Three-Time Champions Rise at New Jersey Girls Wrestling State Championships in Atlantic City

Each March, wrestlers in New Jersey welcome the honor of traveling to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall for the NJSIAA State Wrestling Tournament. For the boys, they’ve always had to qualify to appear, back in 2019 when the girls started getting in on the action, just 60 ladies took to the mats.

Three More Three-Time Girls State Champions in NJ

In 2026, there are now regional qualifiers and a full season for some. Along with more years, comes more history and this year’s edition saw three more girls become three-time state champions on Saturday afternoon to grow that list to five – Ella Poalillo (High Point Regional), Gabriella Conte (Hanover Park), and DePaul Catholic’s Olivia Georges.

All three of those ladies appear in the latest High School On SI Girls’ National Wrestling Rankings from with Poalillo, a World Bronze Medalist, being number one at 155 pounds, Conte is number six at 110, and Georges is rated third at 170 pounds. New Jersey’s weight class system differs from that of the NFHSA and only contains 12 weights instead of 14.

Poalillo jumped on Pennsauken’s Fatina Lozier right out of the gate at 152 pounds, securing a takedown and running an arm bar, an incredible bridge executed by Lozier was the only thing that kept her from being pinned. It was quite a defensive display. Poalillo chose down to start the second and in the process of escaping just whipped a headlock out on Lozier, planting her 33 seconds into the second round, 2:33.

Poalillo and Conte Stays on Track for Even Greater History

Bloomfield’s Kira Pipkins became the only girl to be a four-time state champion in 2023. Poalillo and fellow junior, Conte remain on pace to join Pipkins in 2027 after Conte easily handled Williamstown’s Andrianna DiGregerio on a 14-2 major decision at 107 pounds.

Gabriella Conte - Hanover Park — Hanover Park's Gabriella Conte (top) wrestles Williamstown's Adrianna DiGregorio in a 107lb championship match of the NJSIAA Girls Wrestling State Championships at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Atlantic City. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Conte kicked it off with a blast double and never looked back. Shortly after the takedown, Conte allowed DiGregerio’s only points on a reversal that came when she tried to stack a half. Conte returned the favor quickly with her own reversal. A second period takedown saw a half successfully executed for four near-fall points for the biggest move of the bout.

Georges Closes Career with Dominant Third Title

Georges walked off at 165 pounds and will not be adding to her count of three as this is the final time in the arena for the senior. Most of the points Georges allowed to Central Regional’s Liliani Alicea were on escapes as she countered with four takedowns and two reversals for a dominating, 17-6, major decision.

Rising Stars Continue to Shape the Sport

Poalillo’s teammate, No. 20 Elle Changaris (120 pounds) won her second title in two years and lines herself up as a potential four-timer of the future after dropping a 12-3 major decision on Emma Peake (Hunterdon Central Regional).

Peake struck first with an opening takedown then went silent. Changaris picked up a reversal and added some second period points on a neck wrench before blowing it open in the final frame when she scored seven points on a Bear Hug to a Pass-by and then ran a half to add four back points.

Roselle Park’s No. 15 Lucia Ranieri (126 pounds) was third a year ago and lost to the eventual champ, Kingsway Regional’s Reagan Roxas, 6-3. Ranieri has enjoyed the superior campaign, hence her national ranking while Roxas fell off the rankings with a loss at regions.

As soon as the two started dancing, it was obvious that Ranieri was indeed the superior Belle this year, as she effortlessly picked up an opening period takedown. In the second, Ranieri hit Roxas with a Fireman’s Dump to add three more and then rode her out in the third for a smothering 7-0 shutdown.

While that one was an upset in the way back time machine, but not in the present day, according to our rankings there was a current day upset that rolled out in a one-way manner at 100 pounds when Angelina Qualtieri (Lenape Valley) posted a 7-0 count versus No. 23 Gabriella Giacone (Watchung Hills).

Qualtieri got on the board with a takedown in the first two frames along with an escape. Giacone was close to a takedown in the second on a spin behind and hoped for more action like it when she selected neutral for the third, but that didn’t work out so well and no points were added by either lady.

At 235 pounds, No. 10 Saharia Quamina improved upon her runner-up status of a year ago when she stuck Howell’s Giavanna Farrell-Byers with a powerful second period lateral drop, 2:36. Quamina was shocked, yet joyful at the realization that she was a state champion. After hugging her foe, Quamina hit a split then dropped her coach with a Japanese Whizzer.

River Dell’s No. 15 Jocelyn Danbe found herself in a national showdown with No. 16 Kylie Gudewitz (Howell) in a 114-pound final comprised of two 2025 state silver medalists. Danbe has beaten Gudewitz twice in this rankings period according to our records – during the season at the Lady Minutemen, 8-6, and the New Jersey Super 32 Early Entry, 8-6.

This one would have a different total, but still a two-point margin of victory for Danbe, 4-2. There was a lot of jostling with little to show on the scoresheet. Danbe’s winning points were gained on a third-period reversal with a minute to go.

A girl who has been the bridesmaid for two years running stands at the top as a senior, Eva Barry (Newton/Kittatinny). Barry won the 145-pound gold when she stacked a half to put away Shea Aretz (Buena Region) in the first period, 1:37.

Another girl who settled for silver in 2025, No. 35 Jade Hahn (Central Regional), made the jump up the podium when she ran an arm bar on St. Mary’s Aryana Osorio for the fall in 1:30 at 185 pounds.

Pins were used by Sheyna Cruz (Paulsboro) and Valeria Ramirez (Elizabeth) to collect their crowns. Cruz’s time on the mat with Absegami’s Lamiah Berry almost went the distance before ending in 5:08 at 132 pounds. At 138, Ramirez dropped Bayonne’s Marianna Puzycki in 1:31.

Jackson Township Wins Team Championship

Jackson Township won the team title with none of their five placers making the finals. Their 79 points outpaced Central Regional’s 72. Marlowe Donato (114 pounds) and Briana Dugo (126) were third. Ava Bonilla was fourth at 100 pounds, Madison Reach was fifth at 107, and Victoria Tandari placed seventh at 132 pounds.

Team Scores (Top 10)

1-Jackson Township 79

2-Central Regional 72

3-High Point Regional 59

4-Newton/Kittatinny 54

5-Howell 45

6-Hunterdon Central Regional 43.5

7-Bloomsfield 42

8-Ranconas Valley Regional 40

9-Lenape Valley/Hopatcong 38

10-St. Mary 33

Individual Results

100-Pounds

1st Place Match

Angelina Qualtieri (Lenape Valley/Hopatcong) 42-1, Jr. over Gabriela Giacone (Watchung Hills Regional) 30-10, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Natale Andrade (Hunterdon Central Reg) 46-3, Fr. over Ava Bonilla (Jackson Township H.S.) 42-2, Sr. (Dec 11-4)

5th Place Match

Lydia Bagley (Delaware Valley Regional) 32-10, So. over Nola Allen (Marlboro) 42-7, Sr. (Fall 0:39)

7th Place Match

Aitana Lozano (Lyndhurst/North Arlington) 25-5, Sr. over Karleigh Six (Delsea) 36-9, Fr. (Dec 7-3)

107-Pounds

1st Place Match

Gabriella Conte (Hanover Park Hs) 32-1, Jr. over Adrianna DiGregorio (Williamstown) 34-7, So. (MD 14-2)

3rd Place Match

Adriana Yodice (Paramus Catholic) 39-4, Fr. over Gabrielle Ruedy (Bernards) 33-8, Jr. (Fall 3:28)

5th Place Match

Madison Rucci (Jackson Township H.S.) 41-4, Sr. over Adrienne Rodriguez (Bloomfield) 40-9, Fr. (Fall 1:48)

7th Place Match

Olivia Mitchell (East Brunswick H.S.) 39-7, Jr. over Kayla Coletta (Mary Help of Christians Academy) 30-11, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:10 (18-3))

114-Pounds

1st Place Match

Jocelyn Danbe (River Dell) 40-1, Jr. over Kylie Gudewitz (Howell) 47-5, Sr. (Dec 4-2)

3rd Place Match

Marlowe Donato (Jackson Township H.S.) 42-6, Sr. over Elllie Kisselbach (Phillipsburg) 33-5, So. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Jaliyah Richards (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) 40-8, Jr. over Peyton Brining (Audubon) 36-5, So. (Fall 3:40)

7th Place Match

Charlida Cimino (Hillsborough) 37-9, Sr. over Jazzira Lopez (West Orange) 34-8, Sr. (Dec 9-8)

120-Pounds

1st Place Match

Elle Changaris (High Point Regional) 38-1, So. over Emma Peake (Hunterdon Central Reg) 21-2, Sr. (MD 12-3)

3rd Place Match

Cami Bird (Egg Harbor) 34-5, Sr. over Madison Blumenthal (Bordentown Regional/Florence Township) 41-4, Sr. (Dec 5-1)

5th Place Match

Madelyn Carmichael (Montville) 21-10, Sr. over Emelly Diaz Santos (Morris Hills-Morris Knolls) 39-6, Jr. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Noelanii Guzman Caban (Elmwood Park) 38-11, Fr. over Jane Rodrigues (Piscataway) 24-3, Sr. (M. For.)

126-Pounds

1st Place Match

Lucia Ranieri (Roselle Park) 44-1, So. over Reagan Roxas (Kingsway Regional) 37-5, Sr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Briana Dugo (Jackson Township H.S.) 41-8, Sr. over Polina Shardakova-Scorzafava (Kinnelon) 35-8, Jr. (Dec 11-8)

5th Place Match

Molly Smyth (Mount Olive/Randolph) 38-8, Sr. over Shae-Lyn Guido (Southern Regional) 37-6, So. (Dec 4-1)

7th Place Match

Elizabeth Panuccio (Ramsey/Northern Highlands) 38-8, Sr. over Zoe Poznanski (Colonia) 24-12, So. (Fall 2:19)

132-Pounds

1st Place Match

Sheyna Cruz (Paulsboro H.S.) 31-2, So. over Lamiah Berry (Absegami) 27-5, Jr. (Fall 5:08)

3rd Place Match

Paige Weiss (Jefferson-Sparta) 41-7, Sr. over Aubrey Ramos (Middlesex) 34-10, Jr. (Inj. 1:00)

5th Place Match

JayAnna Hahn (Central Regional) 37-5, So. over Lily Massenzio (St. Mary High School (Rutherford)) 32-2, So. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Victoria Tandari (Jackson Township H.S.) 35-11, Jr. over Janiya Orihuela (North Brunswick Township) 34-12, Jr. (Fall 5:20)

138-Pounds

1st Place Match

Valeria Ramirez (Elizabeth) 36-3, Sr. over Mariana Puzycki (Bayonne) 38-8, Sr. (Fall 1:31)

3rd Place Match

Mia Spadavecchia (Westwood) 30-3, Jr. over Melodie Guzik-Upchurch (Vernon Township) 41-4, So. (MD 12-3)

5th Place Match

Ecrin Haliloglu (Delran) 37-6, Jr. over Emilly Da Silva (Cinnaminson) 36-8, Jr. (TB-1 6-2)

7th Place Match

Rowan Lacy-Cancel (Hamilton East-Steinert) 27-6, Jr. over Olivia Ziobro (Manalapan) 22-8, Sr. (Fall 3:04)

145-Pounds

1st Place Match

Eva Barry (Newton/Kittatinny) 29-1, Sr. over Shea Aretz (Buena Regional/Vineland) 41-2, Sr. (Fall 1:37)

3rd Place Match

Michelle Gavilanes (Nutley) 44-5, So. over Taylor Thiele (Immaculata) 35-7, So. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Charlize Schlam (Point Pleasant Boro) 32-2, Sr. over Ashley Bernal (Cliffside Park) 21-9, Jr. (Fall 1:37)

7th Place Match

Ava Sweet (Rancocas Valley Regional) 40-9, Sr. over Manali Braich (Hillsborough) 30-9, Jr. (Fall 4:13)

152-Pounds

1st Place Match

Ella Poalillo (High Point Regional) 36-0, Jr. over Fatina Lozier (Pennsauken) 36-4, Sr. (Fall 2:33)

3rd Place Match

Maria Imhauser (Hillsborough) 37-4, Jr. over Stella Ramos (Newton/Kittatinny) 27-4, Jr. (Fall 5:47)

5th Place Match

Abbigale Dudley (Rancocas Valley Regional) 39-7, Sr. over Stella Frigiola (North Hunterdon) 30-4, Jr. (Dec 4-3)

7th Place Match

Jessica Lagunes (Lenape Valley/Hopatcong) 33-9, Jr. over Elizabeth Ostoyic (Delsea) 31-10, Sr. (Fall 2:18)

165-Pounds

1st Place Match

Olivia Georges (Depaul Catholic) 24-1, Sr. over Liliana Alicea (Central Regional) 36-3, Sr. (MD 17-6)

3rd Place Match

Alexus Paden (Clayton/Glassboro) 45-6, Sr. over Ella Johnson (Hamilton East-Steinert) 39-7, Jr. (Fall 5:25)

5th Place Match

Bayasgalan Baatarkhuu (St. Benedict`s Prep School) 29-5, Fr. over Brielle Causevic (Middletown North) 33-8, Fr. (Fall 3:37)

7th Place Match

Eliza Toth (Point Pleasant Boro) 28-4, Jr. over Aaliyah Matias (Perth Amboy) 30-6, Sr. (Fall 2:49)

185-Pounds

1st Place Match

Jade Hahn (Central Regional) 15-0, Sr. over Aryana Osorio (St. Mary High School (Rutherford)) 25-4, So. (Fall 1:30)

3rd Place Match

Brianna Sandoval (Bound Brook HS) 27-3, So. over Jeveah Turner (Rancocas Valley Regional) 37-7, So. (Dec 10-7)

5th Place Match

Denise Valencia (Maple Shade) 27-6, Jr. over Chelsea Garay-Jiminez (Manasquan) 18-6, Fr. (Fall 3:50)

7th Place Match

Gyssell Andrade (Morristown) 32-8, So. over Tanvi Madisetti (Lawrence Senior) 34-7, Jr. (Dec 12-8)

235-Pounds

1st Place Match

Saharia Quamina (Bloomfield) 39-0, Sr. over Giavonna Farrell-Byers (Howell) 45-3, Sr. (Fall 2:36)

3rd Place Match

Amaree Walker (North Plainfield) 32-5, Jr. over Addison Speth (Warren Hills) 37-4, So. (Fall 2:39)

5th Place Match

Na`ilah Miller (Lenape) 23-7, Fr. over Jaelyn Villalongo (Carteret) 19-9, Jr. (Fall 3:58)

7th Place Match

Tatiyonna Crawford (Pennsville Memorial) 27-5, Sr. over Abby Paglia (Newton/Kittatinny) 35-8, Sr. (For.)