The 14th annual Pat Alexander Invitational Wrestling Tournament is falling way behind schedule.
It’s a full event featuring double-elimination brackets in both varsity and junior varsity. It’s beginning to become painfully obvious that the championship finals, which were initially slated to start around 4:30 p.m., are going to be a couple hours late.
One group you can’t blame for the tournament lagging behind, however, is the Hoquiam High School girls wrestling team.
In fact, the Grizzlies are actually playing a large role in helping the tournament get somewhat back on track through a series of quick first-round pins.
The Hoquiam girls, one after another, take to the mat. More times than not, the ending sees them having their arms raised in victory.
“We have a really young team this year,” senior Ana Menjivar said. “But we’re improving every tournament.”
It’s a large turnout for the Grizzlies. Hoquiam had 11 wrestlers competing in the girls tournament at Tumwater High School’s Alexander Invite – the most for any school.
Six Grizzlies – Delahanty (100 pounds), Bianca Lopez (110), Mercedes Pinnell (115), Emma Skinner (135), Menjivar (145) and Jenna Doll (155) – take home titles, while Elyse Goulet finishes second in the 125-pound classification.
“We’re trying to make the program become as big as the guys,” Skinner said. “It’s slowly coming up.”
Success is nothing new for the Hoquiam program. In 2007, the Grizzlies captured the first ever Washington State girls wrestling title and followed that up by finishing second in state the next year.
“I always wanted to (wrestle), but was kind of scared at first,” Menjivar said. “I tried out my freshman year and thought this really wasn’t something for me, but I decided to come back after my sophomore year. Now, I love it.”
After a dip in last year’s numbers, the program has seen an increase in interest this year with a dozen girls participating in the program.
“It’s really been growing this year and it’s awesome to see how many people have turned out,” Skinner said. “We are always talking to people who don’t really know what they want to do yet. We have them try out for wrestling. They actually end up enjoying it. We had a lot of young people come out this year which is great because it will really help build our program as they get better and start bringing more people.”
That was the case for Delahanty, who despite being in her first year of wrestling is ranked No. 6 in the state among female wrestlers in the 105-pound division by the Washington Wrestling Report.
“I really didn’t know what to do when I first started,” Delahanty said. “Everyone has been incredibly helpful and supportive. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t wrestled before.”
Skinner, a junior, was in the same situation as her younger teammate two years ago. She entered the program her freshman year and took last season off, but has since returned to the mat.
“It’s like one big family though. No one is excluded at all. Boys practice with girls. Everyone gets treated equally,” said Skinner. “Just because we’re girls doesn’t mean we get any slack or anything. We still get beat on just as much guys. I think that makes us tougher.”
It’s that overall encouraging atmosphere within the program – regardless of gender – that Menjivar also pointed out as one of the Grizzlies strengths.
“Practices are hard, but I would rather get pushed every day to get better,” Menjivar said. “Working with the boys makes us push a little harder. And they push us as much as we push them. We don’t get treated any different. It’s just one team. When we cry, they’re there for us and when they cry, we’re there for them.”
Girls high school wrestling has seen its popularity grow every year in Washington since it was first introduced nine years ago, expanding from its original nine weight classes to its current total of 14.
A trio of Hoquiam wrestlers claimed titles at last year’s Subregional Girls Tournament. Lopez, Doll and Bree Hyder, who has since transferred to Yelm, were crowned champions. Hyder finished sixth in 100 at the 2015 state tournament, while Doll, ranked No. 5 in the state this season at 155, and Karisa Selin were state participators.
With a strong turnout this year, the Grizzlies, who last had a state girls wrestling champion in 2009 when Kelsey Klein won the 130-pound title, are hoping to take a few more to the Tacoma Dome for this year’s state meet.
“I was one match away from going to state,” Menjivar said. “I want to take that next step. We all do. Tournaments like this will help get us ready.”
