Southwest DeKalb’s Ayla Evans became the first girls’ wrestler from DeKalb County to win a state wrestling gold. She won the 235 class with three consecutive pin falls. (Courtesy Photo)
Southwest DeKalb senior Ayla Evans made history at the GHSA Girls’ Traditional State Wrestling Championships in Macon last weekend by wining the county’s first girls’ gold medal.
Evans finished fifth at the 2021 state meet in the 175 class and missed out placing the past two seasons but rebounded in a big way this season.
The season ended with a perfect 23-0 record in the 235 class when she pinned Taylor Schiesser of Gilmer County just 2:45 into the match to claim the gold medal in three consecutive wins by pin fall.
Evans opened the state meet with a pin (2:57) of Shaylee Bachand of Burke County in the quarterfinals. She then took the semifinal match with Zy Edwards of Oglethorpe County with a pin at 4:45 of the match.
Her win helped Southwest DeKalb to a tie for 14th overall in the team standings and giving the school two Top 15 finishes at the state championships.
Arabia Mountain’s Aniya McIver (22-4) finished fourth at 155 of the girls’ division. McIver reached the championship semifinals before falling to Creekview’s Ariel Maicon and dropping into the consolation bracket. She then won the consolation semifinal match against Efa Oju of Woodward Academy via pin (1:55) to advance to the bronze medal round. She came up short in her final match in a tough 7-3 loss to Gwennie Wight of Lumpkin County.
Stone Mountain’s Say Paw (34-6) finished sixth in the 106 class for the second consecutive season falling in the consolation semis to Bella Mingledorff of North Oconee. Paw had dropped her quarterfinal match and then won two consolation round matches over Dacula’s Valeria Rivera-Lozano by pin (1:52) and by injury default against Brooke Madden of Norcross.
See link below for the 2024 DCSD State Traditional Wrestling results: