Three score silver in first WPIAL girls wrestling finals

Paige Jox of Mt. Lebanon along with Grace O’Korn and Liliana Giulianelli from Peters Township captured silver medals during the inaugural WPIAL Championships for girls wrestling.
The trio along with Upper St. Clair’s Genevieve Hanson and the Mt. Lebanon trio of Sophia Beanner, Ester Ward and Vi Phillips, advanced to the first Southwest Regional to be held March 2 at Canon-McMillan.
The top four finishers in 13 weight classes from 100 to 235 will advance to the first PIAA girls individual wrestling championships set for March 7-9 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“The goal is to make it to Hershey. It’s everybody’s goal,” said Jox. “It’s why we’ve put in all this work all season. Our hard work has led up to this moment. We want to win.”
Jox sorely wanted to capture a gold medal on Feb. 17 at North Allegheny and become the first female in Mt. Lebanon history to claim a WPIAL title for wrestling.
However, after pinning her first two opponents and scoring a 2-0 decision against Canon-McMillan’s Bailey Emery in the semifinals, Jox dropped a 5-0 decision to Plum’s Saphia Davis in the 124-pound championship match.
“Nobody aims to get silver. I wanted to win but I am pretty proud of myself, especially being part of something first and going down in history,” Jox said.
“All my matches were tough and I am proud that I made it that far. The competition was really good. There were a lot of talented girls here. They all could wrestle.”
Though she started her athletic career as a cheerleader, Jox had wrestling in her blood. Her father, Robert, competed at Chartiers Valley High School and was a WPIAL qualifier. He assists Mt. Lebanon head coach Amanda Toney Lebec. Paige also has a younger sister, Carly, who competes in the sport.
“When I quit cheerleading, my dad said, ‘well, you have to find some sport to do’ so I decided to wrestle because my sister was doing it. I think it’s great and I hope to help grow the sport.
“I definitely do feel like a pioneer in the sport, especially at Lebo because we have a lot of junior high girls and others competing at younger levels. They all look up to you. The little girls and their moms come up to me and say what an inspiration I am for the sport.”
They may not see the perspiration Jox puts into wrestling. In addition to her daily practices, she lifts weights at home on her own because a strength training program has not been established yet at the high school. She also trains at the South Hills Wrestling Academy and has traveled to Fargo, N.D., to participate in the national championships.
“While I’ve not placed, it’s a great experience and super cool,” she said. “It’s a good opportunity to wrestle against really good girls. They are all super talented.”
Jox is skilled, too. She enters the regional with a 30-4 record, complete with 22 falls. Her record also includes a tech. fall, one major, five regular decisions and one forfeit win.
“I like getting pins,” she said. “I don’t like to waste my energy. I want to save it for the bigger matches.”
Lebec was pleased with Jox’s performance throughout the tournament. She was particularly pleased with her final against Davis.
“Paige knew it would be a tough match but one thing she won’t do is back down from a fight,” said the Lebo coach. “Her effort and performance was that of a high-level athlete. She was focused and driven to wrestle her best.
“Paige wants to be the best, she understands the amount of work and commitment that takes,” Lebec continued. “She understands the time and sacrifice it takes to compete in wrestling, she does extra, says yes to challenges, thinks big, and seeks out competition to improve.”
Three other Lebo grapplers demonstrated improvement. They earned spots on the podium and thus advanced to the regional.
A junior, Esther Ward finished fourth at 136 pounds while Sophia Beanner, a freshman, and Vi Phillips, a sophomore, scored sixth places at 100 and 170 pounds, respectively.
Meanwhile, O’Korn and Giulianelli matched Jox, taking home silver medals in the WPIAL tournament. A senior, O’Korn finished runner-up to Norwin’s Josephine Dollman at 142 while Giulianelli, a freshman, placed second at 170 to Natalie Rush from Canon-McMillan, which claimed three titles and placed 11 wrestlers during the historic tournament.
“Grace and Liliana fought hard against very accomplished opponents,” said PT coach Buck O’Korn. “They’ve both got some work to do to bring a better version of themselves to the next competition. What makes these young ladies special is their awareness and ownership of that challenge.”
Coach O’Korn noted Giulianelli’s 5-4 semifinal win over Kaylee Dean, who was on the high school national team, as well as his daughter’s overall effort, which included pins in the first two rounds of competition.
“Grace kept her foot on the gas all day and Liliana’s semifinal match was special,” Coach O’Korn said. “Lil took Kaylee into the deep water and came out on top.”
In addition to PT’s two place winners, Giada Pitzarella participated in the WPIAL championships. A junior, she brought over 30 varsity matches into the tournament.
“She has a very bright future,” noted Coach O’Korn. “She wrestled very well and like all my wrestlers, keeps improving. Every week and with each meet, my girls wrestle with a positive attitude and willingness to improve.”
As a freshman, Hanson has a vast ceiling and ample room to hone her skills. She only started wrestling in November. Four months later, she stood on the podium as USC’s first female medalist in wrestling. Hanson finished sixth at 142.
“It was really fun and thrilling,” Hanson said to participate in the first-ever WPIAL championships for girls wrestling. “I’m very excited to be moving on.
“It’s been an amazing experience. I am really glad that girls are wrestling and it’s getting more accepted an normalized in the community.”