Washington High School junior Lyndyn Gibbs was the 130-pound weight class champion at the annual Watkins Memorial High School girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.
Courtesy photo
The Washington Lady Lion wrestling team placed seventh out of 48 teams at the annual Watkins Memorial High School girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. (Standing, l-r); Lyndyn Gibbs, Alicia Navarette, Kaylee Scott, Leah Marine, and Abigail Forsythe.
Courtesy photo
PATASKALA — On Saturday, Dec. 30, the Washington Lady Lion Wrestling team took part in the annual Watkins Memorial Girls Wrestling Tournament.
With just five girls, Washington placed seventh out of 48 schools.
At 105 pounds, Abigail Forsythe placed third and went 3-1 overall.
At 110 pounds, Leah Marine placed fourth going 3-2.
At 120 pounds, Alicia Navarette went 2-2 and just missed placement.
At 130 pounds, Lyndyn Gibbs was the champion and went 6-0.
At 135 pounds, Kaylee Scott took fifth and went 5-1.
Washington head coach Wes Gibbs spoke about the performance of his team.
“The tournament had over 50 State qualifiers, so placing was a pretty daunting task. The girls wrestled really well.
“Abi Forsythe made it to the semifinals after winning a tough match against a ranked girl. The only match she lost was to a state finalist from last year and she controlled a lot of the match. She came back for a big third place win. She’s making strides as a freshman.
“Leah Marine wrestled in a tough weight class. She won her pool and found herself in the semifinals against a girl we’ve seen a lot of. It was a tough match and she ended up losing 4-0. The next match was for third and she came out swinging and got caught in a bad spot. Leah is one of our most consistent wrestlers. She comes out tough regardless of who’s ahead.
“Alicia went 2-2, her first match was against a state placer from last year at 120. She wrestled pretty good and hung with her for a good part of the match. Alicia is very talented. She’s catching on quickly.
“Kaylee Scott is back from injury, and back to winning. She went 5-1 for fifth place. She wrestled tough, and knocked off a few state qualifiers on the way. Its awesome to see her compete at the level we know she can.
“Lyndyn won her second tournament of the season. She wrestled really well. She hit her 99th win against the 115-pound state champ in 2022, and beat the number-seventeen ranked girl from Miami East 5-0 in the finals.
“It was a late night, the girls were put in a tough spot once again but they prevailed. Seventh at that caliber of tournament is great. The thing about girls wrestling is that with every week, the next week is your toughest tournament.”
