Larry Griffin
lgriffing@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The women’s wrestling team for Swain County High School suffered some setbacks at the NCHSAA opening rounds of the 2023 Women’s State Wrestling Invitational, with coach Adam Jaimez saying they “lost some matches they should’ve won.”
The event took place over two days, with the first round taking place at the Rise Athletic Complex in Bermuda Run on Friday, Feb. 3, while the finals took place Feb. 4 at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse.
There were some wins Swain took home on Friday, with Tasia Neadeau winning by fall over Dixon’s Giovanna Disbennett. Lylah Cogdill won over Millbrook’s Ebony Meja-Aguilar, and Anasette Cooper won by fall over Parkwood’s Madison Mansfield.
But there were also several losses, which Jaimez said had been an “eye opening experience” for the girls.
“It was a bit of an interesting trip,” he said Tuesday. “It’s one of the things you get sometimes - you don’t perform the way you typically do.”
He added there had been several tough girls on the opposing teams.
“We lost some matches,” he said. “That’s the way wrestling goes sometimes.”
He said the team is optimistic about the future of the program, though, and intends to keep on improving for the next year. To Jaimez, it’s always a good thing to have the support of the community.
“We’re going to pick ourselves up and move on,” he said. “We are blessed to have the parents, the community and the school who support the girls’ team. We are glad to have something for the girls, not just for the boys.”
Results for Swain in the first round:
Anna Ockerman (Corinth Holders, 38-3) won by fall over Savannah Cunningham (Swain County, 11-13) (Fall 0:28) 100 lbs division
Yenny Vences (Montgomery Central, 6-2) won by fall over Asiah Ball (Swain County, 10-8) (Fall 2:20) 132 lbs division
Tasia Neadeau (Swain County, 19-3) won by fall over Giovanna Disbennett (Dixon, 14-13) (Fall 1:36) 138 lbs division
Anasette Cooper (Swain County, 24-11) won by fall over Madison Mansfield (Parkwood, 13-9) (Fall 3:10) 185 lbs division
Championship quarterfinals:
Sarem Desalegn (Mallard Creek, 25-7) won by fall over Tasia Neadeau (Swain County, 19-3) (Fall 3:28) 138 lbs division
Savannah Bramhall (Parkwood, 31-0) won by fall over Lylah Cogdill (Swain County, 34-5) (Fall 1:38) 165 lbs division
Lianna David (EE Smith, 8-6) won by fall over Anasette Cooper (Swain County, 24-11) (Fall 5:39) 185 lbs division