Congratulations to Alivia Ortiz, who ranked 3rd in the state for her weight class at the first-ever New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Girls Wrestling State Invitational this past weekend!
Here is a recap of the Tournament from Coach Schipano:
Alivia Ortiz had the longest wrestling journey according to the 16-person brackets and how they play out. After a first-round loss, she then wrestled for five more matches to place 3rd overall -- it is a road that not many have endured to tell the tale!
Alivia did this with such courage and tenacity throughout the day that she accumulated some exquisite statistics in her favor. Alivia was never taken down the whole tournament!! Only one opponent scored on her out of six matches. As far as match points go (takedowns, reversals, etc..) Alivia scored second most overall out of 203 other female wrestlers, which was 54 total points on the day. She also tied for 1st with her friend from Tamarac and long-time wrestler Ragan Retell for most points scored in one match, which was 18. That was the match that clinched her 3rd place finish beating her opponent by fall with a score of 18-0.
Not only was there magic on the mat for Alivia, but there were also over 40 spectators, teammates, and fans in attendance specifically for Alivia. This is a new excitement for us veteran coaches, and I will speak for all of us on the RCS coaching staff. It was such an honor to have been a part of Alivia's successful journey through the inaugural state girls wrestling tournament.
Photos provided by Gina Pelletier:
She has done it again! Junior Alivia Ortiz was selected to represent RCS and Section II Athletics at the first-ever New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Girls Wrestling State Invitational! This is the third major event Ms. Ortiz has been selected to participate in this year, the other two being the NYSSMA Conference All-State Festival and NAfME All-Eastern Division Festival.
“Alivia has worked so hard to get to where she is on the mat,” said High School Physical Education Teacher and Varsity Wrestling Coach Justin Schipano. “Off the mat, Alivia excels in so much, and it is our honor to have her on the team. Alivia is a tough sponge of a wrestler. She is always asking great questions and is a true student in the world of scrapping on the mat. We are proud of you, Alivia Ortiz, and wish you the best of luck at this year's state tournament!”
The tournament will take place at the SRC Arena in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, January 27. You can learn more about the tournament here.
Of the 456 wrestlers who expressed interest, only 208 were selected to participate in the 13 weight classes. Ms. Ortiz has had an impressive season. Even though we are still in the middle of the wrestling season, her current season record is 7-5, and she has a career record of 15-15. Alivia almost exclusively wrestles male opponents but will wrestle at a Guilderland Girls Tournament as well. Keep an eye out for this RCS wrestler!
Good luck, Alivia!! RCS is routing for you!!