Fearsome foursome leading Mt. Lebanon female wrestlers
Sophia Beanner recalls a time when it was not fashionable for females to wrestle. For the Mt. Lebanon teenager, it was a mere six or so years ago.
Beanner was a wide-eyed fifth grader interested in the sport because her brother had started wrestling. Her father also wrestled, winning championships at Mount Pleasant High School before competing in college.
Beanner, however, was relegated to a less-than-glamorous position.
“I was always the wrestling dummy,” she said with a deep sigh,
Today, Beanner and her teammates have Mt. Lebanon and women’s wrestling in the spotlight.
In their third season since the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) sanctioned the sport, the Lady Blue Devils rank among one of the top programs in the state. In the WPIAL, they are No. 2 behind defending state champion Canon-McMillan and seven of them are ranked individually in the Top 5 of their weight classes.
The Blue Devils kicked off the 2025-26 season winning the Ashton Hynd Battle By The Lake event held in Madison, Ohio. They have climbed the ladder in follow-up action, finishing fifth at the Women of Ironman, fourth at the Beast of the East and third at Powerade before capturing first place in their own tournament.
Lebo racked up a 179 score to finish first in the Blue Devil Winter Wrestling Classic held Jan. 10. Nazareth placed second with 162 points.
The Blue Devils placed four grapplers atop the podium. Isla Silva (11), Camilla Hathaway (155), Beanner (118) and Paige Jox (148) all captured championships while Carly Jox (100), Lillian Perri (106) and Juliana Van Slyke (136) grabbed bronze medals.
“We had a great tournament,” said Lebo head coach Amanda Lebec. “The girls were amazing.”
Just a junior, Beanner has demonstrated remarkable improvement this winter and throughout her career.
As a freshman, she placed sixth in the district and fourth in the regional at 100 pounds. Last year, she finished fifth in the WPIAL at 106. This season, she is 14-7 overall with the highlight so far being a victory by fall in 79 seconds over Nazareth’s Lilly Kuhs in the 118-pound championship bout at the Blue Devil Winter Classic.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Sophia,” Lebec said. “She had a rocky start at the beginning of the season but she put everything together. This is the first time she has won the Blue Devil Classic so it’s exciting for her to get a gold medal in her home gym.”
For Beanner, it all came together; the mental, the physical and the preparation.
“I feel like I wrestled really well,” she said. “All of my hard work that I’ve put in, actually showed up because I usually get a little anxious during tournaments, and then forget all of the hard work and stuff that I’ve done. I feel like I have confidence in my wrestling.”
Lebec agreed that Beanner is putting it all together at the right time as the individual tournament season approaches.
Mt. Lebanon will host both the WPIAL championships on Feb. 21 and the Western Regionals on Feb. 28. The PIAA championships are set for March 5-7 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“Sophia wrestles her best when she’s thoughtful, and, and when she relies on the technique that she knows,” Lebec said. “She did that against Kuhs. Every single move, she finished well, she was able to find good positions and I just couldn’t be more proud.”
LOT OF LOX
Lebec could not be more pleased with Paige Lox as a wrestler and as a person.
A senior, Lox is ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and No. 2 in the state at 148. She is approaching entry into the Century Club for 100 career wins with a current record of 92-26. She was 22-5 overall after pinning Elaina Ashby from Trinity in 3:41 to capture her third title in the Blue Devil Winter Classic.
“But, she’s moved up to 148 pounds,” noted Lebec.
As a sophomore, Lox wrestled at 124 and finished second in the WPIAL and fourth in the regional. As a junior, she dropped to 118 and again earned runner-up honors in the WPIAL. She placed second in the regional.
Moving up weight classes, Lox said, was completely by choice.
“I decided I couldn’t cut weight anymore, and I felt tired. I was slow,” she said. “At first it was scary, but when I’m up here, I’m wrestling the best I’ve ever wrestled.”
To gain weight, Lox did not gorge on ice cream and chocolate. She consumed plenty of protein. “A lot of steak and beef jerky,” she said, “but I will never turn down a sweet treat. I’ll always say yes,” she added.
In addition to a “clean diet” Lox bulked up adopting a more strenuous weight-lifting program. During the summer, she lifted two times a day. She continues to lift every day even with her regular practices.
“With the change in diet, I feel I have so much more energy and I’ve been a lot stronger. Weight lifting has contributed to my strength as well. I’m wrestling the best I’ve ever had.”
Lebec sees the difference in Lox and her performances.
“She’s stronger,” she agreed. “Paige feels really good about where she is and where she’s wrestling.
“She’s having a lot of fun,” Lebec continued. “This is her senior season and I think she’s just trying to soak everything in. She’s hitting all the spots. She trains really hard, but she’s also focussed on what her life will be off the mat.”
Lox possesses an effervescent personality. She danced and was a cheerleader before fully committing to wrestling. Most recently, she served as a Junior Commissioner in Mt. Lebanon’s municipal government.
“That was a really great experience,” she noted. “I think it’s helped a lot with my public speaking, first of all, but also, I’ve made a lot of connections with higher up people in the Mount Lebanon community.”
Although she plans on majoring in political science at Washington and Jefferson College, Lox has no lofty expectations for pursuing elected office, even of being president of the United States. She plans to become an FBI agent.
“I’m wrestling at W&J but my main goal in the future is I would love to be in the FBI,” Lox said. “That’s what I want to do when I’m older.”
For now, Lox is relishing in her success on the mats and is looking forward to a strong showing in the postseason tournaments.
“Winning my third time (at the Blue Devil Classic) feels amazing, especially because it was at home and my senior year. To just get that last one feels good.
“I’m super settled on winning a state title though. I have come really close but I feel like I’m closer than ever because I went up a couple of weight classes and I feel so much better. I’m set on winning WPIALs, regionals and states.”
FRESH FACES
For Isla Silva and Camilla Hathaway, the sights are set higher.
Though only freshmen, they are world-class wrestlers. By age 10, they were national champions. More recently, as teenagers, they are Pan-American champions. They are looking to qualify for that team as well as to compete at Worlds after the regular high school season concludes with the PIAA championships in March.
“They’re both seasoned wrestlers. They have been all over the place wrestling the best girls in the country and some of the best in the world so they have high expectations,” Lebec said. “There’s nothing holding them back from winning WPIAL and state titles and then working their way through the freestyle season.
“They both have the same mindset of winning and doing everything it takes, working as hard as they possibly can to win.”
Silva and Hathaway are the best of friends having grown up in the same neighborhood. While Hathaway was homeschooled, Silva attended Howe Elementary. Both competed on the same sponsored sports teams such as softball and basketball but they yearned to compete in more combative sports.
“I really wanted to play football,” Silva said.
Because her father, Jamie, was a former safety for the Indianapolis Colts, Silva said, “I wanted to be like him.”
Theresa Silva, who played volleyball and track at Mt. Lebanon, however, wanted her daughter to do something different, something less dangerous.
“There was a wrestling camp going on,” Silva explained. “So, my mom signed me up.
“Nobody in Camilla’s family or mine wrestled,” Silva added. “So we made it our thing.”
By competing in the Mt. Lebanon Youth Wrestling Program and by continuing to hone their skills at the South Hills Wrestling Academy in Bethel Park, the pair have made wrestling their own.
Hathaway is 23-2 overall this winter. She is ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL as well as the PIAA.
“Camilla has always shown tremendous heart on the mat,” Lebec said. “She is constantly chasing good competition.”
After winning the 155-weight class at the prestigious Powerade Tournament, she claimed her first Blue Devil Winter Wrestling Classic title. In 54 seconds, she pinned Makayla Taylor from Clearfield in the 155-pound final.
Hathaway said winning the Lebo tournament was “amazing” although she has to work on some things.
“While it was my first year and being able to compete in this it was great to win because it’s our home tournament,” Hathaway said. “I wrestled some really good girls and really enjoyed it but I have work to do. I’m trying to hit more moves and work on my repertoire because I’m really hoping to win WPIALs, regionals and states, if I could.”
Being consistent is the key for Hathaway.
“I just have to keep wrestling the way I do,” she said. “Definitely trying to improve and finish. Make sure that I’m sharp with all my moves.”
Silva hit all her moves in capturing the 112-pound weight class at the Blue Devil Winter Classic. In the championship match, she scored a 7-2 decision against Trinity Moore from Connellsville.
“Isla really put on a great show,” Lebec said. “She worked really hard on top, like she always does. She’s only a freshman so it’s really awesome to have her winning in her home gym. That’s really exciting.”
Though she has traveled the world, Silva said that the Winter Classic was her favorite tournament.
“I like being home and I thought (the tournament) was run pretty well,” she said.
Her championship match, more or less, went according to plan.
“Personally, I really wished we were more neutral. I was like on top a lot,” she said. “I knew she was gonna reach back, so I tried laying low, but ended up giving a reversal. I didn’t have much of a secret (to success). I was just going for a bar and a cradle.”
Now, Silva, who is 16-2 overall this season and ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL, is looking to improve upon her state status. She is ranked No. 4 at 112.
Silva, like Hathaway, are looking to complete a feat often chased by many of their male counterparts. They hope to become that rare four-time district and state champion. There have been 14 four-time PIAA wrestling winners.
“My goal is to win a WPIAL and state title and do really well at Spokane,” she said. “Being a four-time champion would be cool. I have to keep training really, really hard and try getting as much practice as I can.”
“Definitely,” added Hathaway, “the goal is to be a four-time WPIAL and state champion. For sure, I think it’s achievable. I really hope so.”
Lebec believes it’s a tangible goal for all of the Lady Blue Devils.
“Isla and Camilla both have a great opportunity to compete and be competitive at qualifiers for the world team and all four of our champions plus the other girls that we have on the team have chances,” Lebec said. “Everybody’s in contention for making the state tournament this year.”