Mariah Koster, far right, stands on the podium at the North Region tournament.
NUTLEY — Nutley High School junior Mariah Koster enjoyed a great showing at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s girls wrestling individual finals held at Phillipsburg High School on Sunday, Feb. 20.
Koster, the first-ever NHS girls wrestler to qualify for the state finals, finished in third place in the 100-pound weight class.
Koster, seeded sixth out of eight wrestlers, finished in fourth place. Koster lost by pin to No. 3 seed junior Isabella Santos in 1:27 in the quarterfinal round. Koster then won two wrestleback matches to reach the third-place consolation bout. She pinned No. 8 seed junior Litzy Argueta, of Lakewood, in 3:37 in the wrestleback quarterfinals, and pinned No. 4 seed sophomore Jaclyn McDowell, of Gloucester, in 4:34 in the wrestleback semifinals.
In the third-place consolation, Koster lost by pin to No. 2 seed senior Aaliyah Payne-Parris, of Newton, in 1:04.
The state finals consisted of the top four finishers in each weight class in the North and South region tournaments. Koster took fourth place in the North region at Franklin High School on Feb. 12.
Photos Courtesy of Mike DiPiano/NHS head coach
About the Author
