The Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame recently gave out its first HERizon Award for Wrestling, which honors the best female wrestler from the Wyoming Valley Conference, to Sierra Ripka from Nanticoke Area.
Also, the Hall of Fame acknowledged the founding of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s first Division 3 college women’s wrestling program at Misericordia University.
Ripka, who competed at 170 pounds, achieved the highest placement among wrestlers from the Wyoming Valley Conference at the recently concluded PIAA State Girls State Wrestling Championships, finishing fourth.
The HERizon Award will be given annually to the top female wrestler from the Wyoming Valley Conference who demonstrates excellence, resilience, and self-reliance.
A press release from the Hall of Fame stated, “This award embodies the spirit, competition, and determination in female wrestling, representing a new era of recognition within the sport like the dawn on the horizon.”
Misericordia has enlisted 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 connection with the presentation of the HERizon Award.
“With the establishment of 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.
