Sierra Ripka was the receipent of the inaugural HERizon Award. Pictured, from left, are: Harold Shotwell, Nanticoke wrestling coach; Ripka; Jim Martin, Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame president; Ryan Vassello, District 2 Coaches Association president.
Submitted photo
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Jim Martin, right, presents Misericordia Wrestling Coach Ken Chertow with a proclamation honoring the launching of the region’s first collegiate women’s wrestling program.
Submitted photo
The HERizon Award
Submitted photo
The Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame recently presented its inaugural HERizon Award for Wrestling, honoring the top female wrestler from the Wyoming Valley Conference, to Nanticoke Area’s Sierra Ripka.
In addition the Hall of Fame recognized the establishment of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s first Division 3 college women’s wrestling program at Misericordia University.
Ripka was the highest placed wrestler from the Wyoming Valley Conference at the recently completed PIAA State Girls State Wrestling Championships. Wrestling at 170 pounds, Ripka finished fourth.
The HERizon Award will be presented annual to the top female wrestler from the Wyoming Valley Conference who demonstrates excellence, resilience and self-reliance.
“This award embodies the spirit and competition and determination in female wrestling, reflecting a new era of recognition within the sport like the dawn on the horizon,” read a press release from the Hall of Fame.
Misericordia has brought in former 1988 Olympian Ken Chertow, a three-time all-American at Penn State, to launch its women’s wrestling program.
Chertow’s program was recognized by the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame in conjunction with the presentation of the HERizon Award.
“With the establishment of the a local collegiate wrestling program, and the dedicated development of our high school programs, the growth of women’s wrestling will be exponential,” said Jim Martin, Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame president.