Barrus Wins Bracket; All Five Place in Open
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Bethany entered five wrestlers at their respective weights in the Millersville Women's Open. Every wrestler placed at the tournament, with the Bison having two finalists and a champion. Three Bethany wrestlers got their first college victory: Shanielah Kirk, Kasey Kophazy, and Sophie Diaz.
Trinity Barrus was the talk of the tournament, pinning all four of her opponents to secure the bracket. Barrus's entire day was simply dominant, with her longest match being 32 seconds. Her path to a 160 pound title was as follows: Opener- Fall :18, Quarters- Fall :32, Semis- Fall :15, and Finals- Fall :26.
When asked about her championship performance, Barrus kept it simple. "I felt great wrestling today," said Barrus. "The coaching and practice is starting to pay off and it feels really good".
Head Coach Pete DiPol recognized an amazing performance from Barrus. "So happy for Trinity… If they were giving out a Most Valuable Wrestler of the tournament award I think she would have earned it."
Coach DiPol also commented on Barrus's work ethic as a leader in the mat room.
"She works hard, is coachable, and exhibits all the values we are instituting in our program and the culture we are building. Her character on and off the mat is amazing and that's exactly what we want and need here at Bethany."
Barrus had an outstanding day, but she wasn't the only Bison getting her hand raised consistently.
Kirk was a finalist for the Bison, pinning her way into the finals. Kirk was leading in points in both of the matches she ended early via fall. In the finals, Kirk ran into one of the top ranked recruits in the country– a three time state champion and a national champion. Kirk gave it her all, but ended up taking home the runner up spot.
Kasey Kophazy picked up three falls en route to a fourth place finish. After a first round loss, the 138 pounder showed toughness coming back the entire way through the consolation bracket into the third place match. Kophazy ended the tournament in fourth place.
Jasmine Craddock got off to a hot start winning her first two matches. Craddock pinning her way to the semis automatically placed her in the tournament. She had her hand raised in her final match to earn a 5th place finish.
Diaz placed sixth in the tournament, picking up two falls in the consolation bracket. Diaz put her opponent to her back in a tightly contested 4-4 match to secure the fall and her first ever college victory. Feeling the momentum from her first victory, Diaz had an 8-2 lead before securing her second fall of the tournament, locking up her sixth place finish.
Coach DiPol had a lot to say about the success of the team on the mat today:
"Super proud of the team's effort today. It is clear we are getting better, working hard, and correcting our mistakes. It was ecident today competing against established programs that what we are doing in the room is working and paying off. Hard work and determination is helping us reach our goals. We will just keep building one day at a time."
The Bison will have a chance to continue building in competition one more time in 2024. The Bison will go back to the eastern half of Pennsylvania for their next tournament. Having all freshmen wrestle in today's tournament, the same faces will attend Muhlenburg's Women's Novice Open on Sunday, December 8th.
This article was written by Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Colin Herb. If you believe that there is mistakes in information-- or have a seperate thought relating to the event in the article-- please email cherb@bethanywv.edu for any corrections/comments.
