Meet members of the Nutley girls wrestling team
NUTLEY, N.J. — Nutley’s rich wrestling tradition just got stronger with the addition of female wrestlers. Currently, the Nutley Raiders have 6 wrestlers competing in full NJSIAA schedules. These student-athletes, many of whom are beginners, have been training daily since the start of the season on December 1.
Senior Mariah Koster is certainly not a beginner. She started wrestling in our town’s recreation program and has been a trailblazer. Mariah accomplished many firsts during her high school wrestling career. She was the first female to win a varsity match, first to receive a varsity letter, and, in 2022, she became the first female Nutley wrestler to place in the New Jersey state tournament, taking 4th at 100 pounds.
This year’s roster is rounded out by juniors Isabella Bobadilla (6th in North Region last year as a first-year wrestler) and Amahara Flores, sophomores Kaitlyn Aguila and Carina Rivera, and freshman Izzabella Timonera. Each of these female athletes have won varsity matches in their first year of wrestling and several of them have over 15 wins this year alone.
“I was always intrigued by the sport of wrestling and once I saw we had a girl on the team it really made me want to jump in and try this sport,” said Isabella Bobadilla.
Mariah Koster takes great pride in being the first female to join the wrestling program. “It is a real special accomplishment to be the ‘first ever’ girl at Nutley. To be the first girl to receive a varsity letter on the boys’ team and to be the first ever to place in the state tournament are two memories I will cherish forever.”
Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Since 1994, the number of females that wrestle in high school has grown from 804 to over 31,654 in 2022. There are now over 124 women’s college wrestling programs and 76 clubs nationwide. This March will be the 4th stand-alone state wrestling championship in New Jersey history.
Nutley is ready and willing to help grow the sport of wrestling. From 1 female wrestler in the 2019-20 season, to 2 last year, and now 6 in 2023, this sport is definitely trending in the right direction. As the high school program continues to evolve, the township is committed to growing it on the recreation level as well. Head of Parks and Recreation, Frank DeMaio, Coach Mike Blanchard, and NHS Coach Mike DiPiano are discussing the possibility of adding a female wrestling clinic in the spring or summer to give more female athletes in town the opportunity to try this great sport.
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