Queen of the Mat crowns 12 champs

Five defending state champions won titles and more than 46 teams were represented at the Queen of the Mat girls wrestling tournament at Foran in Milford on Sunday.

Although girls state tournaments were held in 2022 and 2020, Sunday’s competition was the first girls tournament to be held during the regular season. The event included 12 weight classes, with champions spread out among the classes, with five seniors, one junior, three sophomores, and three freshmen winning titles.

New Britain, which had four wrestlers reach the podium, won the team title with 89 points, while defending state champion Amity was the runner-up with 76. Berlin (58), Platt (51.5), and host Foran (49) rounded out the top five.

The city of Norwalk had a pair of sophomore champions, with Brien McMahon’s Callie Gilchrist winning all three of her matches via pinfall at 114 pounds, and Norwalk’s Rylee Donohue earning two pins and a decision to win at 126 pounds. Both Gilchrist and Donahie won state titles as freshmen last year.

Amity senior Camryn Brown, who won state championships as a freshman in 2020 and a junior in 2022, won both of her matches on Sunday by pinfall to take first at 138 pounds. Senior Emily DeSouza gave the Spartans a second champ by taking first place at 120 pounds with two pins and a decision.

Stamford senior Samantha Yap and Foran junior Kelly Aspras, two more defending state champs, each won three straight matches via pinfall to claim weight class titles. Yap won at 107 pounds, and Aspras won at 145 pounds.

Platt had two weight class winners: Senior Daylianette Sanchez Cardona (100) and freshman Kayli Morris (235).

Pomperaug senior Julianna Morris won at 132.

The CIAC Girls State Wrestling Invitational will be held at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25.