Bald Eagle Area’s Grace Stem, who recently won her second straight state title at the MyHouse Girls State Wrestling Championships, rallied to win her bout at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic last Friday.
Stem earned a 10-6 win over Schyler Caringi of New York in their 144-pound bout at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. Stem was originally supposed to wrestle four-time Nevada state champion Isabella Mir.
Caringi started out on fire, headlocking Stem to her back in the first period. Stem fought hard to avoid the pin and got off her back. She escaped and took Caringi down to make the score 5-3 going into the second.
Stem earned another takedown in the second period. The score was 6-6 in the third period when she took Caringi down for the third time in the third period. She scored two quick nearfall points to set the final score.
Stem, a Lock Haven University women’s wrestling recruit, will be looking to make the world team later this summer. She’ll also wrestle in the USA Wrestling Nationals in Fargo, N.D. in July.
Penn State great and Olympic gold medalist David Taylor was honored at the Wrestling Classic by being inducted into the Classic’s Hall of Fame. Taylor wrestled for the United States team in the 2009 Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic.
The event pits some of the top seniors from Pennsylvania against the top seniors from across the country. The United States team won the match, 25-21.
Biglerville’s Levi Haines, a Penn State recruit, earned a 7-3 win over Aiden Riggins, Janesville, Iowa at 160 pounds.
The only other regional wrestler was Forest Hills’ three-time state champion Jackson Arrington at 152. The North Carolina State recruit was in a tight bout with Iowa City’s Hunter Garvin, when Garvin defended a shot by taking Arrington to his back and pinning him in 4:28.
