NEW HAVEN, February 25, 2023 – The growth of girls wrestling continues in Connecticut.
The CIAC Girls Invitational added two weight classes this season, bumping up to 12, and two wrestlers won their third state championship Saturday in New Haven.
Stamford senior Samantha Yap and Amity senior Camryn Brown each won their third state title while Brien McMahon’s Calli Gilchrist, Foran’s Kelly Aspras, Guilford’s Brianna Seixas and Ledyard’s Linda Holeman won their second state titles.
Yap (20-3), one of the two captains for the Stamford High program, had three first period pins to win the championship.
“I think I wrestled smart in this tournament,” she said. “I didn’t know any of the girls I was wrestling so I wrestled how I usually do and it worked out. It was amazing.”
Brown (11-4) also had a dominating run through the tournament with four pins – all in the first period – to win the title. Brown, who will attend Gannon University, didn’t give up a point in the tournament.
Two nationally ranked wrestlers won championships. Gilchrist, who is ranked No. 12 at 112 pounds by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Flo Wrestling and USA wrestling, won her second title at 114 pounds with two pins and three victories.
Pomperaug’s Julianna Morris, who is ranked No. 15 at 127 pounds in the February national rankings, won her first CIAC Girls Invitational title by pinning top-seeded Rylee Donahue of Norwalk in 3:04. It earned Morris (33-14) outstanding wrestling honors.
Ledyard’s Linda Holeman, who a CIAC Invitational title in 2020 as a freshman, won her second title at 132 pounds on Saturday with 11-1 decision over Ester Riberio of Bethel, who won a CIAC title a year ago at 120.
Aspras won her second title with a pin of New Britain’s Alyana Martinez at 145 pounds. Seixas pinned Berlin’s Olivia Wojtusik at 152 pounds to win her second title. Seixas, the first girl to score a varsity touchdown on the Guilford High football team, is the first girl to be a wrestling captain at Guilford.
Ellis Tech’s Addisyn Herdic (100), South Windsor’s Valerie Turgeon (120), Trumbull’s Marangelie Teixeira (165), Maloney’s Arianna Bellamy and Platt’s Kayli Morris (235) each won their first CIAC Invitational championships.
Herdic earned 28th win of the season with her technical fall win over Amity’s Abby Pallotto. Herdic finishes at 28-14.
Leading by two points, Turgeon got a reversal and near fall in the third period to earn a 9-4 win over Masuk’s Gianna Silva. Turgeon joins her father as a State Open champion. Steve Turgeon on a State Open title for East Catholic in 1975.
2023 CIAC Girls Invitational
At New Haven
Team results – No team scores kept.
Individual results
Championship finals
100 Addisyn Herdic (Ellis Tech) tech fall Abby Pallotto (Amity), 16-0 5:51
107 Samantha Yap (Stamford) pin Karla Flores (Montville), 1:54
114 Calli Gilchrist (Brien McMahon) pin Hoshena Gemme (Old Lyme), 5:33
120 Valerie Turgeon (South Windsor) dec. Gianna Silva (Masuk), 9-4
126 Julianna Morris (Pomperaug) pin Rylee Donohue (Norwalk), 3:04
132 Linda Holeman (Ledyard) dec. Esther Ribeiro (Bethel), 11-1
138 Camryn Brown (Amity) pin Kan-Yah McCarthy (Fairfield Ludlowe), 1:02
145 Kelly Aspras (Foran) pin Alyana Martinez (New Britain), 1:51
152 Brianna Seixas (Guilford) pin Olivia Wojtusik (Berlin), 1:47
165 Marangelie Teixeira (Trumbull) pin Kaydence Atkinson (New Britain), 2:34
185 Arianna Bellamy (Maloney) pin Dayami Torillo cortes (Windham), 4:52
235 Kayli Morris (Platt) pin Mallory Sefick (St. Paul), 1:41
Third place (consolation finals)
100 Sophie Braul (Joel Barlow) dec. Jessica Dudley (Ledyard), 7-0
107 Sybella Landrie (Berlin) pin Maela Sosa (Canton), 1:25
114 Lilliana Fraize (South Windsor) dec. Ariana Farr (Morgan), 6-2
120 Emily De souza (Amity) pin Lindsey Rywolt (Stratford), 3:00
126 Maddie Cooper (East Haven) pin Emma Rial (Trumbull), 2:49
132 Shyan Rolle S (Stratford) dec. Madison Atkison (New Britain), 4-1
138 Sophia Lancin (Weston) dec. Idalia Lopez (Windham), 3-2
145 Lilya Akande (Shelton) dec. Rachel Camiglio (Shelton), 5-1
152 Nora Locicero Rockville) pin Ruby Rios (Maloney), 3:41
165 Sanique James (Simsbury) pin Jalinda Pontes (Lyman Mem/Windham Tech), 3:10
185 Kay Gamache (Lyman Mem/Windham Tech) pin Nicki Mainville (Foran), 0:13
235 Ava Zuccalo (Rockville) pin Kayla Navarro (Griswold/Wheeler), 4:51
Fifth place
100 Sofia Milano (East Haven) pin Sophia Gordon (South Windsor), 0:31
107 Madison Arthur (Gilbert) dec. Marissa Wargo (Jonathan Law), 2-0
114 Amelia Peterson (Haddam-Killingworth) pin Maren Gilchrist (Brien McMahon), 2:09
120 Jasmine Whitfield (Stamford) dec. Serenity Perez (Platt), 6-2
126 Gonul Celik (East Haven) dec. Isa Rodroguez (Norwalk), 13-2
132 Nicole Messam (New Haven) dec. Dannely Delacruz (RHAM), 3-2
138 Renee Bunn (Killingly) dec. Jaime House (Haddam-Killingworth), 14-0
145 Aliana Romero (Harding) pin Vyvyan Laurenza (Haddam-Killingworth), 2:56
152 Hayley Broderick (Fairfield Ludlowe) forfeit over Victoria Maillard (Notre Dame-Fairfield)
165 Jessica Huang (Rocky Hill) dec. Adalynn Southworth (Conard), 2-1
Outstanding wrestler: Julianna Morris, Pomperaug (126)
2023 CIAC Girls Invitational brackets and results (FloArena)
