
Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
In a groundbreaking moment for high school sports, Nassau County hosted its first-ever county Girls Wrestling Championship on Sunday at Bethpage High School.
Nearly 100 girls from 16 schools competed to become one of Nassau’s 13 county champions and earn a spot in the inaugural New York State Public High School Athletic Association Girls Wrestling Championships.
Nassau County champions
Below is a list of the girls’ champions crowned this weekend in Bethpage.
94 lbs. – Tyasia Buxton, Valley Stream Central
100 lbs. – Harley Eidens, Long Beach
107 lbs. – Presley Eidens, Long Beach
114 lbs. – Gabrielle Severin, Bethpage
120 lbs. – Haley Gonzales, Hicksville
126 lbs. – Olivia Rausenberger, MacArthur
132 lbs. – Taylor Brock, Grand Ave MS/MacArthur*
138 lbs. – Jessica Marzano, Bethpage
145 lbs. – Gabriella Schechtman, Bellmore-JFK/MacArthur*
152 lbs. – Keishara Tulloch, Uniondale
165 lbs. – Isabella Steffa, Seaford/MacArthur*
185 lbs. – Eyslin Turcios, Valley Stream North
235 lbs. – Naomi Gonzalez, Valley Stream North
* Denotes girls that attend a school other than where they wrestle.
Second place state qualifiers
Below are the wrestlers who finished in second place but still qualified for the state finals.
100 lbs. – Sofia Lombardo, Farmingdale/MacArthur*
107 lbs. – Brianna Marquez, Uniondale
114 lbs. – Mo Chen, Jericho
120 lbs. – Emma Palencia, Roslyn
126 lbs. – Pavithra Eswar, Wheatley
235 lbs. – Mia Flores, MacArthur
* Denotes girls that attend a school other than where they wrestle.
Signifiant growth
Girls wrestling continues to grow nationally, with teams quadrupling over the past decade and over 50,000 participants last year. Nassau alone saw a 53% increase from the 2023-2024 season, according to Section VIII, the governing body for Nassau athletics.
The state championship will be held on Feb. 27 at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
“A great deal of time and effort went into making this day a reality for the girls,” said Section VIII girls wrestling Coordinator Sean Severin. “Seeing their faces as they entered the gym made all our work worthwhile.”
Top photo: Nassau County 2024-25 girls wrestling champions: Back row, from left: 138 lbs. – Jessica Marzano, Bethpage; 145 lbs. – Gabriella Schechtman, Bellmore-JFK/MacArthur; 152 lbs. – Keishara Tulloch, Uniondale; 165 lbs. – Isabella Steffa, Seaford/MacArthur; 185 lbs. – Eyslin Turcios, Valley Stream North; and 235 lbs. – Naomi Gonzalez, Valley Stream North. Front Row, from left: 94 lbs. – Tyasia Buxton, Valley Stream Central; 100 lbs. – Harley Eidens, Long Beach; 107 lbs. – Presley Eidens, Long Beach; 114 lbs. – Gabrielle Severin, Bethpage; 120 lbs. – Haley Gonzales, Hicksville; 126 lbs. – Olivia Rausenberger of MacArthur; and 132 lbs. – Taylor Brock, Grand Avenue MS/MacArthur (Credit: Michelle Ebel).