Mt. Lebanon wrestlers make mark at PIAA championships
Bring home four medals & one team trophy
After putting four athletes on the podium, Mt. Lebanon affixed an exclamation point to its wrestling season when the girls took home the runner-up team trophy during the awards ceremony at the PIAA championships.
During the state finals held from March 5-7 at the GIANT Center in Hershey, Mt. Lebanon claimed one state title, produced two third-place finishers and added a sixth-place medalist, but the Lady Blue Devils brought home the biggest prize. They finished runner-up to Quakertown in the team standings. Quakertown totaled 76 points while Mt. Lebanon tallied a 68 score.
“When we started the season, we knew we had a really great group of athletes but I told them at the first practice we also had a team that could be first in the state. So we focused on performing as a team,” said Lebo head coach Amanda Lebec.
“It’s a happy, joyful experience to know we showed well at states, and focusing on wrestling our best contributed to a good team score. We were already celebrating so much. The team trophy was just the icing on the cake for what we can do together.”
Paige Jox, who finished third in the 148-pound weight class, noted the small contingent the Blue Devils sent to the PIAA championships. In addition to Cole Gibbons on the male side, Jox competed in the female division alongside freshmen Isla Silva and Camilla Hathaway under the Mt. Lebanon moniker
“To take second, especially only having three girls, makes it difficult to finish high in the team rankings,” she said. “I am so happy with how I did but I am so proud of Isla and Camilla. They have been so amazing this season.”
Silva capped off a 32-3 freshmen year with a PIAA title at 112.
“I could not have been more proud of Isla,” Lebec said. “She relied on her athleticism, fitness and conditioning. She utilized everything in her toolbox and wrestled her match.”
For the second time this season, Silva beat Daylee Watson of Conneaut Area, 6-1, in the 112-pound title bout. Silva had also beaten Watson a week earlier to win the regional crown.
Silva, who was also the WPIAL champion, defeated Morgan Hyland from Easton, 7-4, in a critical semifinal match.
“That was the match we were preparing for because Morgan is such an accomplished wrestler and she had scored on Isla a bit,” Lebec said. “Once we got in the finals, we knew Isla would be facing Daly, whom she had wrestled before.
“Isla never underestimates an opponent,” Lebec continued. “So she focused on her wrestling. She did what she needed to do. She performed so well when she knew what was coming for her. She wrestled her match and focused on herself.”
Noting Silva is just 14 years old, Lebec said her future is “absolutely” bright. She and Hathaway are currently training for the freestyle season and a return to the World Team Trials in Spokane.
“Isla is a phenomenal competitor with big dreams and big goals,” Lebec said. “Wrestling is a process sport and she sticks to it. With her focus and work on her skills, then big things are sure to come for her.”
With a PIAA title under her belt, Silva has a thirst for more championships. She has set her sights on being a four-time state champion.
“When you win, you never want to finish lower than first at states,” Lebec said. “The mentality is ‘Let’s get the next one’ but Isla is the type of kid that’s focused on what’s in front of her. She’s still 14 and we want her to focus on that. Her opportunities will come.”
As colleges continue to add women’s wrestling to their athletics lineup, Lebec envisions Silva as a building block. She said that she would love to see Pitt and Penn State start programs.
“Isla wants to represent the United States but she could have a huge impact on any school, particularly one just getting started. To be part of an inaugural program would certainly be impactful.”
Jox has had that kind of effect on Mt. Lebanon’s program. She started wrestling four years ago when the school started its female program.
In fact, Jox is the only female from Mt. Lebanon to qualify for the PIAA championships for three years.
Last week, Jox finished third overall in the 148-pound weight class.
After scoring two first-period falls in the opening rounds of the competition, Jox dropped a 4-1 decision to Juliet Alt in the semifinals. She roared back with a 9-0 major decision against General McLane’s Whisper Abercrombie and a pin in 3:42 against Pine-Richland’s Giada Campanella to claim the bronze medal.
“I could not be happier for Paige. She has worked so hard for so long,” Lebec said. “After struggling the last two state tournaments, she really came in here and had an amazing tournament.
“This year was so different. There was a lightness about her. She loves what she does and that has made a difference. She’s also had the technique, the strength and skill but this year, her mindset got her there.”
Jox confirmed that a relaxed outlook helped her throughout the competition.
“My whole thing was don’t be nervous,” she said. “I knew that there would be great wrestlers and tough opponents but I knew that if I stayed calm and worked my offense, it would eventually work out.”
Jox finished the year with a 36-7 record. She is a member of the Century Club with a 106-28 overall record.
“I am really happy with how I did this year, but I am sad because it’s my last year. Even though I am wrestling in college, I really don’t want it to end.”
Before Jox matriculates to Washington and Jefferson College in the fall, she will participate in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. She received her invitation while celebrating after her bronze-medal match.
Dubbed the Rose Bowl of amateur wrestling, the scholastic all-star event will be held March 28 at AHN Arena on the Peters Township High School campus. It features the best wrestlers in the WPIAL, state of Pennsylvania and from around the United States. The women’s match will pit Pennsylvania against Oklahoma at 3 p.m.
“I’m super honored to be part of it,” Jox said of the Classic. “It’s a pretty cool event.”
Lebec concurred with Jox’s perspective and added that she has brought prestige to the Blue Devil program.
“We are super proud and happy for Paige,” Lebec said. “It’s a historic moment.
“I reminded Paige that she was one of the first girls to sign up when we started Mt. Lebanon’s first girls team. She’s been a part of and responsible for many firsts and we are grateful to her for being that person.”
Hathaway is another Lebo grappler responsible for bringing home the team’s first trophy.
After pinning her first two opponents in the state tournament, Hathaway fell to Violette Lasure in 3:40 in the semifinals of the 155-pound weight class. The Chestnut Ridge junior went on to capture her third state gold medal and raise her career record to 104-0 overall.
“Camilla is so driven to be the best and get on top of the podium,” Lebec said. “She had an incredible tournament. She just lost to a tough opponent who doesn’t lose very often.”
Dropped into the consolation brackets after the defeat to Lasure, Hathaway rebounded with two falls. She dropped Dallastown’s Amelia Smith in 49 seconds then dispatched Olivia Kroope from Emmaus in 2:42, to claim the bronze medal.
“As disappointed as Camilla was, she put herself in position to wrestle well again by getting into the right mind set,” Lebec said. “That’s part of her great story.”
Hathaway’s narrative, like Silva’s, includes international competition, having already represented the United States during the Pan-American Games. As a freshman, she finished 38-4 this winter and earned WPIAL as well as regional championships in the run-up to the state tournament.
“Placing third is part of the journey, too,” Lebec said. “It’s a great motivator for her for next year. Camilla is such a hard worker and she is so driven to win at all costs. We’re looking forward to preparing her to get to the top of the podium.”
Overall, Lebec couldn’t say enough about the girls and the season they just completed. In addition to winning the Blue Devil Winter Classic, they placed second as a team during the West Regional Tournament before finishing runner-up in the state.
“I am so proud of the girls this season,” Lebec said. “We tried to put the best competition in front of them. They wrestled a tough schedule. Probably the hardest,” she added. “They trained and competed so well. It’s a special group of kids and a special year for Lebo wrestling.”
Cole Gibbons put the finishing touches on the season for Mt. Lebanon. A senior, he grabbed a sixth-place medal at 160.
After opening tournament action with a major decision over Elco’s Klint Miller, 10-2, Gibbons lost to Tommy Schechterly of West Scranton, 2-1, in the quarterfinals. Schechterly went on to finish as the runner-up in the weight class.
“After my first round win I had a lot of confidence in myself,” Gibbons said. “Losing such a close match in the quarters was devastating, but I was able to bounce back.”
After dropping into the consolation brackets, Gibbons rebounded with wins against Quakertown’s Logan Pfistner, 4-1, and Jack White of Norwin in an ultimate tiebreaker, 3-2, to assure himself a spot on the podium and a state medal.
Gibbons, however, lost back-to-back matches to North Penn’s Jonny O’Brien, 11-2, and Central York’s Nathaniel Replogle, 8-2, to finish sixth overall in the 160-pound weight class.
“I definitely have some mixed emotions about my state tournament,” Gibbons said. “I am proud of myself for medaling, but sad that my high school career is over.”
Cole finished the season with a 41-8 record. In addition to securing sixth in the state at 160, he was a WPIAL winner and a regional runner-up. He compiled a 133-44 overall record in his career.
Cole, like Jox, has been selected to compete in the 52nd annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. The WPIAL All-Stars will take on a team of all-stars from Oklahoma at 4:15 p.m. March 28 at AHN Arena. The Pennsylvania squad will battle a team of all-stars from across the country at 6 p.m.
“I am very honored to be a part of something so historic,” he said of his selection.
With the graduation of Jox and Gibbons, the future belongs to Silva and Hathaway and they are thrilled to move the program forward.
“Our team’s finish says a lot,” Silva said. “More girls are going to be coming up and it’s going to make us better.”
Hathaway added, “We have a bunch of little girls that are all really good and I can’t wait for them to come up because we are going to dominate.”