2nd in nation will do
SLIPPERY ROCK — C.C. Weber is a multiple national champion in women's wrestling. She became the first girl to become a three-time Michigan state qualifier in boys wrestling.
Weber has won well over 100 matches against high school boys in her career.
And she was the only wrestler to prevent Slippery Rock junior Kayla Brendlinger from winning a USA Women's Freestyle Wrestling national championship earlier this month in Fargo, N.D.
Brendlinger suffered a 6-0, 6-0 technical fall loss to Weber in the 109-pound title match.
"She got tossed around pretty good," said Ron Brendlinger, her father and assistant coach of the nine-member Pennsylvania contingent at the tournament.
But before that match, Brendlinger was the wrestler doing most of the tossing.
She won her other five matches, including pins in 1:09 over Allison Nall of Texas and 1:01 of the second period against Lauryn Bruggink of Colorado.
Brendlinger decisioned Malia Medeiros of Hawaii 3-1, 7-0 and edged Paige Nemec of Ohio 0-2, 3-3, 2-1. Nemec is the current U.S. Girls Wrestling Association folkstyle national champion and has won numerous national titles in her career.
There were 22 girls competing in Brendlinger's weight class.
Brendlinger was 13-10 at 112 pounds for the Slippery Rock High boys wrestling team last season.
"She's a natural 103-pounder, but she couldn't beat out the boy in front of her there, so she had to bump up a weight class," her father said.
Brendlinger also was the No. 2 runner on Slippery Rock's unbeaten cross country team last fall. She and her younger sisters, Kelsey, 13, and Kandice, 10, finished second in the state in judo within the past year as well.
Kandice Brendlinger is a two-time USGWA national champion.
"Pennsylvania is way behind in terms of high school girls wrestling," Coach Brendlinger said. "California has 6,000 girls competing and Texas has 1,500.
"There was a dual meet tournament between states at the national competition as well and we couldn't even field a whole team."
Knoch senior Brittney Faust placed sixth at 124 pounds in the national freestyle event. Pennsylvania had two other all-Americans (placing sixth or better) and placed 12th as a team in the tournament.
