NY STATE WRESTLING: SVEC’S BEACH SEEDED SECOND FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS; NV’S MERRILL MAKES DEBUT (February 24, 2026)

Tioga County Sports Report
ALBANY — Spencer-Van Etten / Candor standout Tayah Beach has drawn the No. 2 seed for the 2026 NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Championships while Newark Valley 8th-grader Hadley Merrill makes her debut at MVP Arena here Thursday.

Beach, a senior who has compiled a 35-4 record this season, will open the tournament against Emma Palencia (15-8) from Roslyn on Long Island at 120 pounds.

A fourth-place finisher at 120 last year, Beach brings a 16-match win streak into the tournament. She could face another Section IV foe, Chenango Forks’ Emily Phelps (30-6), the No. 3 seed, if the two reach the semifinals.

Merrill (21-8) is unseeded at 94 pounds and will meet sixth-seeded Zoey Hernandez (24-3) from Rocky Point on Long Island.

Like Beach, Merrill is her school’s first girls wrestling state qualifier.

Other Tioga County qualifiers include, Tioga's Amelia Toomey, eighth at 138, and Kyah Nelson, sixth at 185; and Waverly's Gianna Rylott at 100; and Emma Vanderhoof, fifth at 132.

Opening ceremonies start at 9 a.m. and the preliminary round begins at 9:30 a.m. The finals opening ceremonies begin at 5 p.m. with the consolation finals and championship finals starting at 5:15 p.m.

The tournament will be streamed live on Thursday on www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/nysphsaa/wrestling.

Subscriptions are offered for $13.99 per month or you can purchase an annual pass for $79.99. Both subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel them.

——————

IN PHOTO 1: Tayah Beach. IN TOP PHOTO: Hadley Merrill. … TCSR STOCK PHOTOS.

Print Friendly Version