Malovich captures Western Pa. crown
Ana Malovich knew the match she was waiting for was a meeting with Canon-McMillan’s Gracie Elliot in the 112-pound finals Sunday at North Allegheny High School.
But the second annual Western Pennsylvania Girls Wrestling Championship was more than just about a win for Malovich. The Butler junior wrestler, ranked 13th nationally by USA Wrestling at 106 pounds, knew she had a significant experience advantage on her first two opponents.
Malovich, who scored a takedown with a minute remaining in the finals to beat Elliott 5-4, tried to encourage her less-experienced foes.
“I want to get as many girls to try the sport as possible,” Malovich said. “We want to grow the sport and not move backwards.”
The girls wrestling movement has picked up serious steam in the past few months. On Feb. 14, Pennridge became the 100th school to sponsor the sport. Now that 100 schools sponsor the event, the PIAA board of directors can vote on full sponsorship of the sport.
When the sport is fully sponsored, the PIAA can host a championship tournament that likely will be held concurrently with the boys’ tournament in Hershey. If the PIAA approves the sport to be sanctioned, it could be official as soon as the 2023-24 school year.
What Malovich is excited the most by for the sport being sponsored is the opportunity it presents to girls. Currently, girls who want to wrestle at the high school level must compete on the boys team if they want to qualify for the PIAA Championships.
What that can lead to is a tough feeling.
“It can be discouraging,” Malovich said. “I had a lot more success at 106 because the guys are freshmen, and they aren’t big and strong. At 114 to 116 pounds, they are cutting down. You don’t have the strength to keep up, and it’s discouraging.”
Malovich, who wrestles nearly year-round, placed third at the Super 32 event and fourth at the United States Wrestling Frestyle Tournament in Fargo, N.D., during the past year. In addition to high school, Malovich competes in the national and freestyle seasons.
All that experience paid off against Elliot, who transferred to Canon-McMillan from South Carolina, who Malovich had watched on FloWrestling to study for. After two periods, the match was knotted at 3-3.
Malovich would cut Elliott loose in the third period to give away an escape before securing the match-sealing takedown.
Malovich, who thought she could have done better, felt some nerves before the match.
“I wrestle reserved and hesitant,” Malovich said. “Now that I know her style, I could do better next time.”
Malovich will compete in the section championships this weekend with the Butler boys wrestling team to try and earn a WPIAL berth for the second time at 114 pounds.
Malovich, who started wrestling at 5 years old, is excited to see the growth in the sport. What she would like to do is continue to push toward wrestling at the next level.
“Seeing the growth of the sport is cool,” Malovich said. “Especially since I started competing so young. I just want to push myself to be the best I can be.”
