For the second straight year, the NYSPHSAA high school girls wrestling tournament returns to downtown Albany’s MVP Arena.
Bethlehem junior Charleigh Eick is used to being the target on the mat.
“I made a name for myself last year, so I knew a lot of people were going to come and try to take me down,” Eick said. “But I have to stay composed. That’s the key concept of wrestling.”
Eick is making her second trip to the girls wrestling individual championships, and this season became Bethlehem’s first-ever girls Section II champion at 185 pounds. The girls tournament, now in just its second year as an official NYSPHSAA championship event, will bring 212 wrestlers from across the state to compete in one division spread over 13 weight classes.
“Charleigh is just a great ambassador for our program because she’s showing the younger girls what’s available out there,” head coach Sarah Trombadore said. “She took a chance on this sport three years ago.”
Eick won’t be alone on the state stage. She’ll be joined by senior Katie Huang, a 152-pound qualifier who hopes to make noise in her bracket.
“Anyone’s beatable,” Huang said. “I’ve beaten people who have had more experience than me. It’s just a matter of what you’re willing to do, how much effort you’re willing to put in.”
According to the NYSPHSAA, the number of girls in its wrestling system has climbed from about 300 to more than 1,100 in just two years, as more schools add girls teams or girls lineups alongside their boys programs.
The boom mirrors what is happening in girls flag football. The NYSPHSAA has approved girls flag football as a state championship sport, hundreds of schools have added teams and thousands of girls now play across the state. Huang, Bethlehem’s starting quarterback in flag football, straddles both trends as she splits her year between the gridiron and the mat.
Currently, girls wrestle freestyle during the season, and some compete in both boys and girls events. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, any girl who wrestles only girls will be eligible for the girls postseason tournament. Wrestlers who face boys at any point will have to remain on that path and attempt to qualify for the boys tournament instead, effectively forcing athletes to choose between two different postseason routes.
Trombadore said Bethlehem’s state qualifiers reflect the work of an entire roster.
“Even though wrestling is very much an individual sport, it took a whole team to get my two state qualifiers here,” she said.
The girls wrestling tournament begins Thursday at MVP Arena, where 212 wrestlers, including Eick and Huang, will compete for spots on the podium.