BY JAMIE HAZEL
Sports Editor
The 16-8 girls wrestling team sent three talented athletes, Isabella Bonilla, Abby McSorley, and Sofia Sousa, to the State Championship. In the NJSIAA Girls District 7 Tournament, the Knights took first place as a team with 212.5 points from eleven place winners, including nine medalists who moved on to the 2026 NJSIAA Girls Wrestling Region 3 Tournament.
On February 26, the girls hosted and dominated the first NJSIAA Girls District 7 Tournament where they faced multiple state-ranked teams and came out on top. “[The highlight was] probably just winning the team title in general and having a lot of girls on our team make it to districts,” said junior Madison Magrino.
Yuliana Hryn placed first in the District Tournament. In her semifinal match, she pinned her opponent from East Brunswick in 57 seconds, and in her final round she pinned her opponent from Hillsborough in 1 minute 42 seconds. “Winning district was never in my mind, especially winning a team district title,” shared Hryn. “Winning district felt good. It showed that I worked harder than I ever did in my life.”
Magrino, Sousa, Bonilla, and McSorley all placed second for their respective weight classes. Sousa dominated throughout her matches, winning with pins in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. “All the hard work and practice finally paid off, and it was a great feeling to see our effort turn into success,” said Bonilla.
In Magrino’s first round, she pinned her opponent in only 18 seconds. She then defeated a senior from North Brunswick in her semifinal round by a 5-3 decision. “It felt good getting as far as I did,” said Magrino. “It was great seeing what we could do as a team and beating teams we previously lost to at duals.”
Bonilla had a very competitive final round where she lost only 4-3 in a decision. “Being successful in the District 7 tournament felt amazing,” said Bonilla. “As much as I really wanted to win the whole thing, I’m glad I was able to go to finals and be a district finalist.”
McSorley battled through an arm injury and just barely lost in the final round to a junior from Hillsborough. “It definitely was a set back not being able to use my arm to full capacity or use some of my go- to moves, but it also gave me an opportunity to improve on other things that I wouldn’t typically be focusing on,” explained McSorley.
Juniors Julia Berk and Michayla Smith both placed third. Junior Ryleigh Lynch and freshman Isabella Kay placed fourth, qualifying these four girls for regions. “We were just proud of each other and that some girls realized what they are capable of,” said Magrino.
Berk pinned a senior from South Brunswick in only 42 seconds, and Kay defeated her Middletown North opponent with a pin after a competitive 2 minutes and 42 seconds as well! “All of your teammates are there to support you. You have all of your coach’s cheering you on, and when you hear the refs whistle, knowing you won, you feel all of the best emotions,” shared Lynch.
Lynch overcame the second seeded wrestler with a pin to qualify. “The highlight of my district’s experience was winning against my North Brunswick opponent and securing a spot to regions,” said Lynch. “North Brunswick has always been a big competitor in girls wrestling, but my opponent specifically was the #2 seed and expected to win against me. Overcoming her as an opponent with a pin was truly an awesome experience.”
Freshman Izabella Quintela faced a junior from Raritan in her quarterfinal round. She defeated this opponent with a pin after a long 3 minutes and 41 seconds. “It felt good because I was able to put all the hard training to work,” said Quintela. First year wrestler freshman Vanessa Taborda placed sixth in her weight class.
The NJSIAA Girls Wrestling Region 3 Tournament took place on March 8. Sousa, Bonilla, and McSorley all placed fourth in their weight classes, allowing them to advance to the NJSIAA State Championship in Atlantic City. “The highlight of my journey was winning my qualifying match to even be able to go to States,” said Sousa.
Sousa advanced to the State Tournament two years in a row with an impressive pin in Regions after fighting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds in her quarterfinal round. She then went on to place fourth, high enough to qualify her for States once more. “It felt incredible being able to qualify for a second time,” said Sousa.
During Regions, as only a sophomore, McSorley beat a junior from Freehold Township with a pin in her quarterfinal round despite dealing with an injury. “It was very exciting, especially dealing with an arm injury and having an altered practice schedule due to the injury,” said McSorley.
Bonilla competed against a junior from Long Branch in her quarterfinal round of the Region 3 tournament and succeeded with a pin after 2 minutes and 42 seconds. She then competed in a very close match against a junior from East Brunswick where she lost a 2-1 decision. “I worked hard in practice, stayed consistent, and didn’t give up even when things got tough,” said Bonilla.
Although states did not go in the Knights’ favor, making it so far established the young team as a force to be reckoned with.
Posted on March 24, 2026
Photos by Karima Abouelkhir and Lisa Tooley
Knight Life 