Southbury’s Sarah Henckel (red singlet) competes in Friday night’s Who is No. 1 preseason tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo courtesy Sam Janicki / SJanickiphoto.com)
In July, Southbury’s Sarah Henckel got a takedown with two seconds remaining to win the USA Wrestling U16 national championship at 138 pounds with a victory over Wisconsin’s Faith Bartoszek.
On Friday night in FloWrestling’s Who is No. 1 preseason tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Henckel was involved with another last-second finish. However, this time it was New York’s Zaynah McBryde of Buffalo, New York with a last-second takedown to beat Henckel, 5-4 in a match at 138 pounds.
It was an exciting second period for the two wrestlers combining for four takedowns after a sluggish first period of action.
McBryde led 1-0 after a first period that dominated with hand fighting. McBryde picked up a point after Henckel was put on a 30-second shot clock with 1:20 remaining and couldn’t get a shot.
Henckel took a quick 2-1 lead early in the second period thanks to a speedy slide-by takedown. Later in the second period, McBryde finally converted a duck under with 1:50 remaining to retake the lead, 3-2.
Moments later, Henckel hit McBryde with a double-leg takedown for another lead change, 4-3 with 1:30 left in the match.
As the clock wound down, McBryde needed two points to win. With a tie, Henckel would prevail on a tiebreaker with a 2-1 edge in takedowns. Another takedown attempt from McBryde failed with the call of a stalemate with 13 seconds remaining.
At the next whistle, McBryde attacked quickly and tripped Henckel, who got in a wizard to counter the attempt. Earlier in the second period, Henckel used a wizard to fend off a takedown attempt from McBryde.
But this time, McBryde was able to get her arm free of the wizard with one second remaining to secure a takedown and a 5-4 victory.
Henckel is the second Connecticut wrestler to compete in FloWrestling’s Who is No. 1 tournament. Danbury’s Ryan Jack was one of four wrestlers to compete at 132 pounds in 2019. He lost in the semifinals.
Henckel, a freshman who will attend Blair Academy in New Jersey this fall, won a pair of USA Wrestling championships this year. In addition to her 16U freestyle title in Fargo, she won the U15 title at 66 kilograms (145) in Texas during May. It was her second consecutive U15 championship.
McBryde finished fifth at the U15 nationals at 65 kg in 2021 and was third at 61 kg this spring in Texas in the U17 tournament. McBryde is homeschooled and has never attended a conventional school but will be attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia, this fall at the age of 16.
Who is No. 1: 138: Sarah Henckel vs. Zaynah McBryde
2022 Who’s Number One
At Ann Arbor, Michigan (Sept. 9)
Women’s results
94: Morgan Turner (IL) inj. Erica Pastoriza (AZ)
100: Gabriella Gomez (IL) fall. Valarie Solorio (FL), 3:54
106: Clare Booe (FL) dec Gigi Bragg (MN), 8-3
112: Ava Ward (MO) dec. Alex Szkotnicki (MD), 6-0
117: Elena Ivaldi (CA) fall. Persaeus Gomez (CO), 0:25
122: Everest Leydecker (AZ) dec. Cadence Diduch (IL), 8-8, criteria
127: Shelby Moore (WA) tech fall. Skylar Little Soldier (MN), 10-0
132: Janida Garcia (CO) dec. No. 2 Valerie Hamilton (IL), 6-1
138: Zaynah McBryde (NY) dec. Sarah Henckel (CT), 5-4
144: Sydney Perry (IL) dec. Lizzie Shunn (UT), 16-7
152: Jasmine Robinson (TX) dec. Mishell Rebisch (MI), 9-4
