Knoch’s Braylee Ireland is the Butler Eagle’s inaugural Girls Wrestler of the Year after winning WPIAL and PIAA regional titles and finishing sixth at the PIAA championships. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Over the last two seasons, high school girls wrestling has gained a strong foothold in Butler County. Varsity teams were formed at Butler and Seneca Valley in 2023 and Knoch followed suit with a team this past season.

Slippery Rock is scheduled to have wrestlers at the varsity level next November, and the opportunity for other schools in the county to add wrestling to their list of girls sports is in place.

In the meantime, several grapplers have already met with achievement, setting a pace for teammates and future wrestlers to match or even surpass. Leading this group is Knoch junior Braylee Ireland.

She went 12-10 in 2023-24, with all of her bouts coming against male competition. Facing girls this past season, Ireland turned in a banner campaign at 118 pounds, compiling a 27-9 record with WPIAL and regional titles before earning a medal by placing sixth in the state.

Ireland’s effort made her a unanimous selection as the Butler Eagle’s first-ever Girls Wrestler of the Year.

Her sophomore season ended prematurely due to an injured right knee.

“She was already pretty technically sound. This year was more of a mental challenge for Braylee,” Knoch coach Logan Downes said. “Not worrying about that knee was a hump she needed to get over.”

She cleared that hurdle rather quickly.

“It didn’t take long,” Ireland said. “I went through a lot of training over the summer and felt comfortable as the season began.

“I felt my season went great. I accomplished some pretty big goals.”

Ireland became the second girl from Butler County to win a WPIAL title, following Butler’s Ana Malovich in 2024.

As the undisputed leader of Knoch’s program moving forward, Ireland is excited to see what her senior season has in store.

“I want to be more physical and am working on offensive moves that will make me even better,” she said.

“She’s already ready for next year to begin,” Downes said.

Meet the rest of the Butler County girls wrestling all-stars of the 2024-25 season:

Seneca Valley's Maddee Fischer, top, finished third this year at the WPIAL Wrestling Championships. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Was 30-9 this season and finished third in the WPIAL.

"She began wrestling just a few years ago," SV coach Jessica Leighty said. "She competed in a tough weight class, but she worked hard in the room and it showed on the mat."

Seneca Valley's Hannah Hornick, right, made her second trip to the PIAA Wrestling Championships this season. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Placed fourth at WPIALs and third at regionals to reach the state tournament for the second straight year. Compiled a record of 23-12.

"She kept getting better as the season wore on," Leighty said. "She brought a strategy into every match, but was able to adjust her style according to her opponent."

Butler's Anastasia Manchester, top, looked like a WPIAL medal contender before a season-ending injury. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Was 16-7, with all wins coming via fall, before an injury ended her season. Is 41-15 in her career.

"As a freshman last year, she relied on her pure athleticism to win matches," Butler coach Nathan Bottiger said. "This year, she started to incorporate more technique into her arsenal. We saw glimpses of it before her injury. If she had stayed healthy, she would've had another great postseason."

Butler's Brin Zehmisch, top, finished fourth at the WPIAL Wrestling Championships this year. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Was 21-10 this year including a fourth-place effort at WPIALs.

Improved on her bottom work, scoring a number of reversals this season.

"She came up with some big wins in dual matches, and we could rely on her," Bottiger said. "She took another step forward this season and she sees where she needs to improve."