Vandalia senior Sophie Bowers repeated as Sectional Champion and the Lady Vandals finished in a tie for Fifth place as a team at the IHSA Girls Wrestling Sectional at Highland on Saturday. The Vandals had two wrestlers, Brynn Swyers at 170 and Gracey Simmons at 235, make it into the Consolation Semifinals, just one win away from State, but a pair of tough matchups resulted in a pin and a medical forfeit for the pair. The lone Lady Vandals wrestler to make it through to State, Bowers steamrolled her way through the Sectional Tournament with three falls in three matches with only one match going into the second round. Bowers will wrestle at the IHSA Girls State Tournament on Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
Sectional Day Two Wrestler-by-Wrestler Breakdown:
Sophie Bowers, 125lbs: Bowers beat Brooklyn Aldredge of Edwardsville by Fall in 1:56 and defeated Jocelyn Cobix of Pontiac by Fall in 2:38 in the Championship Match. Bowers is the Sectional Champion and advances to the State Tournament.
Amelia Watterson, 140lbs: Watterson lost to Jacee Mardirosian of Carterville by Fall in 3:03 and was eliminated from the tournament.
Brynn Swyers, 170lbs: Swyers beat Ariel Clayton of Robinson by Fall in 4:48 in the First Round Wrestlebacks and then beat Caitlin Wood of Triad by Fall in 5:14 in the Wrestleback Quarterfinals. Swyers then lost to Summer Nichols of Cumberland by Fall in 3:24 in the Consolation Semifinals to be eliminated from the tournament.
Violet Gray, 190lbs: Gray got through the First Round of Wrestlebacks by Medical Forfeit from her opponent Alora Washington of Pontiac and then lost to Izabell McBride of Waterloo by Fall in 3:24 and was eliminated from the tournament.
Gracey Simmons, 235lbs: Simmons beat Paighton Bell of Springfield by Fall in 0:53 in the First Round Wrestlebacks and then beat Olivia McDermott of Marion by Fall in 3:39 in the Wrestleback Quarterfinals. Simmons then faced Lillian Disanto of Urbana in the Consolation Semifinals and had to end the match by Medical Forfeit after suffering an ankle injury and was eliminated from the tournament.
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