Sophomore wrestler Siena Palmisciano competed in the seventh annual women’s state wrestling tournament last month, placing eighth in the 114-pound weight class; she is the first female athlete from Chapel Hill High School to qualify for the event.
Palmisciano entered the tournament as the third seed in the Mideast Region and posted a 2-1 record before she had to bow out of the tournament on February 3 because of a medical condition.
“The tournament went pretty well at first for me. I was doing really well. I came out feeling strong and excited,” she said.
Palmisciano, though, after her winning her first two matches, had to forfeit her next one because of a seizure that she had.
“There definitely was a good chance that I could’ve placed higher, but, unfortunately, I had to medically forfeit the rest of the day,” she said. “I’m currently ranked eighth in the state because of a seizure.”
Despite her shortened state tournament run, Palmisciano is eager to continue improving as a wrestler and take on future challenges.
“One of my biggest takeaways is probably just to work harder and to just go out there and to give it your all, no matter what,” she said. “Next season is my comeback season.”
Palmisciano started wrestling when she was eight years old and has been part of a growing contingent of female athletes who have taken to wrestling.
The sport has also seen a 71 percent increase in girls’ participation between 2018 and 2020, and since 2018, 29 states—including North Carolina—have added or will add separate girls wrestling championships, joining Hawaii, Texas, Washington, California, Alaska and Tennessee.
Palmisciano’s participation in the sport has taken her across the country.
“I went to Oklahoma over the summer to compete in national duals, and I’ve done a few other things,” Palmisciano, who has competed in Rhode Island and Nebraska, said.
In addition to honing her craft, Palmisciano’s travels have allowed her to forge bonds with other female wrestlers. She currently wrestles for both Chapel Hill High School and the club Team NC. The latter often requires Palmisciano to be her own coach and manager.
“There’s less structure when I’m competing for school. Wrestling for a club or individually . . . requires me to be disciplined and focus on a structured schedule,” she said.
Wrestling coach Tripp Price believes Palmisiciano—with two years still to compete for the Tigers’ wrestling team—oozes potential and determination.
“She’s got a whole lot of upside to her; she’s only a sophomore,” he said. “There’s a ton of improvements that she can make as she’s already competing with the best girls in the state.”
As the sport has grown, many universities—particularly Division II and Division III institutions—are expanding opportunities for women to wrestle at the collegiate level, where Palmisciano plans to compete one day. She recognizes, though, getting there is a process.
“I’m mostly looking forward to tournaments and trying to get my name out there so that I can try and make it to a college for wrestling. I’m also looking forward to seeing the growth in women’s wrestling as it’s the fastest growing sport out there,” she said.
Next year, Palmisciano can compete for Chapel Hill High School in the North Carolina High School Sports Association women’s wrestling state tournament, which will be held for the first time in 2024.
Until then, Palmisciano will continue to focus on both her short- and long-term goals, blazing a path that other female athletes may follow.
“Siena has been an absolutely fantastic representation of women’s wrestling,” Chapel Hill athletic director Lewis Newman said. “We’re very fortunate to have her here. She is a huge inspiration to the next group of female athletes, and we hope that the trend continues.”
