware County was well represented in several others, too.

Olentangy Berlin’s Maia Crumb was among the best of the rest … and nearly among the best, period. She won each of her first two matches before falling to Dublin Coffman’s Ayala Wolak in the championship match at 150 to settle for runner-up honors.

Other standouts from the weekend’s first state showcase included Big Walnut’s Cali Lang, who outlasted Hubbard’s Kylee Bentley 16-10 in the third-place match at 106; Hayes’ Kelcey Dew, who pinned Liberty Center’s Kalen Rauch in 3:35 to finish third at 121; Orange’s Anna Grabau, who used a first-period pin to get past Strongsville’s Brynn Grahovac and close third at 143; Orange’s Noel Frye, who was fourth at 160; and the Pioneers’ Lexi Simmons, Aida Walters and Alayna Smith, who finished sixth at 106, 150 and 160, respectively.

Olentangy Orange’s Taryn Martin gets her arm raised after picking up a win in the first round of the OSWCA Girls State Wrestling Tournament Saturday at Hilliard Davidson High School. She won all five of her matches to take the title in the 137-pound weight class.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2020/02/web1_taryn.jpegOlentangy Orange’s Taryn Martin gets her arm raised after picking up a win in the first round of the OSWCA Girls State Wrestling Tournament Saturday at Hilliard Davidson High School. She won all five of her matches to take the title in the 137-pound weight class. Ben Stroup | Gazette
Wins title at 1st OSWCA Girls State Wrestling Tournament

By Ben Stroup

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