The East Islip Lady Red has made HERSTORY as one of the latest Varsity Girls Wrestling teams on Long Island.
The building of a girls wrestling team at East Islip was not all takedowns and triumphs from the start.
Eleven years ago Ken Corcoran, the current coach of the East Islip girls wrestling team, started a club called ALPHA Girls wrestling, which was run out of the EI wrestling room with the support of the East Islip School District. The girls team did not have their own team and had to compete alongside the boys, which wasn’t always easy because of the the different styles as senior Leigha Gerondel explains. By being integrated with the two genders, the girls were forced to compromise and adhere to the styles of men’s wrestling.
“Now that we have an all girls team, it was significantly easier to work in a room where everyone was wrestling the same style that the coach was teaching.”
The composition of the EI Lady Red is similar to all the other districts that have a girls wrestling team because they all are made up of athletes from various districts. Without having girls from other districts they would be unable to compete due to a lack of athletes within the district while the program grows. Therefore, the EI Lady Red is composed of female athletes from East Islip, Bayport Bluepoint, Sachem, Sayville, and Central Islip.
“I enjoyed being on a combined team because I loved getting to meet all my teammates and being with completely new people,” Senior Julia Richardson said. “At first it felt scary but I’ve built so many friendships that are so beautiful and even though a lot of us go to different schools, we are like a family.”
The team’s early challenges in forming only set the stage for a season of remarkable success, which is a testament to their dedication. For their first season they had an impressive overall record of 5-3 in dual meets, and finished the season by placing 2nd overall in the Suffolk County Championship. Although this is a great success, the EI Lady Red is not fully satisfied with their second place finish.
“We are looking forward to improving on our 2nd place finish and making a run at the championship next year,” Coach Corcoran said.
There were so many successes to highlight from the season.
East Islip captains Makenna Corcoran and Sabrina Gabuna both placed 3rd at the County Championship, which insured them both a spot on the All County wall in the wrestling room.
Leigha Gerondel wrestled extremely well, falling one win short from All County honors. Julia Richardson had an incredible first season winning five matches and Bella Genow also had a great season before an injury unfortunately ended her season early. Neissa Jean worked extremely hard all year culminating with her first ever win with a pin.
As a new program, their first season’s success shows just how driven and strong the team’s foundation is and how they are just getting started. Coach Corcoran states, “We are hoping that our inaugural season’s success attracts some more girls in our district to join this outstanding group of athletes.”
“For any girls who are interested in wrestling but are unsure, I know it seems really scary but the coaches are there to help you learn and improve,” Gerondel said. “Wrestling is a big commitment but the achievements you get, the memories you make, and the people you meet are 100% worth the commitment.”
