Now in its 2nd year, the NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Championships will showcase incredible talent from 208 of the best female wrestlers in the state. The tournament will take place at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY on Thursday February 26. Open ceremonies will begin at 9:00 am and wrestling will start at 9:30 am. Section 9 is sending a very tough contingent of ladies to Albany who will likely be in the hunt for the sectional team title. Let’s take a look at our Section 9 squad!
94 Pounds – Shane Dharaleen (Middletown, junior)
Dharaleen is making her second trip to the state tournament. Shane had a very tough draw in Albany last season and went 0-2 losing to the 3rd and 5th place finishers. Dharaleen is 25-8 this year is definitely a contender to place in the top six.
100 Pounds – Natalia Quinteros Tejada (FDR-Hyde Park, junior)
Natalia is now a 2X Section 9 champion and is looking to improve upon her 1-2 showing at the state tournament last season where she lost to the eventual champion and 5th place finishers. The FDR junior wrestled in mixed competition this season – folkstyle against boys and freestyle against girls.
107 Pounds – Charlie Wylie (Port Jervis, senior)
Charlie is looking to cap off a historic high school wrestling career with a second NYSPHSAA girls wrestling title. Wylie, who will attend Lehigh in the Fall, was a state champion in the girls’ tournament in 2025, and in 2023 she became the only female Section 9 wrestler to place at the boys’ state tournament. Charlie has a 26-1 record this season with her only loss coming in the finals of the Eastern States Classic to the #1 ranked wrestler in the nation, Jaclyn Bouzakis from Wyoming Seminary.
107 Pounds – Olivia Schmidt (Valley Central, junior)
Olivia is making her second appearance at the state tournament at 107 pounds. Last year she went 1-2 with her losses coming to the wrestlers who finished in 3rd and 4th place. Schmidt is 23-8 for the season including a 5-2 performance at the Eastern States.
114 Pounds – Keira Filip (Minisink Valley, senior)
Keira is having another outstanding season. Last season she won the Section 9 title at 114 pounds and went 2-2 losing in the blood round at the state tournament. This year Filip is sporting a 41-1 record and was champion at the Dame of Thrones, Coxsackie-Athens, and Kristie Stenglien-Davis tournaments.
114 Pounds – Isla Smith (Middletown, senior)
Isla finished 20-11 this season and is making her first trip to the NYSPHSAA Girls State Championships. Smith finished 4th at the Iron Maiden tournament wrestling up a weight at 120 pounds.
120 Pounds – Gail “Gigi” Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury, freshman)
Sullivan missed most of the season while recovering from surgery but made it back in time to qualify for the post season. She went 4-0 and won the Section 9 title. Last year, she also won the Section 9 title – against the boys! Gigi is not only the first ever girl to win a Section 9 Division 1 wrestling title; she is the first ever girl to qualify for the NYSPHSAA Division 1 Championship tournament!
126 Pounds – Sara Pauls (Minisink Valley, junior)
Sara was the Section 9 champion last year and finished 2nd in NYS. This year, Pauls has an impressive 38-1 record and has won titles at the Eastern States Classic and Iron Maiden. Her only blemish this year is a loss to the girl who defeated her in the state finals last year, Julianna Hernandez from Section 11, who is also at 126 this year. All signs towards a rematch of last year’s state finals!
126 Pounds – Allison Carman (Port Jervis, senior)
Allison is having a great season and has a 28-9 season record. She won the Greeley Tournament and finished 2nd at the Iron Maiden. Carman was also a state qualifier last season where she went 2-2 and lost in the blood round. Her two losses were to the 3rd and 4th place finishers.
132 Pounds – Rebecca Brennan (New Paltz, senior)
After taking a season off, Rebecca Brennan is back with a vengeance. The New Paltz senior won the NYS Invitational two seasons ago but did not wrestle during the 2024-2025 season. This season she is 10-0 with every win coming by way of pin or tech fall.
132 Pounds – Kenzie Welch (Minisink Valley, freshman)
Welch enters the state tournament with an impressive 30-7 season record which includes a 2nd place finish at the Iron Maiden tournament. This could be the first of several trips to Albany for Welch!
138 Pounds – Jada Lee (Monroe Woodbury, junior)
Jada is now a 2X Section 9 champion. Last year she entered the state tournament as the 13th seed, lost her first match, and then wrestled all the way back to take 4th place! This year Lee has a 15-8 record including runner-up finishes at the Greeley and Iron Maiden tournaments.
138 Pounds – Hailey Lichtenstein (Middletown, sophomore)
Hailey has a 25-10 season record entering the state tournament. She placed 2nd at the Coxsackie Tournament and was the champion at the Iron Maiden! This will be Hailey’s first appearance at the NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Championships.
145 Pounds – Victoria Alvarado (Warwick, junior)
After missing nearly the entire season recovering from an injury, Tori has made it back to the mat and she is ready to defend her 2025 state title! She is 5-0 this season with all pins in 1:00 or less. Last season Alvarado went undefeated and pinned her way through the state tournament with all first period pins!
145 Pounds – Rilee Kinsley (Valley Central, junior)
Rilee is 22-7 this season and finished 3rd at the Iron Maiden Tournament. Last year Kinsley was a state qualifier at 132 pounds and went 0-2 in Albany. Expect to see Rilee win a few matches this year and possibly get on the podium.
152 Pounds – Arica Pearson Leary (Valley Central, senior)
Arica had another outstanding season and is making her second trip to the state championships. Her record this year is 23-5 and she was the champion at the Windsor Tournament and placed 2nd at the Iron Maiden. Last season Pearson Leary finished 5th at the NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Championships!
152 Pounds – Isabella Dipaola (Kingston, junior)
Isabella punched her ticket to the state tournament in the Section 9 semis by defeating a returning state qualifier b pinfall. She had to win a true second match to secure her birth to Albany and did so with a 16-3 technical superiority victory. Isabella has 10-7 for the 2025-2026 season.
165 Pounds – Caitlin McIlroy (Minisink Valley, freshman)
Still only a freshman, McIlroy is now a 2X Section 9 champion. Last season she won sections up a weight at 185 and went 0-2 at the state tournament in Albany. This year Caitlin brings a 27-7 record into the post season and was the champion at the Kristie Stenglein-Davis Tournament.
165 Pounds – Aleeyah Soto (Middletown, junior)
Soto will be making her first trip to the state tournament in Albany. She has a 11-15 record for the season but stands to gain some very valuable experience at states.
185 Pounds – Jaida Macaluso (Minisink Valley, senior)
Jaida was a state finalist last season and is hoping to end her senior campaign on the top step of the medal stand in Albany. Macaluso has a 35-4 record this season and was the champion at the Iron Maiden and Coxsackie Athens tournaments.
185 Pounds – Olivia Carroll (Minisink Valley, 8th Grade)
The future is bright for Carroll who wrestles at 185 yet is only an 8th grader. Olivia has a 15-7 record for the 2025-2026 season and will garner great experience at the state tournament in Albany.
235 Pounds – Madeira Monchery (Middletown, sophomore)
Monchery has been outstanding during her sophomore season and brings a 20-8 record into the 2026 post season. Madeira placed third at the Iron Maiden tournament and was the runner-up at this year’s Coxsackie Athens tournament.