Big Macs dominate girls western regional
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CANONSBURG — You can forgive Valarie Solorio for the tears that ran down her cheeks after becoming the first western wrestling champion in the brand spanking new girls division.
The senior from Canon-McMillan has been waiting a long time for this, and the first title could not have come to a more appreciative wrestler.
Solorio pinned Kristen Walzer of Montour then burst into tears after getting her hand raised.
“I’ve been waiting 11 years for this,” Solorio said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Solorio was one of three Big Mac champions. Audrey Calgaro at 170 and Natalie Rush at 190 were the other two. The championships helped the Big Macs win the team title, the first in program history.
“I have a brother and he’s two years younger than me,” said Solorio. “He’s the reason I started wrestling. I wanted to spend more time with him so I followed him to practices and fell in love with the sport.”
Solorio said that when Canon-McMillan started a girls team it was like a dream come true,
“That was the first thing I wanted to do, be on the team,” Solorio said. “I wrestled at Canon-McMillan my whole life so it was a big deal to me. There isn’t a better team to have all through high school.”
Solorio wrestled Walzer last week and won by technical fall.
“I knew she was going to be tough, not an easy match,” Solorio said. “I just needed to stay composed.”
Solorio couldn’t help but tease Rush about becoming the first regional champion in Canon-McMillan history.
“It was a big goal of mine,” said Solorio, a smile spreading on her face. “(Natalie) said not all of us can be 95 pounds and 18 years old.”
“It’s definitely funny,” said Rush. “It’s a great person to have and she’s a wonderful wrestler.”
Like Solorio, Rush has a long background in the sport.
“I’ve been wrestling for about 10 years as a practice partner for my brother,” Rush said.
The third champion for the Big Macs, Calgaro, is the sister of C-M’s Geno Calgaro, who just had his unbeaten streak snapped in the WPIAL tournament.
“I was a little nervous at first when they said they were going to start a team,” said Calgaro. “Ever since my brother started wrestling, I had the advantage of knowing the sport.”
Grace O’Korn, a 142-pounder from Peters Township, Anna Duncan, a 124-pounder from Ringgold; and Lilliana Giulianelli, a 190-pounder from Peters Township; each earned a silver medal.