Ohio

Which central Ohio girls wrestlers are having breakout seasons?

Published

3 months ago

February 3, 2026

Which central Ohio girls wrestlers are having breakout seasons?

As central Ohio girls wrestling teams gear up for the postseason, established athletes have their sights set on the state tournament March 13-15 at the Schottenstein Center.

Other competitors are out to erase memories of a disappointing finish last winter, while some excelling on varsity for the first time hope their regular-season success carries over to the postseason, which begins March 1 with sectional.

Here are six Columbus-area girls wrestlers who are delivering breakout performances this season. Watch for a story on breakout boys wrestlers Feb. 4.

Mykah Bailey, Gahanna Lincoln

After falling one place shy of qualifying for state last season, the junior aims to take the next step and is 35-2 at 190 pounds with several strong performances, including a first-place finish Jan. 11 in the Pioneer Classic at Olentangy Orange.

Bailey has five wins against competitors ranked in the top 20 statewide. Both losses came in the Women of Ironman Tournament in mid-December at Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, where she placed fourth.

“Since the early season losses, Mykah has been improving every week,” coach Jamie Leeseberg said.

Bailey went 32-10 last year and placed fifth at district at 175, making her a state alternate.

Kendleigh Dowalter, Grove City

The freshman has made an immediate impact for the Greyhounds. Competing at 125, she is 26-3 with 19 pins and five wins by technical fall.

Season highlights for Dowalter include beating Miamisburg’s Lila Krull by technical fall (18-0) on her way to winning the title at the Heart of Ohio Tournament on Jan. 17 at Mechanicsburg. Krull finished second at state last season at 125.

“Kendleigh is coming into her own so far this season,” coach Mitch Slyman said. “She’s been putting in the work, and it shows. Sometimes you get freshmen that have had a lot of success growing up, get to high school and think they can coast through, (but) not her. She has doubled down on her effort, and it translates to her success on the mat.”

Izzy Farrow, Westerville North

After missing the 2025 postseason because of a dislocated left elbow, Farrow appears ready to challenge for her first state berth.

The senior is 22-8 at 135, including a first-place finish in the Lady Braves Invitational on Jan. 17 at Whetstone.

“She was disappointed (last season), but she handled it well,” said coach Kenny Farrow, her dad. “She went through the healing process and immediately continued with her training throughout the summer and kept working hard at the weights and wrestling. She’s surpassed where she would have been had she not had the injury. She’s wrestling well, so we’re optimistic.”

Abi Forsythe, Delaware Hayes

The 100-pound junior has sparked the Pacers from the beginning of the lineup, going 23-4 with titles at the Mount Orab Western Brown Hammer and Anvil Invitational and the DeSales Classic.

Coach Kevin Rieman has been impressed with Forsythe’s progress after she came up one spot short of state last season, placing fifth at district at 105.

“She competes aggressively and strives for perfection,” Rieman said. “The biggest area of growth this season has come with the mental and emotional aspect of the sport. Wrestling can be extremely tough emotionally and Abi continues to grow in this area, and the results are showing.”

Alanna Smith, Olentangy Orange

After failing to qualify for state a year ago and supporting the Pioneers from the bench during their second consecutive OHSAA title, the junior entered this season with added motivation and is 21-6 at 140 with 11 pins.

“I was proud of everyone on my team (last season),” Smith said. “It was tougher watching people I beat place at state because my district (tournament) was so hard. I was really upset about that.”

Smith placed sixth at district at 140 last year, finishing the season 33-12.

“She wrestled really hard last season,” coach Brian Nicola said. “We moved her up (in weight) last minute and (she was) a little bit small for 140, so in the offseason she made a big commitment to (adding) strength. She’s probably one of the strongest girls on our team, if not the strongest. She’s done a really nice job at 140.”

As a freshman, Smith finished 30-15 after going 0-2 at state at 115.

Delaney Tackett, Olentangy Orange

The freshman has added to the program’s depth, going 20-5 with 15 pins at 110.

“Delaney is awesome,” Nicola said. “She’s wrestled for us since the youth program and she’s always been a very competitive wrestler and always very talented. We were excited to get her in the lineup this year as a freshman.”

Tackett earned three consecutive runner-up finishes in the junior high state tournament.

“Since this is my first year in high school, it’s crazy to see how the team has responded and how we have a good team dynamic,” Tackett said. “Everyone is friendly with each other.”

High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.

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8th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational held in Girard

Published

11 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

8th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational held in Girard

GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – Over 100 athletes came together for the 5th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational Saturday morning in Girard.

These athletes represent five different schools across Trumbull County to compete and spread the message of inclusion, achievement, and sportsmanship.

The Invitational continued its long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Randy Suchanek while celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes throughout the region.

“You can hear all the excitement for this, for the athletes that are here today,” said superintendent Bryan O’Hara. “They work hard all year long to participate. We’ve always worked hand in hand with the rotary to get this accomplished is a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Participating schools included Ashtabula, Geauga, Columbiana, Kent-Portage and Trumbull Fairhaven

“There’s a lot of nice participation from girard students as you see behind us, and a lot of participation from the community helping out,” Girard-Liberty Rotary co-president Andy Kish added.

O’Hara added that the event keeps everything in perspective, seeing the athletes compete in the spirit of fun, along with the courage and determination that they show.

Alex Sorrells contributed to this report.

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Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Published

23 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Can you eat fish from the Ohio River?

In 1975, future presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, bet 20 pounds of New England cod that the Red Sox would defeat the Reds in the World Series. If things went south for Boston, Ohio governor James Rhodes promised to send Dukakis 10 pounds of Lake Erie perch and 10 pounds of Ohio River catfish. The Reds ended up winning and the cod was sent to the Convalescent Home for Children, in Cincinnati.

At the time, people were still eating catfish from the Ohio without too much concern. The fish were also served at several restaurants along the river.

There were warnings in 1977

But two years later, in 1977, The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission released the results of a study of contaminants found in the tissues of Ohio River fish. They warned anglers in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wheeling and Gallipolis that man-made chemicals known as PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, had been discovered in the river fish. Later, high concentrations of mercury were discovered in the fish, too.

Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the environmental regulations that followed, the river is now cleaner than it was in the seventies. And it’s still teeming with a variety of fish, including catfish, striped bass, drum and black bass, among other species.

But even though PCBs were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, they are still found in fish, since they remain in the sediment in the bottom of the river. “Organisms live in the sediment and fish feed on them,” Rich Cogen, the executive director of the Ohio River Foundation told The Enquirer. Mercury is also a big problem, according to Cogen.

So the question is: Can you eat fish caught in the Ohio River?

The short answer is yes. But it depends on what species you are eating and where along the river you caught it.

There are also very strict limitations on how frequently you should eat them, according to the web site for the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory, part of the Ohio Department of Health.

In areas of the river between the Belleville Lock, located 204 miles downstream from the river’s origins in Pittsburgh, to the Indiana border, the advisory agency currently recommends consuming Ohio River fish no more than once a month max. That area includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hamilton, Lawrence, Meigs and Scioto counties.

Here’s where to check

Recommendations change throughout the year, but you can keep up by visiting the Ohio Department of Health’s Sport Fish Consumption Advisory page, which provides updated information on when certain fish, usually bottom feeders such as carp, are deemed too dangerous to eat at all.

Here’s who should take a pass on Ohio River fish

The agency also warns that people who are more likely to have health effects from eating contaminated fish, includingchildren younger than 15 years old, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant to avoid Ohio River fish altogether.

Just because you have to limit the amount of fish you eat, doesn’t mean the river is a bad place for fishing, as long as you limit your intake or do catch-and-release fishing. Just make sure you have a proper fishing license before casting your line.

Have a question for Just Askin’? Email us.

The Just Askin’ series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, except maybe Google.

Do you have a question you want answered? Send it to us at justaskin@enquirer.com, ideally with Just Askin’ in the subject line.

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UCLA offensive coordinator visits four-star Ohio State commit

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

UCLA offensive coordinator visits four-star Ohio State commit

It isn’t over until it’s over. That’s the case for both the UCLA Bruins football program recruiting and for quarterback Brady Edmunds. Edmunds is currently committed to head to Ohio State but he took a visit from UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy earlier this week.

Kennedy met Edmunds on Thursday despite the fact that the quarterback has been committed to the Buckeyes since December of 2024 but could the UCLA Bruins be making a run at flipping the quarterback?

Edmunds has only had an official visit with Ohio State but could UCLA heave a heat check on the 6’5” quarterback? New UCLA head coach Bob Chesney is off to an unbelievable start to his recruiting with the Bruins and flipping a recruit of Edmunds’ caliber would be his most impressive move yet.

247 Sports has Edmunds as the No. 16 quarterback in the class, which would give UCLA a clear predecessor for Nico Iamaleava whenever the Bruins current starting quarterback decides to head to the professional level.

It’d be a full circle moment for the Bruins, as Edmunds was originally recruited to Ohio State by former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who bailed on UCLA to go run the Buckeyes offense. Ohio State is a great spot for a developing quarterback, as the Buckeyes produce tons of NFL talent, especially at the wide receiver position, which would help Edmunds put up some gaudy numbers in Columbus.

Chesney and the Bruins have geography on their side, Edmunds attends Huntington Beach High School in Southern California, which could potentially become a factor if Edmunds views UCLA as a program on the rise that’d be much closer to his friends and family than out in Ohio.

Time will tell if Kennedy’s visit will make a difference but UCLA’s recruiting has made waves in the first offseason under Chesney and the new regime.

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