Rumpler Wins Gold At PIAA West Regional, Dan Heckert Named WPIAL Coach of the Year
North Allegheny senior Leyna Rumpler continued her quest for a second consecutive individual state championship with a gold medal performance at the PIAA West Regional on Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School. The first-place showing punches Rumpler’s ticket to the PIAA championships next weekend in Hershey. Also honored at the event was North Allegheny head coach Dan Heckert, who was named the WPIAL Girls Coach of the Year by the WPIAL Coaches Association.
A week after becoming the first WPIAL champion in program history, Rumpler delivered a perfect 3-0 trek through the bracket at 155 pounds. She opened the tournament by making quick work of Laurel’s Alyssa Stewart in the quarterfinals, earning a pin fall in 1:37. In the semifinals, a strong first period by Rumpler led to a 6-1 decision over Davaya Truman of Erie High. That set the stage for a battle between the top two-ranked wrestlers in the state at 155 pounds.
Rumpler and opponent Avry Rihal of Hickory each had only one loss on the season entering the title bout. The loss for each participant came against one another at tournaments earlier in the season. In the rubber match, Rumpler picked up a hard-fought 2-1 decision to win the PIAA West Regional title over Rihal. With the victory, Rumpler improves to 32-1 on the season, while Rihal drops to 27-2.
In addition to Rumpler, four other Tigers also participated at the PIAA West Regional. Junior Kaylee Dean reached the semifinals at 190 pounds before falling to second-ranked Natalie Rush of Canon-McMillan. Seniors Hannah Williams (118) and Audrey Morrison (142) also took part in the regional for the Tigers. For a look at the entire bracket, click here.
Rumpler, who won a state last season, will set her sights on becoming the first wrestler in program history to win a PIAA state championship next week in Hershey.
PIAA Girls West Regional
March 2 at Canon-McMillan High School| Weight | Wrestlers | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 118 - Quarterfinals | Jenna Kophazy (Warren) dec. Hannah Williams (NA) | 3-1, SV |
| 3rd Consolation | Hannah Williams (NA) pinned Mia Scalise (Ringgold) | 2:50 |
| 4th Consolation | Leah Sample (Saegertown) pinned Hannah Williams (NA) | 2:50 |
| 142 - Quarterfinals | Josephone Dollman (Norwin) pinned Audrey Morrison (NA) | 0:44 |
| 3rd Consolation | Audrey Morrison (NA) dec. Royale Reno-Gaus (Saegertown) | 4-0 |
| 4th Consolation | Anastasia Manchester (Butler) pinned Audrey Morrison (NA) | 1:33 |
| 155 - Quarterfinals | Leyna Rumpler (NA) pinned Alyssa Stewart (Laurel) | 1:37 |
| Semifinals | Leyna Rumpler (NA) dec. Davaya Truman (Erie) | 6-1 |
| Championship | Leyna Rumpler (NA) dec. Avry Rihal (Hickory) | 2-1 |
| 190 - Quarterfinals | Kaylee Dean (NA) pinned Caroline Perez (Plum) | 0:27 |
| Semifinals | Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) pinned Kaylee Dean (NA) | 0:47 |
| 4th Consolation | Kailynn Adams (Hickory) pinned Kaylee Dean (NA) | 2:44 |
| 235 - Quarterfinals | Miranda Kantoris (Greater Latrobe) pinned Heidi Radford (NA) | 0:21 |
| 3rd Consolation | Vie Filar (Fox Chapel) pinned Heidi Radford (NA) | 2:04 |