NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley High School sophomore Michelle Gavilanes enjoyed a great run at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s girls wrestling state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, March 12-14.
Gavilanes won the third-place medal in the 145-pound weight class.
In the first round, Gavilanes pinned Autumn Connolly (North Hunterdon) in 1:19. In the quarterfinals, she posted a 12-5 decision over Taylor Thiele (Immaculata).
Gavilanes lost in the semifinals to Shea Aretz (Buena Regiona/Vineland) 11-4. But she bounced back with a pin over Ashley Bernal (Cliffside Park) in 1:20 in the consolation semifinals.
In the third-place bout, Gavilanes won by decision over Thiele 8-4 to cap the season with a 44-5 record.
After reaching the states last year as a freshman, Gavilanes was elated that her hard work paid dividends, resulting in a medal.
“Going into this season, I knew how important it was for me to prove how much better I got over the past year,” Gavilanes said. “While I made it to states last year as a freshman, I was really disappointed that I didn’t make the podium. Now, coming back and taking third at states was a great accomplishment, even though my goal this year was to be in the finals. Regardless, I still had a great season. For me, it wasn’t so much about the medal, but more about the fact that I was able to bounce back from a tough end to my freshman season. I proved to myself that the work I put in in the off-season really paid off. For next year, I have even bigger goals and I hope to keep climbing!”
Senior Izzy Timonera was the other NHS qualifier at the state championships. Timonera, at 100 pounds, lost by pin in the first round to Angelina Qualtieri (Lenape Valley/Hopatcong) 3:33. Timonera regrouped with a 6-5 decision win over Amelia Iremonger (Central Regional) in the consolation first round. She then lost to Aitana Lozano (Lyndhurst/North Arlington) by major decision 13-0 to end her season with a 35-11 record.
Timonera ended her career as the winningest girls wrestler for NHS.
Gavilanes and Timonera qualified for the state championships after their strong runs in the district and region tournaments.
Gavilanes won the 145-pound weight class and Timonera took second place in the 100-pound class to lead NHS at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 3 tournament at NHS on
March 1.
Gavilanes won by major decision over Leia Lumba (Lyndhurst/North Arlington) in the final by a 10-1 score.
At the NJSIAA’s Region 1 tournament at Vernon High School on March 8, Gavilanes took second place and Timonera took third place.
Gavilanes won by decision over Olyvia Bowie (Bergenfield) 5-0 in the quarterfinals and won by major decision over Abby Sultanbek (Tenafly) 13-3 in the semifinals.
In the final, Gavilanes lost by pin to Eva Barry (Newton/Kittatinny) in 2:50 to move to 40-4 on the season.
In the third-place match, Timonera won by decision over Addison Petersen (Newton/Kittatinny) 6-0 to improve to 34-9 on the season.
Timonera was elated that she achieved her goal of making it to states.
“This season meant a lot to me because I was able to achieve my goal of making it to states,” Timonera said. “I also made it to the ‘blood round’ (to determine if you are guaranteed a medal), which is the farthest I’ve ever gone in wrestling. It really shows how much hard work I’ve put in, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’m also really proud of my teammates and how far we’ve all come together. This season taught me a lot, both on and off the mat, and it’s something I’ll always remember. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through it with anyone else besides Michelle and the rest of my teammates. They made the experience even more meaningful.”
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