Pre-Seeds & Preview for Inaugural Girls Division at 2020 Eastern States Classic
5x USAW All-American Riley Dalrymple battles at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club Duals last November.
by Derek Levendusky, AWW staff writer
Loch Sheldrake, NY – For the 18th year in a row, New York’s Section 9 is hosting the premiere high school tournament, the 2020 Eastern States Classic, held this year at Sullivan County Community College. The event boasts 575 wrestlers from over 170 schools representing seven states. For the first time ever, this year's tournament will also include a girls’ division, making it one of the only in-season premier high school tournaments to offer both boys and girls divisions.
Known for its elite competition, the girls’ division will be no different, as the loaded brackets feature PSAL state placers & state champions, All-Americans & national champions. The NYC governing body, the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), provided a female state championship event each of the last two years for New York girls certified with high school programs.
The #1 seed at 99, Jasintai Mallqui of Camden Catholic in New Jersey, is ranked #14 in the country in our Top 25 poll, while 106 features Pennsylvania’s 2017 Pan-Am champ Caitlyn Walker from Wyoming Sem. The #1 seed at 113 features 2018 Fargo champion Ally Fitzgerald from Lynbrook, NY, and #2 seed, 5x USA Wrestling All-American Riley Dalrymple from Copenhagen, NY.
At 120, the #1 seed at 120 is a 3x national champion, Sofia Macaluso from Minisink Valley, NY who won national titles in both folkstyle and freestyle last year, while the #2 seed is western NY’s Esther Levendusky from Avon, a 16U USA Wrestling All-American last year in Oklahoma and also a PSAL HS girls state champion. #3 seed Gianna Amendola of Rocky Point was the PSAL state runner-up last year to Levendusky, though Amendola does have a freestyle win over her. At 126, #1 seed Mia Macaluso from Minisink Valley, was a 2019 Cadet Pan-Am champion. She also won a Fargo national title in 2018. The #2 seed Alessandra Elliot of Tottenville, NY took 2nd at Oklahoma Folkstyle Nationals last year in the 14U division.
The #1 seed at 132, Naomi Henry of Wingate, NY was a 2018 Fargo finalist in the Cadet division, and #2 seed Grace Pauls is a 5x USA Wrestling All-American, placing in the top 8 at both Oklahoma Folkstyle Nationals and at Fargo multiple times. #3 seed at 132, Schyler Caringi of Coxsackie-Athens, won the PSAL state title last year and was on the NY national team.
At 152 pounds, #1 seed Damiana Racciatti of Liverpool was a state finalist at PSAL States in 2018, and the 170 pound class features #1 and #2 seeds who are both multiple-time USA Wrestling All-Americans & nationally-ranked wrestlers, McKenzie Samuels of Harry S. Truman in NYC and Kai Poux of Brooklyn Technical, respectively. Meanwhile, at 195, #1 seed Joanna Jones of Wingate was an All-American at Fargo in both 2018 & 2019, while #2 seed Sujeydy Matos of Harry S. Truman was an All-American when she took 4th at Fargo last summer in the 16U division.
In the past, the Eastern States Classic has featured now well-known wrestlers who went on to become NCAA All-Americans, such NC State’s Nick Gwiazdowski in 2011 (also bronze world medalist for Team USA), NC State’s Kevin Jack in 2012-2013, internet-famous Dylan Palacio of Cornell in 2012, Maryland’s Youssif Hemida in 2015, Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis in 2015-2016, Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni in 2013-2015, and Cornell’s Vito Arujau 2014-2017
Action starts for the girls on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
The event will be live-streamed on FloWrestling.org & the girls’ matches will likely be held on mats 7-9.
Pre-seeds for 2020 Eastern States Classic:
