Brenda Banks Makes Pennsylvania Wrestling History With Fourth State Title at PIAA Girls Championships

The 2026 version of the PIAA Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament was just the third such installment in the organization’s history. Prior to 2024, there was a non-PIAA format in which one of the girls who reached the finals on Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey was crowned a champion, Panther Valley’s No. 6 Brenda Banks (235 pounds).

Banks Rises Above a Star-Studded Field with Fourth Title

When the PIAA started backing it, Banks kept adding more state crowns and her total count was up to three when she stepped on the mat on Saturday evening opposite Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy, who does not appear in our national rankings.

Murphy was stubborn and seemed driven by her considerable underdog status as she kept it scoreless with Banks through the first and allowed just an escape point in the middle frame. Murphy was down 1-0 when she selected bottom in the third, a decision that Banks made her pay dearly for when she powered Murphy over for the fall 43 seconds into it, 4:43.

The “bootleg” freshman title came with a limited 8-1 record. Banks would not lose again until her junior campaign. The pin of Murphy raised Banks’ senior record to 37-0 and her overall career tally stands at 110-2.

Three Got Three

Three ladies accrued their third state championships – Quakertown’s Caroline Hattala (190 pounds), Conwell-Egan’s Julia Horger (106), and Chestnut Ridge’s Violette Lasure (155).

Hattala and Q-Town

Hattala’s title helped propel her squad to the top of the team standings as they gathered 76 points to out distance second place Mt. Lebanon’s 68. Hattala caps off her senior year with a 119-5 total count, including a 39-1 record this season.

En route to the third gold, Hattala avenged her sole loss on the year to Northwestern’s No. 23 Charlie Rea, who she is 2-1 against this season. Hattala was No. 24 in our rankings because Rea had won their most recent match until this one.

Once in the finals, Hattala tangled with No. 33 Esmeralda Tellez (Reading). There wasn’t a lot of action, and Hattala’s winning maneuver was a third period reversal in the 2-1 victory. Interestingly, Hattala won her first title at that alternative function as a freshman, then was just sixth as a sophomore, before collecting the last two in a row.

Quakertown crowned a second champion in Ashley Stank, who did so as a defending champ at 100 pounds. Stank had fallen out of our rankings at 105 pounds, and we didn’t notice the drop to 100. If we had, Stank would have been in the last report. The senior’s inclusion is guaranteed now that she slayed No. 26 Mckenzie Astorino (Curwensville), by fall in 1:30.

Mya Pallone was fifth at 112 pounds for Quakertown with Mackenzie Gappa landing in seventh at 118.

Horger Closes Career in Technical Fashion

Horger is a senior that was second at the pre-PIAA affair for Bensalem as a freshman and has now stood atop the PIAA podium all three years of its existence. Horger was 34-1 this year with the lone blemish coming at Escape the Rock to New Jersey’s No. 7 Gabrielle Conte (Hanover Park). Horger, who is ranked sixth in the nation, avenged that loss on the way to claiming a Beast of the East title.

The finals match with No. 28 Finley Fourspring (Corry) was severely lopsided in the favor of Horger, who simply overpowered her foe and piled up points at such a clip that the board read, 14-1, when the first period closed. A takedown 33 seconds later would seal the 17-1 technical fall and push Horger’s career line to 107-2.

Lasure Stays Unbeaten

Lasure, who occupies the number two spot in the national ratings at 155 pounds, is the only one of the three, three-timers, who will be back for number four in 2027. The junior completed a 39-0 season by sticking Abington Heights’ Hayden Manning in the third round while holding an 8-0 edge.

About 45 seconds into the third, Lasure pulled out a beautiful heel trip that put Manning directly to her back to end it in 4:48. The big ending concludes Lasure’s third consecutive undefeated campaign and her three-year history shows 104 wins against 0 losses.

Alt Makes It Two-for-Two in Multiple Ways

Chestnut Ridge joined Quakertown in crowning two champs when No. 9 Juliet Alt edged unranked Jamison Strickland (Sun Valley), 1-0, in the 148-pound final. For the sophomore Alt, it made her two-for-two in appearances and titles won. Perhaps her future will include a fourth?

O’Byrne Battles Back

Garnet Valley’s No. 10 Neve O’Byrne (124 pounds) is another sophomore who remained on track to have a shot at four someday when she collected title number two by coming back and decking Pine-Richland’s Aariona Strader.

Notes in our first period box, say, “WOW!” in regard to the blast double that Strader hit O’Byrne with to open the match. In the second, Strader countered a shot from O’Byrne for another takedown and was up 6-3 when it all fell apart. A lateral drop came for O’Byrne when she countered a solid shot from Strader to throw her to the back for the fateful ending.

Solomon Times Two Too

Every defending champ repeated in a twist you rarely see at the state level and Canon-McMillan’s No. 2 Marlee Solomon was the final female to fit into that category. Solomon is a junior who does not appear to have competed in high school as a freshman. Solomon claimed the 118-pound gold with a 16-1 tech fall of No. 27 Olivia Kearns (Shippensburg), whom she pinned at PowerAde.

Runners-Up Make the Next Step

Palisades’ No. 12 Bryce Snyder (170 pounds) and Montgomery’s No. 29 Zoe Furman (136) tasted defeat on the big stage in 2025 and found out what it feels like to be on the winning side of the experience in 2026. However, neither of their journeys were fully enjoyable as both got pushed.

Snyder started out in a hole after Cydney Rea (Northwestern) dropped a slick Fireman’s Dump on her. Snyder struggled to get anything going on the offensive front during regulation, struggling to tie it up on an escape and receiving two stalling points. A switch flipped in overtime, though, as Snyder hit a quick snap down to a front headlock and planted Rea 16 seconds into the extra round.

Furman had previously pinned Greater Johnson’s Sayona Harris-haye at last week’s regionals, so, finding herself in a 6-3 deficit after the first period was not on her list of expectations. Furman shut Harris-haye down the rest of the way and worked her way back into the lead and pocketed the gold on a 10-6 score.

From Bronze to Gold

Two ladies, Moon’s No. 7 Haley Smarsh and Owen J. Robert’s Jenny Gautreau, became golden girls after being saddled with bronze a year ago. Gautreau put up a 6-2 decision of Kiski Area’s Ava Golding in the 142-pound final.

Smarsh held a meeting at 130 pounds with No. 22 Shannon Logue (Bishop Shanahan), a girl she pinned at the Women of Ironman. The state outcome wouldn’t include a mat being slapped but it did end with a 17-6 major decision. Smarsh took an early 7-0 lead. Logue picked up two takedowns in the second period for all her action and then turned it back over to Smarsh.

Freshman Glory

Mt. Lebanon’s second place team standing was propped up by their standout freshman, No. 8 Isla Silva, winning the 112-pound championship. Silva put a 6-1 total on the bracket versus Daylee Watson (Conneaut) a week after beating her 6-2 at regions.

Team Standings (Top 10)

1-Quakertown 76

2-Mt. Lebanon 68

3-Chestnut Ridge 56

4-Canon-McMillan 55

5-Neshaminy 43.5

6-Northwestern 43

7-Pine-Richland 39

8-Montgomery 38.5

9-Owen J. Roberts 34

10-Dallastown 33

10-Parkland 33

Individual Results

100-Pounds

1st Ashley Stank (Quakertown-G) F Mckenzie Astorino (Curwensville-G), 1:30

3rd Kristen Walzer (Montour-G) DEC Malaina Comfort (Williamsport-G), 12-9

5th Mia Nesbitt (Neshaminy-G) MD Chelsea Dressler (Nazareth-G), 10-0

7th Cambria Leshko (Southern Lehigh-G) F Cidney Schaffer (Lackawanna Trail-G), 0:52

106-Pounds

1st Julia Horger (Conwell-Egan-G) TF Finley Fourspring (Corry-G), 17-1 2:33

3rd Blythe Letters (Shaler Area-G) DEC Grace Nesbitt (Neshaminy-G), 6-2

5th Makayla Smith (Northern York-G) DEC Jenna Houseknecht (Montgomery-G), 1-0

7th Taylor Keckler (Gettysburg-G) F Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan-G), 0:32

112-Pounds

1st Isla Silva (Mt. Lebanon-G) DEC Daylee Watson (Conneaut-G), 6-1

3rd Morgan Hyland (Easton Area-G) DEC Kylee Trostle (ELCO-G), 6-2

5th Mya Pallone (Quakertown-G) DEC Iris Reitz (Redbank Valley-G), 9-7

7th Raya Sentipal (Burgettstown-G) DEC Kyleigh Ficks (Milton-G), 4-0

118-Pounds

1st Marlee Solomon (Canon-McMillan-G) TF Olivia Kearns (Shippensburg-G), 16-1 2:44

3rd Gianna Montegari (Governor Mifflin-G) FOR Samiyah Rahming (Northeast-G), 0-0

5th Lillian Rumsey (Williamsport-G) DEC Kaila Keesecker (Derry Area-G), 7-5

7th Mackenzie Gappa (Quakertown-G) F Gracie Murphy (Council Rock-G), 2:13

124-Pounds

1st Neve O'byrne (Garnet Valley-G) F Aariona Strader (Pine-Richland-G), 4:21

3rd Mai Graham (Southern Lehigh-G) DEC Callie Hess (Benton-G), 9-5

5th Anna Duncan (South Park-G) F Yunuen Ayala (Canon-McMillan-G), 2:52

7th Chloe Zacherl (McDowell-G) DEC Saige Olver (Honesdale-G), 4-1

130-Pounds

1st Haley Smarsh (Moon-G) MD Shannon Logue (Bishop Shanahan-G), 17-6

3rd Julie Ortiz (Mariana Bracetti-G) F Anaiah Kolesar (Northeast Bradford-G), 0:59

5th Saphia Davis (Plum-G) DEC Faith Gladfelter (Delone Catholic-G), 9-3

7th Hanna Rathbun (Athens-G) F Sydney Laboon (Upper St Clair-G), 1:55

136-Pounds

1st Zoe Furman (Montgomery-G) DEC Sayona Harris-haye (Greater Johnstown-G), 10-6

3rd Sarah Pearson (Downingtown West-G) F Maggie Alfera (Laurel-G), 4:35

5th Angelina Spachman (Parkland-G) DEC Ella Teufert (Octorara-G), 2-1

7th Abigail Dolanch (Avella-G) MD Raylyn Schwoyer (Owen J. Roberts-G), 11-3

142-Pounds

1st Jenny Gautreau (Owen J. Roberts-G) DEC Ava Golding (Kiski Area-G), 6-2

3rd Kimberly Munoz (Berks Catholic-G) F Laila Colon (Manheim Township-G), 1:59

5th Grace Nasman (Upper St Clair-G) DEC Avery Earnest (Hughesville-G), 17-12

7th Michelle Yakupova (Abington-G) DEC Avery Baldwin (Dallastown-G), 7-2

148-Pounds

1st Juliet Alt (Chestnut Ridge-G) DEC Jameson Strickland (Sun Valley-G), 1-0

3rd Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon-G) F Giada Campanella (Pine-Richland-G), 3:42

5th Whisper Abercrombie (General McLane-G) F Natalie Deutsch (Parkland-G), 4:48

7th Lily Raudabaugh (Big Spring-G) TF Daniella Maxwell (North Penn-G), 15-0 3:00

155-Pounds

1st Violette Lasure (Chestnut Ridge-G) F Hayden Manning (Abington Heights-G), 4:48

3rd Camilla Hathaway (Mt. Lebanon-G) F Olivya Kroope (Emmaus-G), 2:42

5th Annette Barry (Neshaminy-G) F Amelia Smith (Dallastown-G), 2:51

7th Makayla Taylor (Clearfield-G) DEC Karsyn Champion (Norwin-G), 6-3 SV

170-Pounds

1st Bryce Snyder (Palisades-G) F Cydney Rea (Northwestern-G), 6:16

3rd Elysabeth Myer (Brockway-G) DEC Fallon Jackson (Gettysburg-G), 6-0

5th Finley Boetsch (Shikellamy-G) F Kate Prior (Delaware Valley-G), 2:45

7th Alyssa Tresco (Kiski Area-G) F Audrey Calgaro (Canon-McMillan-G), 2:46

190-Pounds

1st Caroline Hattala (Quakertown-G) DEC Esmeralda Tellez (Reading-G), 2-1

3rd Charli Rea (Northwestern-G) F Ashley Hoffman (Central Dauphin-G), 3:50

5th Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township-G) F Morgan Reichard (Central Columbia-G), 2:25

7th Liz karla Grullon-vasquez (Parkland-G) F Mackenna Atkinson (Souderton-G), 3:13

235-Pounds

1st Brenda Banks (Panther Valley-G) F Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland-G), 4:43

3rd Evelyn Sheer (Hazleton Area-G) F Jenna Chapman (Albert Gallatin-G), 1:29

5th Mylah Steinbuch (Bedford-G) FOR Noelani Knott (Dallastown-G), 0-0

7th Leah Nason (Athens-G) F Karla Montes (Allen-G), 4:46