New Jersey, California Shine as Top Girls Wrestlers Dominate Journeymen Fall Classic in New York

The nation’s top girls high school wrestlers — and a few international standouts — delivered statement performances on Day One of the Journeymen Fall and Women’s Classic at Union College in Schenectady

Natalie Radecki of Caravel Academy (Del.) won a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers when she pinned Bell Mannor of Lodi (NJ) in their showdown at 102. / William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Saturday at Union College in Schenectady, New York, Day One of the Journeymen Fall and Women’s Classic was contested. There was an overflow tournament for high school boys who didn’t qualify for the main event on Sunday with the winner receiving entry into the Grand Finale.

Saturday, though, ultimately belonged to the girls with their International Freestyle World Classic featuring many of the nation’s top high-school female wrestlers as well as wrestlers from abroad, including two who won championships, Italy’s Sophie Ritter (128 pounds) and Germany’s Leonie Steigert (140).

Radecki vs. Manno Was A Battle of Nationally Ranked Stars

The most star-studded affair was at 102 pounds with No. 4 Natalie Radecki (Caravel Academy, DE) facing off with No. 5 Bella Manno (Lodi, NJ). The periods were 2:30 and Radecki used an arm bar to work for the fall with five seconds left in the opening round. Radecki had secured four takedowns in a surprisingly easy one-sided bout where she held an 8-1 lead at the time of the fall.

New Jersey Steals the Spotlight

New Jersey was the shining state for the USA with three champions and three runners-up. Two of those titlists attend the Blair Academy, Marie Sharp (112 pounds) and Sarah Henckel (167). Sharp, who is ranked sixth at 120 pounds in High School on SI Girls’ National Rankings, beat a fellow Garden Stater in Elle Changaris (Iron Horse WC), by technical fall, 16-5.

• Marie Sharp (Blair Academy, 112) — Tech fall win, 16-5
• Sarah Henckel (Blair Academy, 167) — 5-2 decision over Germany’s Mehnie Lorenz
• Francesca Gusfa (Ridgewood, 155) — 6-0 win over Brooklyn Henry (Wyoming Seminary)
• Runners-up included Elle Changaris, Corynne McNulty, and Jocelyn Danbe

Blair Academy's Sarah Henckel (left) and Marie Sharp won titles at the 2025 Journeyman Fall Classic. / Chase Palanca

Henckel is ranked twelfth at 165 pounds in that report and handled a German foe, Mehnie Lorenz, 5-2. Jersey’s third Golden Girl, Francesca Gusfa (Ridgewood) won a round robin pool where she took out the silver medalist, Brooklyn Henry (Wyoming Seminary, PA), 6-0, in the fourth round of five.

Finishing second in addition to Changaris were Blair Academy’s Corynne McNulty (134 pounds, No. 6 at 135) and Rednose’s Jocelyn Danbe (116).

California’s Champions and Rising Stars

California double dipped on firsts and seconds with two gaining top honors, Marina’s Aubree Storm Gutierrez (No. 5 at 110 pounds) at 116 pounds and Surfside X’s Isabella Lorenzana (235). Gutierrez decked Danbe in 1:36 after building a 6-0 lead. Lorenzana also won with a fall, hers coming in a match tied at three with New York’s Peyton Mullin, 1:44.

Golden State girls coming home with silver are Angelica Serratos (109 pounds) and No. 12 Aleia Apostol (Poway) at 128. Apostol hung losses on two nationally ranked girls en route to her final’s appearance, No. 19 Haley Gonzalez (Hicksville, NY) and Blair’s Victoria Carbonaro (No. 11 at 125 pounds). Apostol was trailing, 10-5, when she stuck Carbonaro in 2:11.

Pennsylvania Power: Lasure and O’Farrill Lead the Way

Pennsylvania’s two champs come from opposite sides of the spectrum with national star and top-ranked Violette Lasure (Chestnut Ridge) claiming the 147-pound title and unranked up and comer, Mia O’Farrill (Bishop McCort), claiming 154 pounds as hers. O’Farrill’s crown was earned in a round robin format with the first-place match happening at the end and resulting in an 8-3 decision for O’Farrill over North Carolina’s Taylor Williams (Red Lynx).

Crawford, Wylie Lead Standouts from North Carolina and New York

Lasure planted her North Carolina rival, No. 8 Faith Bane (New Burn) at the 2:13 mark of the finals when she countered a Bane shot with a Barrel Role. Bane edged Maryland’s No. 10 Kesi Tsarni (Bullis School), 7-6, in an earlier match. Bane dropped New York’s Victoria Alvarado in 58 seconds, while Alvarado handled Tsarni, 8-5, in pool action.

North Carolina did come away with one champion as Purnell Swett’s Iyanna Crawford (No. 7 at 130 pounds) built a 7-2 advantage in the second before Blair’s McNulty hit a big takedown as time was expiring to tighten up the final count of their 134-pound final, 7-6.

The home state saw one girl ascend to the top of the podium, Port Jervis’ Charlie Wylie (109 pounds), and three settled for silver, Mullin, plus Kiarra Richard (Hammer Wrestling), who fell to Steigert and Empire Girls’ Delina Gritz, who dropped the 182-pound final to New Hampshire’s Madison Beauregard (Concord).

Wylie met up with two straight nationally ranked ladies when the tournament reached the bracketed stage. It kicked off with a quarterfinal meeting against Wyoming Seminary’s Riley Karwowski (No. 18 at 105 pounds) with an 11-0 outcome. In the semis, Wylie posted another tech, 12-0, of No. 9 Ava Fodera (Poway, CA). Wyllie threw a third tech on the bracket with an 11-0 tally versus Serratos.