HOWLAND, Maine — Girls’ wrestling is officially on the map in Maine and Caribou’s Chloe Kirschmann has the distinction of being one of the first state champions.
The sophomore, who was ranked second entering the tournament, earned the 220-pound weight division title on Feb. 20 at Penobscot Valley High School. She pinned the top seed, Sanford’s Tiffany Stevens, in 1:33 of the first period of the championship round.
“Chloe followed the game plan to perfection,” said Vikings’ coach James “Chico” Hernandez. “I told her to be aggressive and use the moves we have been working on, and she did just that.
“I’m so proud of the effort that she put in today. She wrestled a tough opponent in the finals and it was a great match,” he said. “To have her come out on top, I’m just so proud of her.”
Rylee Saucier, Caribou’s 113-pound division representative and the No. 1 seed in her division, also made it to the finals but came up short against Camden Hills’ Kristina Kelly in an 11-1 major decision.
Saucier reached the championship round with a come-from-behind victory over Carolyn McGary of Madison. Saucier trailed 4-1 early in the second period before narrowing the gap with a reversal. She ended up pinning McGary with 43 seconds to go in the period.
“She and Chloe had a great week of practice and taking second in the state is nothing to sneeze at,” Hernandez said. “Rylee is still a champion in my eyes and as a sophomore still has two more years to get this.”
This was the first Maine Principals’ Association-sponsored girls wrestling tournament offered in Maine.
“It was not just Chloe and Rylee who made history but 63 other wrestlers from across the state wrestled in the first-ever girls tournament,” Hernandez said. “Hopefully this tournament will really peak the interest in the sport in Caribou and get more girls involved, and hopefully this pushes girls wrestling in the state to continue to grow.”
