Lady Monarch grapplers will host Division I sectional tournament

The post-season has arrived for girls high school wrestling programs.

Marysville will host a sectional tournament on Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m.

The Lady Monarchs will roll out the mats for Amanda-Clearcreek, Bexley, Columbus Bishop Watterson, Centerburg, Columbus Academy, Cristo Rey Columbus, Dublin Coffman, Fairbanks, Grove City, Heath, Hilliard Darby, Johnstown, Linden McKinley, Madison-Plains, North Union, Olentangy, Olentangy Berlin, Olentangy Liberty, Teays Valley, Westerville Central, Westerville North and Columbus Whetstone.

The Lady Monarchs are the overall No. 2 seeded team for the central Ohio sectionals.

Other seeds for teams who will be competing at Marysville are as follows:

-Teays Valley (7), Hilliard Darby (12), Westerville North (13), Olentangy (14), Whetstone (18), Olentangy Berlin (20), North Union (24) and Amanda Clearcreek (25).

Olentangy Orange is the overall top-seeded girls team in the sectional tournament.

The Pioneers will compete at the Licking Valley sectional on Sunday.

Jonathan Alder’s girls are the 15th overall seed for central Ohio sectional tournaments.

It is anticipated that nearly 140 athletes will take to the MHS mats with the hopes of continuing their 2024-25 seasons.

“We will have between eight-to-15 athletes in most weight classes,” said Lady Monarch head coach Shawn Andrews. “Not every school will field a full 14-wrestler lineup.”

Marysville, like many other teams, has been fighting its share of illness and injury at different times during the season.

“Everyone has the usual aches and pains right now,” said Andrews.

The Lady Monarchs, however, anticipate fielding athletes in all 14 weight classes

Those girls will bring a season-total of 338 victories, against 137 losses, to the sectional mat.

The starting lineup for Marysville, along with season records, will be as follows:

-100: Teagan McKinney, sophomore, 25-12;

-105: Makayla Hanes, freshman, 25-14;

-110: Cami Leng, sophomore, 18-0;

-115: Camila Brito, sophomore, 26-14;

-120: Kiley Lewis, sophomore, 19-15;

-125: Lauren Mobley, junior, 28-7;

-130: Eliana Borjas, senior, 30-17;

-135: Addi Lyon, senior, 31-9;

-140: Cara Leng, junior, 26-3;

-145: Andrea Mendez, junior, 15-13;

-155: Lori Grimes, senior, 38-4;

-170: Katie Hammersmith, junior, 29-10;

-190: Desi Lee, senior, 20-2;

-235: Lillie Vanover, freshman, 18-24.

“We’ve wrestled well all year,” said Andrews, “and a lot of our girls have a lot of post-season experience.”

Andrews said it’s difficult to put a finger on what team would be labeled as a favorite to win the sectional championship.

“We look at this as 14 individual tournaments,” he said. “Our goal is to get all 14 of the girls on to the district tournament next weekend.

“If we can do that, then we can win the sectional championship,” he said. “If we wrestle the way we have all year, we have a good chance of doing that.”