COLUMBUS — Ashlynn Brokaw made history Sunday night inside Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
A 105-pound sophomore, Brokaw became Mount Vernon’s first ever wrestling state champion with a 7-6 win over Urbana’s Libertie Nigh.
“It feels great to win,” Brokaw said. “It probably won’t really hit me until I step on the podium and see my name on the plaque.”
For the first time all tournament, Brokaw found herself trailing. Nigh had the lead entering the final period, but Brokaw was able to retake the advantage after she landed a takedown.
“It was tough to score, I was still battling a knee injury from yesterday,” Brokaw said. “With around 30 seconds left, up one, I knew I had to try to hand fight her and not give up anything easy.
“It felt good to hear the final whistle.”
Sunday’s win capped a dominant weekend for Brokaw.
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In her first match, she beat Gibsonburg’s Lillian Kendel by technical fall (winning by 15 points or more) 19-3.
She then faced Kenaya Mwehu of Garrett Morgan, again winning via technical fall, 17-0.
Brokaw then defeated New Richmond’s Charley Jones 13-4 in Saturday night’s state semifinals.
Nigh gave Brokaw her closest match by far. She was able to pull off the one-point win, handing Nigh just her third loss of the season.
Brokaw finished the season with a 47-4 record. She was 4-0 in Columbus over the weekend, much to the delight of her coach and father, Jay DePolo.
“You did it,” DePolo told his daughter moments after the close win. “You did it.”
