Iroquois' Michaela Thomas wins state title at inaugural girls wrestling championships
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Nationally-ranked Iroquois junior Michaela Thomas has become the first female wrestler from Western New York to claim a state championship.
Thomas won the 165-pound title at the inaugural NYSPHSAA championships Thursday at MVP Arena in Albany. Ranked in the top 30 in the country by FloWrestling, Thomas finished the season with a 42-1 record, avenging her only loss with an 11-6 decision over Teagan McGuinness from Union-Endicott in the state final.
“My mindset was focused on: ‘I’m winning this, I’ve worked too hard to lose,” Thomas said in her post-match interview with Western New York Athletics. “I’ve done way too much for myself to lose this.
Teegan Sibble, a senior form Bolivar-Richburg in Allegany County, capped her career with a state championship at 115 pounds. Peyton Mullin from Section V's Dundee also won a state title in the heavyweight class.
Section VI placed third in team scoring with 23 of 25 wrestlers winning at least one match. Chautauqua Lake freshman Noli Paddock placed third at 132 pounds, while Frontier senior Avery White and Niagara Wheatfield freshman Gabriella Barone also reached the semifinals.
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.