With the growth of Girls High School Wrestling (it’s the biggest growing high school sport in the nation), the girls have earned a seat at the table when it comes to covering their exploits. Legacy Wrestling plans to expand our girls wrestling coverage in Maryland this upcoming season and it seems like we will even be introducing girls rankings this year.
For now, as we did with the boys, we are taking a look back at the girls who stood out in the spring and summer season. One of, if not the best, in the nation is Maryland’s own Taina Fernandez (No. 1 at 135), who won title after title on her way to winning the biggest one of her life – an U17 World Championship in Amman, Jordan.
Fernandez’s stateside domination is nothing new to experienced onlookers, but to see her replicate that on the world stage was eye opening. No one scored on Fernandez at Worlds and only one opponent, Japan’s Sae Noguchi, made it out of the first period with all but one falling by pin. The opening match with Turkey’s Ozdenur Ozmez resulted in an 11-0 technical superiority.
The exploits we are about to rattle off here may seem unreal, but in fact, they are very real. In December of 2023, based on what Fernandez had accomplished up to that point in time, one of Maryland’s greatest female wrestlers of all time and Women’s Wrestling Pioneer, Nicole Woody, proclaimed,
“Taina has been beating some of the best college girls in the country and the world. Like I said before, she’s going to be the best wrestler, male or female, to ever come out of Maryland.”
In the Spring at USA Wrestling’s Women’s Nationals, Fernandez won an U15 title at 62 KG and an U17 crown at 61KG and was named the Outstanding Wrestler in the U17 brackets on the strength of five techs and a pin.
At the USA Wrestling Northeast Regions, the Spalding grappler won Freestyle and Greco-Roman golds in the 16U and Junior Divisions, with all the wins coming by falls or technical superiority. At the MSWA FS states, Fernandez won a 19U Girls crown at 135lbs and also pocketed a 132lb gold versus the 16U Boys.
Two Pan Am Games golds followed with no one scoring on her in both the 15U and 17U slate while winning all the matches by technical superiority. Fargo was next for Fernandez and much of the same unfolded with no one scoring on the Cavalier and no one lasting past the first period, including Blair Academy’s National Prep Champion, Corynne McNulty in the16U 136lb finals.
Hall of Fame writer (National Wrestling HOF) and Legacy Wrestling’s lead reporter Lem Satterfield has been covering wrestling in Maryland for 38 years and offered up this observation, “Maryland is witnessing an unprecedented achievement from someone who might just rank among the states all-time pound for pound best athletes, regardless of era or weight class.”
Watkins Mills’ Nebi Tsarni was named the winner of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in May. Tasrni had a quiet summer. After capturing a Fargo title last year, the outgoing senior decided to compete only at the NHSCA Nationals, where she placed second to West Virginia’s Kaylie Hall (No. 6 at 170) at 165lbs. The three-time state champion encountered Randallstown’s three-time state titlist, Ugochi Anunobi in the semifinals there and rebounded from an early deficit to win that showdown.
Tsarni finished her senior season ranked No. 4 in the country at 155lbs. At the NHSCA Nationals, she was part of a first-time occurrence when she reached the finals alongside her brother, Salah, becoming the first brother and sister to reach those finals. Tasrni will be competing at the Air Force Academy in the fall.
Anunobi rallied back from the loss to Tsarni to place third at the NHSCA Nationals. The former Ram competed at Fargo in the summer and reached the 155lb finals but came up short in her title quest after being pinned by California’s No. 2 Eduarda Rodrigues. Anunobi, who was ranked 10th in the nation at 170lbs, will take her talents to Life University this year.
Laurel’s state champion, Alexandra Ford, who will be a senior this season, competed at Fargo as well and came one match shy of reaching the podium after falling in the blood round at 140lbs. At the Maryland versus Virginia Border War, Ford was an 11-2 winner over Freedom’s state champion and Beast of the East placer, Eleanor Dean.
As a junior, Crofton’s nationally ranked Lexy Pabon (No. 17 at 125) captured her second Maryland state crown. Pabon had a stellar showing at Fargo, posting a 4-2 record, but came up shy of bringing hardware home. Pabon won the Northeast Region at 130lbs.
Another two-time Maryland state titlist, Arundel’s Jada Chaves, who is also nationally ranked (16th at 105), placed fifth at the NHSCA Nationals, won the Northeast Regions, and then went 2-2 at Fargo. Chaves is taking her skills to Gannon University this season.
Montgomery Blair’s McKinley Jovanovic capped off her senior campaign with an undefeated record and her first state championship at 120lbs. Jovanovic followed that up by becoming a NHSCA All-American with an eighth-place finish at 120lbs.
West Nottingham Academy’s National Prep placer, Reagan Ramadan, did not have a busy summer slate but did compete at the Northeast Region where she placed second in 16U FS and fifth in Junior FS.
***National Rankings mentioned in this article are from the May 2024 edition of American Women’s Wrestling’s Rankings***
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