By Michael Letendre

Even with spring sports returning this coming weekend, the reality of a year without scholastic wrestling is still hard to comprehend.

The CIAC wanted a full slate of spring sports after the season was cancelled by the pandemic in 2020.

The consequence of that, plus the delay of the winter campaign this year, meant football and wrestling never getting off the ground with an alternative season in Connecticut.

But that doesn’t mean local grapplers haven’t gotten a chance to hit the mats over the winter and spring, outside of the Nutmeg State.

Ella Nichols, an outstanding junior competitor for the Bristol Eastern wrestling program, has been traveling here, there, and everywhere to continue her dominance in the sport over various tournament and championship competitions.

“Ella just recently started getting to the events because she was only practicing up to this point, no more than twice a week,” said Bristol Eastern wrestling coach Bryant Lishness. “She’s been off the mat in terms of competition for a while. [But] she got right back at it.”

“And she’s doing [some] damage.”

In fact, the nationally ranked grappler at 144 pounds had to move up in weight to take on the competition – a pivot that did not slow down the talented grappler in the least.

She moved up to 164 pounds at the USA events and her results mainly remained the same.

That meant dominating and winning matches.

At Coralville, Iowa, Nichols finished second at the USA Wrestling’s High School National Recruiting Showcase and was also the runner-up from the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals on March 27-28.

“USA Wrestling has developed a new series of competitions to give high school boys and girls from across the nation a chance to showcase their talents on a national level,” according to the USA Wrestling website. “The High School National Recruiting Showcase [was] held alongside the annual USA Wrestling Girls Folkstyle Nationals Championships.”

Nichols was representing the KT Kidz wrestling club, based out of Rocky Hill.

At the tournaments, Nichols wasn’t battling ham-and-eggers or inferior competition, but the girls she competed against were nationally ranked opponents.

Keep in mind, these meets aren’t just regular tournament challenges but national level events.

“I watched most of her matches. I wasn’t out there with her,” said Lishness of Nichols. “I wish I was.”

At both USA tournaments, Nichols lost to Rose Cassioppi – a bruising sophomore from Illinois who is a top-five grappler in her weight-class.

The fun for Nichols started on Saturday, March 27 at the National Recruiting Showcase as she wrestled her way into the finals. 

In the championship match at 164 pounds, Nichols hung tough against Cassioppi.

Nichols trailed early but tied up the event at 5-5 and then 7-7 before falling midway through the final period.

Cassioppi ended up pinning Nichols in 4:51 to win the tournament.

On Sunday, Nicholas attacked the Folkstyle Nationals with zest and, once again, pinned several national ranked competitors along the way to earn a trip to the final match.

She had a bye to open the round of 32 before taking on Pennsylvania’s Kaitlyn Pegarella. 

Nichols dominated the bout and eventually roped up the fall in 4:41 and then in the quarterfinals, she was victorious again – pinning Emma Burk from Colorado in 1:53. 

In the semifinals, Shelby Zacharias of Tennessee battled Nichols but lost in the end.

Nichols took the pin in 4:53 and once again, Cassioppi was on the docket in the final match.

This time around, Cassioppi pinned Nichols in 2:27 as the warrior from Eastern earned another second-place medal.

“I watched both her final matches against Rose and that girl is very good,” said Lishness of Cassioppi. “She’s bigger and stronger than Ella, for sure. I don’t think Ella’s faced too many girls that are stronger than she is. [Nichols] was in both the matches. I think if Ella gets another shot at [Cassioppi], if she wants to stay up in weight like that, I really believe Ella can beat her. I think her timing was a little bit off but she hadn’t been competing live for seven or eight months.”

“So the first time back to go to a national event, a high school showcase like that, it’s a pretty big deal.”    

Finally, Nichols competed at the 2021 Journeymen Rudis NYS Championships from Manheim, Pennsylvania over the weekend of April 1-3.

And Nichols won the 155-pound division, taking her pool and pinning her way to the finals as she squared off against Dakota-Marie Dinielli of FishEye Wrestling out of Windsor for the championship.

They’ve grappled against each other before with Nichols getting to the pay window several times against her friend.

In the most recent confrontation, Nichols dominated once again, picking up the championship fall over Dinielli in 38 seconds. 

“She was very happy to have that match just because Ella and Dakota grew up together,” said Lishness. “And they were down at the [Bristol] Gladiators [Wrestling Program] and they’ve gone to many different wrestling events together. They haven’t been in the same weight very often and they happened to be that weekend so I know that was a nice win for Ella. It was kind of a dominant win. She feels pretty good about that.”

USA Wrestling High School National Recruiting Showcase – Final Results

from Coralville, Iowa, March 27

High School Girls – 164 pounds

• 1st Place – Rose Cassioppi of Hononegah Wrestling Club
• 2nd Place – Ella Nichols of KT Kidz Wrestling Club
• 3rd Place – Lily El-Masri of Wyoming Seminary
• 4th Place – Grace Doering of Somar Wrestling Club
• 5th Place – Aliana Barnoski of Hurricane Wrestling Academy

1st Place Match

• Rose Cassioppi (Hononegah Wrestling Club) won by fall over Ella Nichols (KT Kidz Wrestling Club), Fall (4:51)

SA WRESTLING GIRLS FOLKSTYLE NATIONALS
from Coralville, Iowa, March 28 – Junior Results

164 Pounds

1st place – Rose Cassioppi (Hononegah Wrestling Club) pin Ella Nichols (KT Kidz WC – CT), 2:27