PIAA Wrestling: Pine Grove’s Kurtz caps career with 6th-place medal
Pine Grove's Eve Kurtz receives her sixth-place medal at 148 pounds Saturday at the PIAA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
HERSHEY — When Eve Kurtz began her high school career, girls’ wrestling wasn’t even a PIAA sport.
Now, as the Pine Grove senior closes her scholastic mat career, she’s got two state medals to show for her effort.
Though she dropped a pair of tight matches Saturday, Kurtz still earned a spot on the awards podium, finishing sixth at 148 pounds as the PIAA Wrestling Championships drew to a close at the Giant Center. Kurtz finished with an eighth-place medal last season.
“This year has been a lot more fun,” Kurtz said. “Even though the losses suck, I’ve been mentally so much happier this year, and I have so many good teammates who are there with me having fun. I’ll definitely look back on it with good memories.”
Added Pine Grove coach Jacob Herring: “Her influence has been huge. She started freshman year and has really come a long way. Placed higher than last year. Placed at the first two (PIAA) states. Can’t be said enough, she did an amazing job.”
Kurtz got involved in a pair of low-scoring battles Saturday and fell one move short of advancing.
In the early morning consolation semifinals, Kurtz couldn’t get off the bottom in a 2-0 loss to Tulpehocken’s Katalyna Borreli. A second-period reversal made the difference.
That set up a fifth-place match against Dover’s Jahzari Abney, whom Kurtz beat 5-4 in the round of 16 on Thursday.
After a scoreless first period, Abney escaped in the second period and Kurtz equalized with an escape with 1:28 left in the bout. They went to sudden-victory overtime and Abney finished the winning takedown a fraction of a second before time ran out for a 4-1 decision.
Kurtz went 3-3 at states to finish her season with a 33-8 record. She went 79-32 in her career.
Her impact, though, goes well beyond wins and losses. Kurtz knows what girls’ wrestling was like before the push to get the sport sanctioned by the PIAA and how quickly it has grown around the state.
“It means a lot to me. It’s part of what keeps me going,” Kurtz said. “What makes me smile, at the end of the day even if you lose or tough things happen, it’s all part of growing. It’s cool we’ve come from wrestling in some random place to getting to wrestle at the Giant Center where thousands of people can come watch us and know that we’re a sport and we’re out here trying our best is just amazing.”
Herring said her leadership at the dawn of the sport can’t be understated.
“Wrestling was never anything she thought of,” Herring said. “Her family pushed her to join when she was a freshman. … She definitely pioneered the program.
“I think it’s huge for everybody to see that it’s possible,” he added. “It’s possible no matter when you start. You’ve got to dedicate yourself to it and you have to work hard. She was really huge for a lot of the girls coming up through.”
Kurtz also offered some advice for the younger wrestlers who aspire to excel like her.
“Go to offseason tournaments. Go to offseason practices. That’s what helped me improve so quickly,” Kurtz said. “Don’t be afraid to get your butt kicked at random offseason Freestyle tournaments. And do Freestyle! It will make you better on your feet, and if you want to go to college, that’s what you’ll be doing. And just have fun and be kind to yourself because you’re not going to get anywhere if you’re not nice to yourself.”
Kurtz has signed to attend and wrestle at Arcadia University in the suburban Philadelphia area. Arcadia will be entering its first season with a women’s wrestling program. Kurtz plans to major in art therapy, with the goal to work in a children’s hospital.
“I really like the coach. We talk a lot,” Kurtz said. “I’m excited for new experiences, different teammates, different places to wrestle, and I’m excited for Freestyle because I’ve been getting more into the funk and rolling.
“It’s right next to Philly, so I get both the little small town that I’m used to, but if I ever want to, I can go see the city of Philly,” she added. “They have a really nice art program, so I’m really excited for that.”
