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Seven Cougar wrestlers headed to state

02/18/04
By CRISTIAN CARLSON
News West

LAUGHLIN -- Laughlin High School was set to send seven wrestlers to the state tournament, which was scheduled for Feb. 15 at Faith Lutheran High School.
Daniel Azbill, at 145 pounds, placed second at the league championship and was Laughlin's top finisher.
"Right now we're looking at Azbill, based on weight class, as having a chance at winning state," said Coach Ben Fermon. "He just needs to do the little things better and he'll have a shot."
Kelly Plybon at 112 pounds, Kenley Noltensmeier at 189 pounds, and Brian Arbogast at 215 pounds each placed third at the league championships.
Derrick Fajardo at 103 pounds, Jeff Lin at 125 pounds, and Marcos Voelker at 275 pounds, each placed fourth at the league championships.
Only Noltensmeier qualified for the state tournament last year, and Fermon said that inexperience at this level could be a concern.
"There's nothing that can compare to wrestling in a state tournament," said Fermon. "It's a new season. Individuals need to wrestle like they've been there before. Seeding is nice when you go in but you still have to wrestle to the best of you're abilities.
"You have expectations," said Fermon. "But you have to remember these are 14, 15, and 16-year-old kids. The expectations need to be realistic. It's a different type of pressure than anything they've dealt with before."
For Plybon and Arbogast, both seniors, their first taste of state quality competition will be their last.
"It's about time; after four years I finally make it," said Arbogast who wrestles at 215 pounds. "I wish I'd have wrestled the first three years with the attitude I had this year. This year I have confidence. I used to wrestle like I was a little guy in a big body. Now I know I'm a big guy out there."
Plybon, who wrestles at 112 pounds, finally has nobody on her own team ahead of her, and doesn't see being a girl as an issue at the state tournament.
"It's not about me being a female," said Plybon. "It's about me going to state. Last year I was 112 and couldn't go anywhere because there was a better wrestler at 112."
Plybon's medal for third place was the first medal of her high school career, and she wore the medal to school on Monday and has no plans to stop wearing the medal.
"Today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life," said Plybon of wearing the medal. "I've worked hard for two years to get this medal. I'm just proud of it."
Azbill, at 145 pounds, is excited to take on the very best in the state and doesn't care about his seeding much.
"I'm just intrigued to see what the whole state of Nevada has to offer and not just Southern Nevada," said Azbill.
"Last year I didn't get to go, and this year makes up for last year. Seeding doesn't mean much to me, it's just knowing that you can beat everyone below you."
Laughlin almost qualified nine wrestlers for state competition, but Kobie Bottjen and Joey Bailey each finished fifth.
Both wrestlers were seeded fourth going into league competition but ran into trouble at the tournament.
Bailey was only one match away from qualifying, said Fermon.s

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Golden girl Sue's sights set on Olympics

2/19/04

A 30-year-old woman from the Shropshire-Powys border could be one of the first selected to take part in women's wrestling at the Olympic Games.

Trophy smiles - Richard Nash and (right) Olympic hopeful Sue Crofts, both of the AJ Judo & Wrestling Centre in Llanfyllin, with their rewards from the English Open Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Manchester

Sue Crofts, from Llanfyllin, won a gold medal at the English Open Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Manchester and has been selected to represent Great Britain in Finland at the end of the month.

A member of AJ Judo & Wrestling Centre in Llanfyllin, Sue will be joined by Llanfyllin teenager Richard Nash, 16, who won a bronze at the recent English open championships.

Both Sue and Richard train in Llanfyllin with coach Alan Jones, who was the Welsh national judo coach and is also a professional international coach for wrestling.

Sue, whose first sport is judo, only took up wrestling comparatively recently and competes in the 55 kilo class.

Richard competes in the 74 kilo class and also has a background of judo.

He has been training with Jones since he was an eight-year-old.

Sue is now in the running to take part in this year's Olympic Games in Athens where women's wrestling is included as a demonstration sport for the first time.

"Getting gold in the English championships doesn't necessarily mean I will qualify for the Olympics - but I am hoping to go," said Sue.

Anyone who is interested in starting wrestling or judo can contact Sue or Alan at the AJ Centre by ringing 01691-648728.

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2/20/04

Girls state wrestling: The Castro Valley High girls topped San Leandro to win the team title at the California Girls State Wrestling Championship tournament last weekend.
Castro Valley's Sharlee Solis won the 126-pound title, and Summer Scott earned her title at 132 pounds. Katrina Dutchover (144) and Danielle Freitas (235) each placed third. For San Leandro, Stella Brown won the 144-pound title, and Pirates Estella Pino (138) and Juana Juarez (154) earned third-place finishes. Berkeley's Jeré Summers (160) won her class, and Lily Dorman won a third-place medal at 114 pounds.

Despite the tournament's name, the California Girls State Wrestling Championship is not a California Interscholastic Federation-sanctioned event. It does, however, bring together top female wrestlers from around the state. In previous years, in order for girls to contend for an official state title, they had to compete against boys. This year, for the first time, CIF has sanctioned a girls' wrestling title. The official North Coast Section wrestling championships for both boys and girls take place Feb. 27-28 at the Henry J. Kaiser Arena in Oakland.

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SPORTS
Berkeley wrestler undefeated, but she's hard to pin down

Carolyn Jones, Special to The Chronicle 2/20/04

Jeré Summers is so busy it's a wonder she gets any sleep at all. She's shooting for straight A's at Berkeley High, where she's a junior. She's in about five extracurricular clubs. She plays lacrosse and runs and throws the discus and shot put on the track-and-field team. She works part time at Safeway.

Oh, and she's also the No. 4 girls' wrestler in the country and the No. 1 in the state, for two years running.

"Do I get stressed out? Yeah," she said last week, when she had a spare few minutes between her Safeway shift and a marathon homework session. "Time management, that's crucial. Sometimes I think I should give up everything but school and athletics, but so far it's worked out OK."

Summers does not devote a lot of time to practicing wrestling, or even thinking about it, except when she's on the mat. Then, she's all determination.

Summers is undefeated in the Bay Valley Athletic League this season, and as league competition comes to a close, she gears up for state and national championship meets in March. Her coach, Hugh Johnson, said her matches are usually over in less than 30 seconds.

She even has wrestled boys, going 2-1 against them, an improvement over last year when she was 0-2.

"Her strength, confidence and determination are all on display every time she wrestles," Johnson said. "But she pins so quickly that she doesn't need to display much technique. That's something we have to work on before these big meets coming up."

She may be pure aggression on the mat, but Summers has a lighthearted side, too.

"She's very easygoing, relaxed," Johnson said. "She can be kind of goofy and silly. She'll try to talk Spanish to you even though she doesn't really speak it that well. She's still a kid."

Girls wrestling is gaining in popularity. Most high schools have a few girls on their wrestling teams, and some might even have a dozen or so. The girls usually compete against each other, but sometimes girls will take on the guys.

"Some guys get intimidated, but some of them are cool," Summers said. "A lot of little kids look up to you because you're a girl in a male-dominated sport, and that's cool. When you beat a guy, the crowd just gets louder and louder."

Summers didn't set out to be a champion wrestler. When she was a freshman, she dreamed of playing basketball for Berkeley's powerhouse program. But then she met Christie Rivera, a girl a few years older, who was a star on the wrestling team and nationally ranked. Rivera inspired Summers to give it a try.

"I was good at it so I just stuck with it," she said.

Johnson was impressed from the get-go. "She picked up the sport very quickly and has been at the top from the very beginning. There was no growth curve."

Berkeley's head wrestling coach, Bradley Itokazu, called Summers "about the best athlete we've ever had. She can do anything she wants, she's that good."

Itokazu said that makes his and Johnson's jobs a breeze.

"We don't give a whole lot of input. We're spectators. We know what's going to happen, but we don't always know how. But we know she's going to win, every time," he said.

Berkeley only has a few girls in its wrestling program, but at least one of the girls has made the national top five every year for the last four years. Last year, Summers finished No. 5 nationwide, and another Berkeley girl, Lilly Dorman, was No. 6. Summers' friend Rivera was ranked No. 2 two years ago (she now attends USC).

"We've been very lucky with all that," Itokazu said. "And it is luck. They're great to coach. Because they work so hard, they can't disappoint us. What bad can happen? Nothing."

Summers plans to attend a four-year college and study sports medicine or psychology, she said. In the meantime, she's just trying to maintain her hectic schedule. But she does have one goal.

"I want to win nationals," she said.

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A Mat Classic for girls in 2007?

By Sandy Ringer 2/20/04
Seattle Times staff reporter

Girls could have a separate state high-school wrestling tournament as early as 2007, if their interest in the sport continues to grow.

Jim Meyerhoff, the assistant executive director at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association who oversees wrestling, said he has a three-year plan that would culminate in an annual Mat Classic for girls.

"It's not very far away," Meyerhoff said. "It's just a numbers game."

As soon as schools get enough girls turning out to warrant it, separate programs will develop, he said, and when 20 schools field girls teams, a separate girls state tournament would be sanctioned by the WIAA.

The first step comes this weekend with a girls invitational produced in conjunction with the mostly male Mat Classic XVI at the Tacoma Dome. Meyerhoff said 70 high-school girls had entered as of yesterday morning, just shy of his goal of 75, and that one or two others still might sign up. He also is prepared for a few no-shows. All were part of the wrestling program at their respective schools.

There will be no official weight classes. Instead, Meyerhoff will line up the girls according to size and put them in groups of four with each wrestling the other three in her group. The girls matches will be at the end of each of the first three Mat Classic sessions, with awards presented prior to the main parade of champions at approximately 4:15 tomorrow.

To date, only three girls have qualified for Mat Classic, including two last season. One of them, Newport junior Leilani Akiyama, returns this weekend. Meyerhoff said the WIAA had numerous requests for a girls invitational and noted there were at least two girls tournaments during the regular season.

But with women's wrestling an Olympic sport this summer, the interest should rise, Meyerhoff said, adding that six colleges currently offer women's wrestling, including Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. Texas and Hawaii currently offer state high-school tournaments for girls, and there is a national high-school girls event as well.

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Newport wrestler Leilani Akiyama shooting for history

By Sandy Ringer 2/20/04
Seattle Times staff reporter

The dream is daunting.

For any high-school wrestler, the journey to Mat Classic is full of potholes and pins, full of calisthenics and counting calories.

But for Leilani Akiyama , the road that leads to the Tacoma Dome today has been an uphill climb. The 112-pounder from Newport has faced a lot of obstacles to become the finest female wrestler in the state and qualify for the Class 3A state wrestling tournament for the second straight year.

But Akiyama dismisses the suggestion that she is anything special as quickly as she makes an escape move on the mat. She would rather be thought of as a good wrestler, not "that girl wrestler."

"It's not that big of a deal," said the 5-foot-4 Akiyama, an international judo champion. "It's just another person in the sport."

Never mind that she's the only female who will be wrestling at Mat Classic XVI. Forget that Akiyama is only the third girl to qualify for state or that she went 1-2 there last year.

None of that really matters, because Akiyama wants more. She has her sights set on wrestling tomorrow, her 17th birthday, which means she has to win two matches today. She hopes to ultimately place in the top eight, and then shoot for the top prize as a senior: a state championship.

"That's a dream of every wrestler," Akiyama said.

Male or female.

Unlike her male counterparts, Akiyama wasn't immediately accepted as a freshman at Newport in Bellevue. She endured some disapproving looks and outright dismissals. Some opponents refused to wrestle her. And Akiyama just as stubbornly refused to let skepticism or sexism take her down.

She's showing the same determination this week.

"I just want to give it my all and try my best and never give up," she said. "I know it's going to be a tough tournament, but if I give it my all, it will turn out good."

It was been an excellent season thus far for Akiyama, who says her record is 19-4. She became the first girl to win a KingCo 3A championship and bounced back from a double-overtime loss in the Region II semifinals to clinch another state berth, ultimately finishing fourth.

Akiyama's mental toughness comes from years of competitive judo, which she first took up at age 7 while living in Japan with her mother, Mariko, and older brother, Jimmy. Soon after, the family moved to Bellevue, and both Leilani and Jimmy began studying at the U.S. Judo Training Center under John Holm, who is now their stepfather.

By age 9, Leilani had captured three national age-group judo titles. She now has won 21 national and 10 international crowns, is currently ranked No. 2 for U.S. senior women at 114 pounds and is a candidate to make the U.S. Olympic team this summer.

Akiyama said judo and wrestling complement each other. Judo helps her with balance, agility and throwing techniques. Wrestling has added strength.

"I'm a lot stronger than a lot of girls I go against in judo," she said.

Akiyama enjoys both sports, but wrestling has wrestled her heart away.

"I like wrestling better," she said. "I haven't thought much about judo for a long time."

Still, Akiyama attends judo practice each day, after wrestling practice. She runs during her lunch breaks at school. She has earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike.

But it wasn't always that way.

When she made the Newport varsity team as a freshman, several opponents forfeited rather than wrestle her. Akiyama was disappointed, but not devastated.

"It was kind of understandable," she said. "They're a guy, and it would be embarrassing to lose to a girl."

Fewer took that route her sophomore year, and this season she has not had anyone refuse to wrestle.

"I don't think they think it's any different (than wrestling a boy) anymore," Akiyama said. "It's not that big of a deal to them."

It never seemed to be a big deal to her Newport teammates, thanks to brother Jimmy. Two years older, he started bringing Leilani to Newport practices when she was in eighth grade.

"She was always just Jimmy's little sister," Newport coach Michael Chenoweth said.

A little sister who could put some big-time moves on opponents.

"She was better than the average guy," Chenoweth said.

Now, Akiyama is just another teammate. Another good teammate.

"She's just someone else who beats them up in practice," said Chenoweth.

He has also noticed acceptance among most opponents.

"It used to be people saying, 'Oh, my, I've got to wrestle a girl,' " he said. "Now they're used to it. They don't dodge her any more and forfeit. She's not a novelty anymore."

Just another wrestler daring to dream about becoming a champion

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Sanders advances to state wrestling tourney

By Johnnie Walters
The Daily News,February 20, 2004

What better way to begin a new era of girls wrestling at Friendswood High School — but on a winning note.

The Friendswood girls wrestling team, who finished up its first season as a team last weekend, silenced doubters this season and set the stage for what looks to be a promising future for girls wrestling.

Friendswood’s Tiffany Sanders finished in second place in the 128-pound weight class at the Class 4A Region III Wrestling tournament held on Feb. 13-14 in Allen.

Sanders, who was the only state qualifier from her team, finished in second place with an overall record of 19-5. Katy’s Stephanie Haver finished in first place with an overall record of 22-2.

Sanders and Haver both qualified for the Class 4A State Tournament on Feb. 27-28 in Austin. Only two can qualify from each weight class.

Friendswood’s Sanders, Sarah Barnette, Nadya Dennis, Amanda Gaeckler and Saxony Ortiz finished in 10th place as a team at the tournament.

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Columbia wrestler earns her place -- at state meet

By MICHAEL CARVELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 2/19/04

Columbia wrestling coach Shannon Miller has had other girls try out during his eight years as the team's coach, but none was like Nikita Boles.

Miller knew something was different about Boles at one of her first practice sessions two years ago. Miller told all the wrestlers -- with the exception of Boles -- to hoist a teammate on their back and run up a flight of stairs.

Boles, who wanted to be treated like one of the boys, refused; she promptly went over and hauled the 150-pound Miller around on her back to complete the conditioning drill.

"That's when I knew we had something special," Miller recalled with a chuckle. "Nikita is a real determined person. When she sets her mind on something, she is never going to quit."

The addition of Boles to the roster of the longtime DeKalb County wrestling powerhouse was first viewed as a gimmick; two years later, no one is doubting the dedication and talent of the team's only female member.

Boles finished second in the 112-pound division of the Area 5-AAAA tournament last week. She is a candidate to place in the top 10 at the Class AAAA championship meet, which begins today at the Forum in Rome.

Officials from the Georgia High School Association said several girls have qualified for the state meet within the last dozen years, but none has won. Boles isn't likely to win, but she could win a match or two.

"Our goal is for Nikita to have a good experience and showing this weekend, and then really make an impact next year as a senior," Miller said. "But then again, with her determination, she just might surprise a lot of people."

Boles' path to wrestling has had some unique twists: She was a cheerleader and dancer in middle school -- and even did some modeling -- but became "bored" with it all. She said she wanted a "new challenge" and football was her first choice of sport, but her mother wouldn't sign the permission slip for tryouts.

"I thought wrestling looked like it was fun; to me, it looked like it was just a bunch of tripping and slapping people around," Boles said with a laugh. "Of course, competitive wrestling is nothing like that."

During the regular season, Boles posted an individual record of 18-10. Six of those matches were won by forfeit when the opponent refused to compete with her.

Jerald Willis, a senior wrestler at Columbia who will compete in the 145-pound division this weekend, said Boles has earned the respect and admiration of her teammates.

"I thought she wasn't going to make it, but she proved me wrong," Willis said. "She has amazing determination . . . she just doesn't quit. And she will fight [wrestle] anyone on the team at any time."

Willis said Boles is strong enough to pin anybody down in her weight class this weekend: "She is no gimmick, she can beat anyone if she puts her mind to it."

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Think wrestling is just a boys' sport? Think again

By JEFF PEEK 2/19/04
Record-Eagle staff writer

TRAVERSE CITY - Historically speaking, girls have always had to wrestle with success on the mat.
That seems to be changing, however, as more and more females are pinning their hopes on cunning, stamina and technique instead of pure physical strength.
Exhibit A: Forest Area senior Casey Strouse, who has a 23-7 record and a realistic shot at advancing past Saturday's Division 3 individual district tournament.
Earlier this season, Strouse won the 112-pound division at the Frankfort Invitational - a rare feat for a female.
"For a girl to win a high school tournament, that's a huge accomplishment," said Forest Area coach Miles Gordon. "I know I've never witnessed it. Usually it's tough for a girl to place, let alone win.
"Casey's not overly strong, but she's in great condition and she's technically sound," Gordon said. "She's been doing it so long and working so much on technique that she knows what she's doing on the mat. She's a stickler for going about it correctly."
Kingsley freshman Joe McGrath is all-too familiar with Strouse's ability level. McGrath has lost to Strouse "three or four times" this season.
He isn't embarrassed by it, however.
"There's no shame in losing to someone good," McGrath said. "My teammates know how good she is, so I don't get any (teasing) from them.
"I'm not the first guy to lose to her."
McGrath won't likely be the last, either.
"I think Casey has fun beating the guys," Gordon said of Strouse, who began wrestling in the sixth grade at the urging of her older brother, Allyn. "The wrestlers in the Mid-Michigan Conference know her, so they respect her. I don't think they look forward to wrestling her."
That's because it's a lose-lose situation for every one of Strouse's male opponents, and she knows that feeling can work in her favor.
"Some guys make comments before a match, but I gain their respect," Strouse said. "My teammates have told me some guys have said things in the locker room about wrestling a girl - like they think they're going to have it easy.
"I like it when they think that."
Kingsley's McGrath, who has two girls as teammates, said wrestling against a female poses problems for their male opponents because, simply put, "you have to make sure you don't grab them where you're not supposed to, plus you don't want to hurt them."
Kingsley coach Jim Bandlow said it doesn't take long, however, before those worries become secondary.
"Any girl who comes out for wrestling is going to be pretty tough," he said. "The feeling has always been that girls can't compete with guys, and that's certainly not the case.
"Girls come after you; they aren't complacent at all," Bandlow said. "They're not defensive wrestlers. Guys who think that may find themselves in trouble.
"It doesn't take boys long before they look at them as just another opponent who wants to beat them."
Strouse is one of two girls on the Forest Area team. Sara Stambaugh, a 145-pound junior, is the other.
Stambaugh hasn't been able to match Strouse's success, and Warriors coach Gordon said the main reason is simple: weight.
"The higher the weight class, the tougher it is for girls to compete against boys because the physical aspect is magnified," Gordon said. "Sara works hard and has a great attitude, but the odds are stacked against her."
The same is true for Kingsley senior Arika Lovano, who competes at 189 pounds. Teammate Fawn Lueck, on the other hand, has had great success at 103 pounds.
Lueck, a sophomore, had a 25-14 record last season and was 9-12 this winter before suffering a season-ending knee injury three weeks ago.
Lueck insisted on finishing the match she was injured in, and Bandlow said that kind of determination is typical of the girls he's coached.
"They just want to get out there and wrestle," said Bandlow, who hopes to encourage more girls to join the team by adding a female assistant coach. "It's all about getting out there on the mat. I love that attitude."
Many of the girls who wrestle against boys in the high school ranks also compete in United States Girls Wrestling Association events. Strouse, who is ranked among the top 10, will take part in her fifth USGWA national tournament March 26-29 at Lake Orion.
Manton coach Jim Smart, who has two girls on his team - 103-pound Brandy Shagena (17-14) and 130-pound Hannah Steig - believes that prep wrestling's popularity among females may one day force the sport to be split into boys and girls divisions.
"There has been some talk, and I can see it down the road," said Smart, who has coached for 14 years. "Most smaller schools offer one winter sport for girls - volleyball - and there are some who don't like it or get cut, so they try wrestling.
"When we introduce it in grade school, we don't say it's a boys sport. We want girls to give it a try. Many of them find that it's fun."
Strouse was one of those girls who was attracted to wrestling at an early age. She's also one of those athletes who doesn't like volleyball, so wrestling filled a void.
"I play basketball and run cross country in the fall, and I have track and soccer in the spring," said Strouse, Forest Area's valedictorian. "Wrestling is harder than playing two sports in the same season. I like the discipline and helps me stay in shape. Plus, it's different.
"It's a great sport."
More and more girls are coming to the same conclusion.
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Against the grain
Being a female on a male team can be tough, but local athletes say they adapted.

By Mandy Housenick
Of The Morning Call 2/20/04

It's been more than four decades since Bob Stem played football for Syracuse University.

But the mentality of college football players hasn't changed, said Stem, formerly the Bethlehem Catholic football coach for 19 years.

Former University of Colorado placekicker Katie Hnida alleges she was verbally abused by teammates and raped by one of them.

While many people have listened to the details in disbelief, Stem, who played for Syracuse from 1958-61 with Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, saw firsthand how rowdy college football players can be.

''I'm not surprised by that happening,'' Stem said. ''I remember the things that went on at Syracuse when I was there. College football players are there because they're aggressive, tough kids. You take those guys and put them together, it's a whole different breed of people. Recently, because of all the publicity and the media, it's getting out. Years ago, they covered up that stuff.''

Stem, a football player and coach for 52 years, raised three daughters and one son. Although his son played football for Division III Susquehanna University, he admitted he wouldn't want any of his daughters playing collegiately.

''I don't think you can throw a girl into the mix. I don't think it's fair to the girl or the guys. I don't think we would have been very receptive to a girl on the team,'' said Stem, who's a retired teacher. ''I know I wouldn't encourage my daughter to play, not in a college setting. High school is a different story.''

Donna Lopiano, the executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation since 1992, blames the administration and coaching staff for what allegedly happened to Hnida.

''Administrators and coaches ultimately are responsible for creating safe learning environments for kids,'' said Lopiano, who was the director of women's athletics at the University of Texas at Austin from 1975-1992. ''This is exacerbated by Barnett knowing about this all along. Having been an AD for 18 years, there is very little a coach doesn't know about what goes on with his team. And the more absurd, the more likely he is to know, because kids don't keep their mouths shut and they talk to assistant coaches.''

Just because it's the 21st century, Lopiano doesn't have unrealistic expectations. She knows that there are still players and coaches out there who don't accept it when females cross gender boundaries.

And although that doesn't make her happy, she said she could better accept a challenging situation if administrators, such as those at Colorado University, worked harder to avoid them.

''You can't wait for something bad to happen,'' said Lopiano, who is listed as one of the 100 most influential people in sports by The Sporting News. ''I put a great deal of responsibility on the ADs for educating their employees. There has to be words, in writing, from the top down about what's acceptable and what's unacceptable.''

Cori Gallagher was trying to enjoy an end-of-the-season dinner with her basketball team Tuesday night when she was interrupted.

A friend directed her attention to the television. For the next five minutes, Gallagher, an East Stroudsburg-South junior, was glued to the news segment.

She couldn't help but be.

Gallagher, who last season kicked almost all of the Cavaliers' extra points and field goals, including a 42-yarder, was disturbed by the alleged incidents at Colorado University.

''I was shocked, especially at the college level,'' Gallagher, 17, said. ''You would think maturity would set in and guys wouldn't do those sorts of things in college.''

Gallagher, who's been kicking for the school since seventh grade, said she's never had any problems with her male counterparts. But she has heard snippets of criticism from opponents.

''I don't let it bother me,'' said Gallagher, who also plays soccer and basketball.

Becahi alumna Samantha Smith was the Golden Hawks' starting placekicker for two years under Stem. She said her teammates didn't give her a hard time, but admits that having her cousin, Mike Gregorek, on the team, helped.

Smith, who graduated from Becahi in 2000 and is currently on leave from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, doesn't want Hnida's alleged rape and abuse to discourage other women from going after their dreams.

''I'm disappointed to hear that that happened,'' Smith, 21, said. ''I'm not sure how much it has to do with the sport of football though. Things like that happen, whether it's your next-door neighbor, or sports, or at work, or walking to your car late at night. I wouldn't want that to discourage women from going out to accomplish goals they have for themselves.''

Heather Spain, a Lehighton junior, joined the wrestling team this season. Athletic director Darrell Parry said special arrangements have to be made to allow Spain to weigh in.

That, however, has been the extent of the challenges brought on by Spain's participation.

''I will tell you that I was somewhat apprehensive at first,'' Parry said. ''But she's fit right in. She's a great kid and things have gone well.''

Spain, 18, said her teammates have been nothing but welcoming since she joined the squad.

''They needed someone at 103,'' Spain said. ''It's been a very good learning experience. I've enjoyed every moment being on the team. My teammates are really appreciative of me for what I did.''

Gregorek, a three-year starting defensive end at Lehigh who will graduate this May, was frustrated at the possibility that men abused Hnida.

''It's just sad to see,'' he said. ''These guys at that level have all this talent and a future and to throw it away for something that stupid — these guys take advantage of what they have. I could never do something like that to someone, but it happens and it's sad. It's not her fault.''