Apr 23, 2026 6 min read

Isla Silva of Mount Lebanon possesses the primary principle for success.

“She thinks big,” said Matt Kocher.

Kocher is Silva’s amateur wrestling coach. He is also owner of South Hills Wrestling Academy (SHWA) where she trains.

“Four of our pillars at SHWA are: think big, say yes, do extra and seek competition. Isla does all those but the first is the most important and she does that very well.”

While Silva won a WPIAL title and PIAA championship this winter as a freshman at Mt. Lebanon High School, the big date circled on her calendar was the 2026 USA Wrestling Women’s Nationals held April 9-12 in Spokane, Wash. The competition is the stepping stone for World Championships and eventual Olympic competition. The 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane, Australia is the ultimate aim.

“That’s the target,” Kocher said. “That’s the plan,” he added because in 2028 Isla will be “too young” having just turned 15 this past week.

Silva is “on track” because she proved she’s the best in her age division. During the national competition, she swept through all 11 of her matches.

Silva won the 50 kg U15 and 49 kg U17 divisions. In doing so, she qualified to represent Team USA at the U15 Pan American Championships to be held July 23-25 in Mexico City and the U17 World Championships to be held July 27 to Aug. 2 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“Isla’s performance was inspiring and it’s impressive how she carried herself through a grueling tournament,” Kocher said.

“During World Team trials, you are one mistake away from losing and your only goal is to win because if you finish second or third you don’t make it and you’re not going to get to go to all those extra training sessions, clinics and camps.”

With each bout, Silva improved. In the U15 division, she went 5-0 and edged Bella Manno on criteria, 4-4, in the championship bout. Before the finals, Silva shutout three of her first four opponents and notched a pair of technical falls.

In the U17 division, Silva collected three of her first four wins by technical fall, putting her in the best-of-three series with a spot on the U17 World team on the line. Silva faced Manno once again. Silva won the first two contests to sweep the series, 5-1 and 8-4.

“Isla was so focused and maintained a strong sense of self belief. With each match she got better and found her groove. She did a great job of managing all the pressure and it increased with every match she won.”

Silva never wavers in her training methods. She always falls back on her training, says Kocher.

“Isla feeds off knowing she’s outworking everybody else,” he said. “She is the hardest working wrestler in the country. She never feels like she’s doing enough. She’s the type of athlete that you have to tell to take time off.”

Unlike Silva, who will be defending the Pan-AM title she won in 2024, Camilla Hathaway fell a match short of placing at nationals. Last year, she won the U15 division and won at Pan-AM. Hathaway will now focus on her next big amateur competition, the USA Wrestling Junior and 16U National Championships to be held in July in Fargo, N.D.

“Camilla and Isla are on similar tracks,” Kocher said. “While Isla is celebrating, Camilla will be there eventually. She’s a super hard worker, too. The goal for both is to keep the fire burning for the next seven years.”

One other grappler from Mt. Lebanon joined Silva and Hathaway on the trip to Spokane. Paige Jox competed in the U20 division but she was injured in her opening match. She broke her collar bones against her opponent from Lehigh University.

A 2026 WPIAL champion and PIAA medalist, Jox will work on her recovery in preparation for her move up to the collegiate level. She will wrestle at Washington and Jefferson College in the fall.

In other wrestling news, Grace Nasman and Sydney Laboon were recognized recently for their performances at the PIAA championships. Both were medal winners in the state finals held at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Nasman finished fifth at 142 after earning a 17-12 decision against Avery Earnest from Hughesville in the consolation finals. A sophomore, Nasman was a bronze medalist in the WPIAL and Southern Regional tournament. She owns a 64-19 overall career record heading into her junior year.

Laboon earned an eight-place medal and a spot on the podium at 130. She was a third-place finisher in both the WPIAL and regional tournaments. In her first year of varsity action, the freshman posted a 36-11 overall record.

SHWA place for wrestling

After Isla Silva of Mt. Lebanon captured two national titles, the South Hills Wrestling Academy (SHWA) can truly say that it builds champions.

Silva trains at the facility, located at 1008 Progress Court in Bethel Park. Open from 5:30 to 8:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday, SHWA offers programs for male and female grapplers from ages 4 through high school as well as camps and clinics throughout the year. The club specializes in folkstyle, freestyle and greco-roman amateur wrestling as well as youth strength training.

Founded in 2019, Matt Kocher is the owner, founder, and program director of SHWA, which is a nonprofit organization focused on youth development.

A PIAA state champion for State College High School, Kocher was a fifth-place finisher at 157 at the NCAA Division I championships when he competed for the University of Pittsburgh. He also achieved All-America status in both freestyle and Greco wrestling.

After earning an MBA from Pitt, he helped coach the Panthers for eight seasons, mentoring seven All-Americans. He has also coached Mt. Lebanon youth wrestlers and at the junior high level.

Kocher said that he has been coaching wrestlers like Silva and her teammate, Camilla Hathaway, “since they could tie their shoes,” and that he is extremely proud of them. He added that Silva’s win was the “first true championship” for SHWA.

Visit southhillswrestling.com for more information on the gym, its staff and programs.