Girls wrestling: Vermilion's Emily Stiner making it tough on opponents this season

Vermilion sophomore Emily Stiner had the toughness factor down before she ever stepped onto a wrestling mat. "She was a girl who had participated in rugby and things like that," coach Brandon Gilbert said. "So she had that physical nature to her." Stiner played for a local rugby club in the eighth grade and then decided to be part of the Sailors' inaugural girls wrestling team last season after being persuaded by Gilbert. "I was looking for something a little tougher and a little more challenging," Stiner said. "Wrestling and having that individual thing you get with it really stuck with me. It made me love it." Stiner's first season had its ups and downs and she finished close to a .500 record. "I thought I started out strong, then toward the end I was really debating on if I liked the sport or not," she said. "But then at the very end, I was like, 'I really love this.' So there were some struggles my freshman year." Stiner decided to try freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling during the spring, and then hit the weight room and open gyms throughout the summer. The hard work has turned into a successful second season. She is 20-5 and pinned her way to the 145-pound championship at the Lady Chippewa Invitational last weekend. "She's always placing (in tournaments)," Gilbert said. "She's very, very consistent. I mean, the record shows that she's just a hammer. She's got a couple things she does really well on top, she's got a couple things she does really well on her feet and then on bottom, she's pretty slick with it. She understands as long as she's strong at one or two things positionally, she's going to do all right." Stiner went 4-1 with four pins to finish fifth at the Lady Arcs pool tournament at Brush early in the season, then placed seventh at the Lady Longhorn Holiday tournament at Lutheran West and sixth at the Lady Vikings Invitational at Akron North. Four of her five losses came to two opponents — Trinity junior Isabel Iacono at Brush and Lutheran West, and Brush sophomore Olivia Fox at Lutheran West and Akron North. "The Trinity girl, like I said I did Greco, so I tried to throw her and I pinned myself last time," Stiner said. "And the Brush girls is a bit of a rivalry that carried on from last year as well. I wrestled her a lot last year. "Whenever I lose I try to study those matches and figure out what I did wrong. That helps make me a better wrestler and tells me what I need to work on in practice." When Stiner does have her hand raised, it's after a dominating performance. "I've only had one (win not finish in a pin)," she said. "It was a decision by two points." Even though Vermilion boasts full rosters on both its boys and girls teams, Stiner often pairs up with younger brother Owen, who is a freshman on the boys team. "They work well with each other," Gilbert said. "I know that can be an odd thing because of sibling rivalry and all that, but in a roundabout way it's kind of helped them both and it's brought them along faster. They're both fantastic kids." Stiner also has had help in the practice room from her teammates. "Most of my summer in freestyle and Greco was spent with (senior) Lauren (Ficker)," she said. "We've had talks and are good friends. She's helped prepare me with technique and making sure I have everything right, and also with the mental challenge that comes with it." The Sailors will be among the 30-plus teams competing at today's Columbia Invitational girls event. Stiner is hoping she can keep the momentum gained at Chippewa going. "I'm excited for it," she said. "I'm glad to see where I might place and I'm aiming for first again. I'm also excited for the postseason this year, having our first sectional and seeing where I can place there. Going to state is my overall goal this year." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.