NY STATE GIRLS WRESTLING: SVEC’S BEACH TO WRAP UP STORIED CAREER (February 26, 2026)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
ALBANY — Spencer-Van Etten / Candor standout Tayah Beach will wrap up her high school mat career at the 2026 NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Championships today and regardless of the outcome, her run as an Eagle grappler will be a memorable one.
Like so many female wrestlers her age, Beach started her high school career facing male opponents on a regular basis. In her first varsity campaign in 2021-22, only two of her 24 opponents were girls. It marked the first season Section IV held a girls championship tournament and despite being ill, Beach placed third.
Although she took her lump at times, Beach came back in 2022-23 and was the Section IV runner-up to Owego standout RaeAnn Craft, the first three-time Section IV girls champion.
The 2023-24 season produced a much improved competitor, a young lady who exuded confidence and a more aggressive approach to the sport every time she stepped on the mat. Among her accomplishments were titles at the Section IV Girls Ranking Event and the Section IV championships. She also competed in the NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Invitational.
Beach shook off some early-season struggles in 2024-25 to become a 30-match winner and a two-time Section IV champ. NYSPHSAA also sanctioned the first state championship tournament and Beach would place fourth at 120 pounds, posting a 4-2 record on the day.
This season, the senior joined the 100-win club and became just the second Tioga County girl to win three sectional titles.
That second accolade nearly eluded Beach when she found herself trailing Groton’s Remington Marshall in the semifinals, 8-0, after being taken down to her back twice in less than two minutes. She regrouped to score a fall at 2:04, then decked Chenango Forks’ Emily Phelps in 1:57 in the finals. Beach had only spent 91 seconds on the mat during her first two sectional bouts.
Beach (35-4) and Phelps (30-6) are seeded second and third, respectively, for today’s state tournament. Depending on the outcomes of earlier matches in the tourney, Beach and Phelps could square off for a third time this season. Beach has won both by fall.
The first round pits Beach against Long Island’s Emma Palencia (15-8) of Roslyn in Section VIII. Palencia was a state qualifier at 120 last year.
In her second bout, Beach will face 7th-seeded Rylie Meagher (29-6) of Camden in Section III or unseeded Isabella Juliano (17-10) of Bay Shore in Section XI. Juliano is a wild card selection.
The top seed is Gabrielle Severin of Bethpage. The 2025 runner-up at 114 is 38-2 with seven tournament titles this season.
Opening ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. and wrestling starts at 9:30a.m. Finals opening ceremonies start at 5 p.m. with the consolation and championship finals starting at 5:15 p.m.
The tournament will be streamed live 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.
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