SYRACUSE – Throughout this winter, Cazenovia girls wrestler Janessa Santiago has established her credentials enough that she was invited to compete Friday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Girls Invitational at SRC Arena.
Not only did Santiago compete, she earned a podium finish at 152 pounds, part of a strong Section III contingent that dominated this particular weight class.
In the opening round of the 16-girl bracket, Santiago wasted little time, taking just 68 seconds to pin Cobleskill-Richmondville’s Jacklyn Van Wormer.
Moving on to the quarterfinals, Santiago faced Bay Shore’s Brooke-Lyn Murray and, though pushed into the third period, managed to earn a second pin when she finished off Murray with 17 seconds left.
Then, in the semifinals, it was Santiago’s Section III teammate, Little Falls’ Brooke Shepardson, who used her experience (she was fourth in this tournament at 145 pounds in 2023) to push past Santiago 13-5.
Now in the consolation bracket, Santiago got one more pin, over Liberty’s Zoe Kip, to reach the third-place bout, where she battled hard against White Plains’ Lauren Garcia, but lost 6-3.
Still, it was a fourth-place finish, one made more satisfying by the fact that Shepardson would go on to win the state title, pinning the top seed, Shenendehowa’s Isabella Gretzinger, late in the second period of the championship bout.
