WRESTLING
The Women of Ironman Tournament debuts at Walsh Jesuit this weekend
Brad Bournival
Akron Beacon Journal
The Ironman has been the pinnacle of boys high school wrestling for the better part of three decades.
The same will probably be said about the girls tournament if that same vision holds true.
The vision of Pete Zaccari, Johnna Zaccari, Jenn Bernard, the late John Mascio and the tournament board has come to fruition with the inaugural The Women of Ironman Tournament.
The tournament begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and runs through Sunday, with the finals slated for 4:30 p.m. at Walsh Jesuit.
“We were incredibly excited to do it,” said Bernard, who is in charge of team selection and is the seeding director. “My dad (Pete Zaccari) took over a couple years ago and got my sister (Johnna Zaccari) involved. … We’re excited about the huge growth of women’s wrestling in the nation, especially in high school. We wanted to be part of that and have them get to experience the atmosphere of the Ironman just as much as the boys. We thought that was incredibly important.”
Year 1 won’t be the behemoth the 140-plus team field is for the boys but does have over 60 teams coming.
What The Women of Ironman Tournament will look likeLike last season’s inaugural state tournament, brackets will be a field of 16. It starts at 100 pounds and moves to 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190 and ends at 235.
“I’m so happy because the girls have worked so hard through the years of wrestling boys, and now they get to wrestle in the toughest tournament in the country,” Manchester coach Bill McKinney said. “It’s against the toughest girls in the country coming down into one tournament.”
McKinney knows just how strong the field is as his daughter, Jadyn McKinney, is one of the standouts.
The field entered the week with national No. 1s in Wyoming Seminary’s Jaclyn Bouzakis (95) and Clare Booe (110).
Morgan Turner of Lockport, Ill., is a No. 1 at 100 but had to scratch due to injury.
Strong field expect at The Women of Ironman TournamentHarrison’s Chloe Dearwester (105) and Reagan Briggs (115), Chippewa’s Gabrielle Gartin (110), Northmont’s Laci Knick (120), Brecksville’s Ana Madi (125), Tippecanoe’s Emma Hanrahan (130), McKinney, Greeneview’s Eve Matt (140), Warren’s Kyle Tait (155), Loveland’s Elizabeth Madison (170), Toledo Whitmer’s Savannah Isaac (190) and Wooster’s Brooklyn Wade (235) head into the tournament ranked No. 1 in Ohio.
Of those 11, Dearwester, Briggs, McKinney, Matt, Tait, Isaac and Madison return as state champions.
“I think it’s a great way to get behind girls wrestling,” Walsh coach Clint Musser said. “I’m really happy that we did this. They thought about it last spring and thought it was a fantastic idea and jumped on it quickly. They’re going to have a fantastic girls tournament right along with the boys.”
With reigning state champion Harrison bringing a full team from Southwest Ohio, you can bet the action will pick up right away and won’t take a backseat in any round.
“It’s really exciting because you have teams and individuals coming from all over the country,” Harrison coach Chris Baird said. “There are some very highly ranked girls coming. There are really elite wrestlers coming. It’s really fun to see what your girls are made of.”
Contact Brad Bournival at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
The Women of Ironman Tournament debuts at Walsh Jesuit this weekend
Brad Bournival
Akron Beacon Journal
The Ironman has been the pinnacle of boys high school wrestling for the better part of three decades.
The same will probably be said about the girls tournament if that same vision holds true.
The vision of Pete Zaccari, Johnna Zaccari, Jenn Bernard, the late John Mascio and the tournament board has come to fruition with the inaugural The Women of Ironman Tournament.
The tournament begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and runs through Sunday, with the finals slated for 4:30 p.m. at Walsh Jesuit.
“We were incredibly excited to do it,” said Bernard, who is in charge of team selection and is the seeding director. “My dad (Pete Zaccari) took over a couple years ago and got my sister (Johnna Zaccari) involved. … We’re excited about the huge growth of women’s wrestling in the nation, especially in high school. We wanted to be part of that and have them get to experience the atmosphere of the Ironman just as much as the boys. We thought that was incredibly important.”
Year 1 won’t be the behemoth the 140-plus team field is for the boys but does have over 60 teams coming.
What The Women of Ironman Tournament will look likeLike last season’s inaugural state tournament, brackets will be a field of 16. It starts at 100 pounds and moves to 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190 and ends at 235.
“I’m so happy because the girls have worked so hard through the years of wrestling boys, and now they get to wrestle in the toughest tournament in the country,” Manchester coach Bill McKinney said. “It’s against the toughest girls in the country coming down into one tournament.”
McKinney knows just how strong the field is as his daughter, Jadyn McKinney, is one of the standouts.
The field entered the week with national No. 1s in Wyoming Seminary’s Jaclyn Bouzakis (95) and Clare Booe (110).
Morgan Turner of Lockport, Ill., is a No. 1 at 100 but had to scratch due to injury.
Strong field expect at The Women of Ironman TournamentHarrison’s Chloe Dearwester (105) and Reagan Briggs (115), Chippewa’s Gabrielle Gartin (110), Northmont’s Laci Knick (120), Brecksville’s Ana Madi (125), Tippecanoe’s Emma Hanrahan (130), McKinney, Greeneview’s Eve Matt (140), Warren’s Kyle Tait (155), Loveland’s Elizabeth Madison (170), Toledo Whitmer’s Savannah Isaac (190) and Wooster’s Brooklyn Wade (235) head into the tournament ranked No. 1 in Ohio.
Of those 11, Dearwester, Briggs, McKinney, Matt, Tait, Isaac and Madison return as state champions.
“I think it’s a great way to get behind girls wrestling,” Walsh coach Clint Musser said. “I’m really happy that we did this. They thought about it last spring and thought it was a fantastic idea and jumped on it quickly. They’re going to have a fantastic girls tournament right along with the boys.”
With reigning state champion Harrison bringing a full team from Southwest Ohio, you can bet the action will pick up right away and won’t take a backseat in any round.
“It’s really exciting because you have teams and individuals coming from all over the country,” Harrison coach Chris Baird said. “There are some very highly ranked girls coming. There are really elite wrestlers coming. It’s really fun to see what your girls are made of.”
Contact Brad Bournival at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival