How Anastasia Manchester, Brin Zehmisch are helping build Butler girls wrestling program
BUTLER TWP — The numbers don’t lie.
Butler juniors Anastasia Manchester and Brin Zehmisch are quickly climbing the ladder in terms of establishing themselves as faces of the Golden Tornado girls wrestling program.
Manchester, competing at 136 pounds, took an 11-2 record into Saturday’s Mt. Lebanon Blue Devil Invitational after pinning Seneca Valley’s Rowan Myers in 46 seconds Wednesday night.
Zehmisch, now competing at 118 pounds, improved to 11-3 after pinning the Raiders’ Khloe Hoover in the second period that same evening.
“Good records don’t make good leaders,” Butler coach Nathan Bottiger said. “These girls have the pedigree, but they lead in different ways. Anastasia is a great teammate who lifts the spirits of her teammates.
“Brin is a wonderful person from a training standpoint. Monica (team captain Osborne) brings intensity to the room and works as hard as anyone. They all bring something different to the table.”
Before Butler began its varsity girls wrestling program three years ago, Ana Malovich was a pioneer in the sport for the Golden Tornado. Now a sophomore at Grand Valley State, she went 16-7 and reached NCAA nationals in her first season there. She won 27 matches during Butler girls wrestling’s debut season and graduated with 78 wins overall.
Manchester enjoyed a 25-win season as a freshman and Zehmisch had a 21-win season as a sophomore last year. They entered Saturday’s Mt. Lebanon tourney with 52 and 46 career varsity wins, respectively.
Manchester has her eyes on Malovich’s mark — and beyond.
“I’d love to get to 100,” she said of her win total. “I don’t know how feasible that is, but that’s the target. My goal this year is to finish no worse than third in any tournament I’m in. That’s been working out so far.”
Zehmisch has no goal in terms of numbers, saying only “that I want to give the best effort I can in every match. Wherever that takes me, I’ll be happy with.
“But, yeah, there is something to being part of a new program. People will come in this lobby over the years, look at the team pictures on the wall ... some girls team pictures, too, and I take pride in being in on the start of all that.”
Butler does not have a junior high girls team on the mat as of yet. Manchester and Zehmisch began wrestling in the Tornado’s elementary program. Both were members of the junior high boys team as well, though neither was in the starting lineup.
“My brother (2021 graduate Byron Manchester) wrestled for Butler and I used to go to his matches,” Manchester said. “I enjoyed the sport and wanted to do it myself.
“Just being in the (junior high wrestling) room helped me develop my skills on the mat.”
Zehmisch enjoyed similar benefits at the junior high level.
“We wrestled in a few tournaments and got some experience that way,” she recalled. “The big thing for me was getting acclimated to the team aspect of wrestling. In elementary, it’s all individual.
“Being on the junior high team helped me to transition to varsity girls wrestling. I’ve been on the mats since I was 6. I’ve always loved this sport.”
Zehmisch ran track and cross country for a year before leaving those sports to concentrate on wrestling. Manchester has a widespread athletic schedule.
She plays volleyball in the fall, runs track in the spring and competes on the diving team along with wrestling in the winter.
“Diving practice is right after school, then I go to wrestling practice from 5:30 to 7,” Manchester said. “I don’t get home from school until after 8 each night. If I miss a wrestling practice, I make it up.
“It’s busy, but it’s worth it.”
Both recognize their roles as Butler girls wrestling continues to grow.
“When it comes to my own matches, I’m as negative as it comes,” Manchester said, smiling. “I look across at my opponent and figure I’m going to lose. Then I win ... I don’t know how I do it.
“At the same time, I enjoy working with and helping the younger girls on the team. That’s all part of it.”
Zehmisch described wrestling as a constant learning process.
“Wrestling against boys, I mean, even when I knew I was gonna lose, I wanted to learn something from it,” she said. “I learn a little bit from a win, too. It’s not about wins and losses for me. It’s about getting better.”
Bottiger echoes those sentiments.
“One of the most important aspects of this sport is mat awareness,” the coach said. “A wrestler gains that only one way — by going out there and doing it. Win or lose, we want each wrestler to get better every day.
“Anastasia, Brin, you can throw Monica in there, too ... They’re all about that.”
