March 11, 2022
One state championship after another, the SENIOR Lady Eagles have racked up the titles for winter sports. First, with SENIOR Erin Martin who won the state wrestling championship, followed by SENIOR Bella Noble with the diving title, and finally SENIOR Phoebe Wright with the swimming state championship in the 100 yard freestyle.
Martin won the 155 pound class wrestling state championship on Feb. 19, where she opened with an 8-1 lead after two rounds and then won third to capture the title. Martin finished fifth in the state last season, and was ready for a shot at redemption.
This is the first year the Ohio High School Sports Association has sanctioned girls wrestling. WHHS has no other girl wrestlers, so Martin has to practice with the boys team.
“Erin has been an amazing wrestler for four years, and getting to this moment was well deserved,” said her coach Michael Francis to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “ Erin is the only girl on the wrestling team at Walnut, so much of her training is with/against the boys. Erin was ready for anything thrown at her, she practices daily with the boys, and even though injuries continue to prove that she’s at the top of her game.”
Wright dominated the pool during sectionals and districts, and once she got to the state championship she kept up her streak. Wright won the 100y freestyle with a time of :50.10 seconds and was second in the 200y freestyle with a time of 1:48.33. Both of these times are new school records.
“I kind of wanted redemption after the 200 free. I just went for [the 100 freestyle],” Wright said. “I knew I could do it, but it was still a surreal feeling to actually see my name on the board in first place.”
After Noble had already dominated the preliminary round of the diving state championship, she received a score of 491.8 in the finals to crown her as the state champion. This high score also set a new school record.
“After my last dive, I knew almost immediately that I had secured my first place finish,” Noble said. “I was overwhelmed with excitement and disbelief of what I had just accomplished.”
While all of their high school athletic careers are now over, Noble and Wright will be continuing at the next level. Noble will dive for the University of Akron and Wright will swim for George Washington University.
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