Girls Wrestling: Northern Lebanon, Palmyra Combine for 13 Medals at Upper Dauphin Invite

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On Sunday, the Upper Dauphin Lady Trojan Invitational returned to Upper Dauphin High School with a loaded 18-team field from across Pennsylvania and a full day of action across every weight class. Lebanon County was represented by two squads — Northern Lebanon and Palmyra — and the pair made plenty of noise both in the team standings and on the podium, combining for 13 medals (top-six finishes) by the end of the tournament.

With programs from across the state bringing depth and firepower, the team race quickly turned into a battle for bonus points — and the brackets followed suit, featuring multiple quick falls, tight decision wins, and a grind through the consolations where placement points were at a premium. 

When the dust settled, Upper Dauphin captured the team title with 183.5 points, finishing ahead of Easton (141.0) and Lehighton (127.5). Lebanon County landed two teams in the top six as Northern Lebanon finished 5th (118.5) and Palmyra took 6th (98.5).

Below is a more in-depth recap of each team’s performance, with medalists listed underneath each summary.

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Team Finish: 5th

Northern Lebanon’s lineup delivered one of the strongest top-end performances in the tournament, putting four wrestlers into the championship finals and adding three more placers to stay firmly inside the top five as a team.

At 100, Sophia Opazo powered into the finals with a major decision in the quarterfinals, then punched her ticket to the title match with a semifinal pin (2:43). At 130, Anna Lanka made a statement early with a 14-second pin in the opening round, followed by a quarterfinal pin, then a 10–2 major decision in the semis before finishing as the runner-up. Northern Lebanon also got title-match runs from Dakota Dengler (148) and Rebecca Hilton (155) — Dengler reached the finals after a semifinal tech fall, while Hilton advanced with a semifinal pin (0:54).

Behind the finalists, Johbrianna Long (124) finished 3rd, closing out the tournament with a 7–1 decision in the third-place match. Reminisce Perez (136) and Madison Niebauer (112) each battled back through the consolations to place 5th, adding crucial placement points to the Vikings’ team total.

Northern Lebanon Medalists 

2nd – Sophia Opazo — 100 pounds
2nd – Anna Lanka — 130 pounds
2nd – Dakota Dengler — 148 pounds
2nd – Rebecca Hilton — 155 pounds
3rd – Johbrianna Long — 124 pounds
5th – Madison Niebauer — 112 pounds
5th – Reminisce Perez — 136 pounds

Team Finish: 6th

Palmyra’s result came with a major note: the Cougars placed 6th out of 18 teams while filling only 8 of 13 weight classes. Even with the limited lineup, Palmyra finished 2nd in the tournament in total pins and placed 5th in total match points. The Cougars also outperformed their tournament seeding expectations, highlighted by a pair of third-place finishes.

At 106, Genevieve Smiley surged into the semifinals with a quarterfinal pin, then responded on the backside with another key pin in the consolation semifinals (1:00) before securing 3rd place with an 11–4 decision. At 112, Cala Hipple delivered a strong run and finished 3rd, capped by a third-place pin (2:44).

Palmyra also stacked points through the middle weights. At 130, Cadence Manney placed 4th and recorded one of the day’s highlights — a 12-second pin in her opening-round match, tying for the fastest fall on the team (along with Molly Tumilty, who also logged a 12-second pin). At 148, Sachelyz Ortiz Davila finished 5th, closing out her tournament with a fifth-place pin (1:52). Palmyra’s other placers included Riley Zettlemoyer (118) and Abbie Vates (136), who both finished 6th and added valuable placement points in a deep field.

The Cougars will be back on the mat Tuesday at CD East for their final dual of the season. The program also noted that on Saturday, freshmen Amaya Young and Devin Pulaski each took 4th place at UDA.

Palmyra Medalists 

3rd – Genevieve Smiley — 106 pounds
3rd – Cala Hipple — 112 pounds
4th – Cadence Manney — 130 pounds
5th – Sachelyz Ortiz Davila — 148 pounds
6th – Riley Zettlemoyer — 118 pounds
6th – Abbie Vates — 136 pounds

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