AP story - Female Wrestler Loses Bid for West Virginia State Title
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Associated Press ()
02/24/2002
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Wirt County's Erica Dye lost her bid Saturday night to become the first girl to win a state wrestling championship. Dye fell to Madonna's Anthony Valles, 9-1, in the 103-pound title match at the Class AA-A tournament. Still, she is the only girl to ever place second. ``I'm a little disappointed right now, but as soon as everything calms down, I think I'm going to be happy. It's going to take a little bit of time,'' Dye said. ``Right now it's real overwhelming.'' Dye, a senior, could do no wrong in the hearts of the Huntington Civic Arena crowd, which gave her a standing ovation afterward. Dye's strength in the tournament has been to get ahead of her opponents, but Valles was in control throughout their match. The sophomore scored a two-point takedown midway through the first period, then earned three points for a near-pin in the second period despite being beneath Dye. ``I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get that first takedown because she's usually real fast off the whistle,'' Valles said. ``I'm glad I got it.'' Valles scored four points in the final period on a reversal and an escape. As the final whistle blew, Dye sat on one leg looking down, her energy spent. ``I'm very proud. Win or lose, she's had a hell of a year,'' said her father, Kenny. ``When you get a girl placing in the boys states, that's pretty great.'' Valles also beat Dye in last year's third-place match. ``I just thought she was just another wrestler, she's not anything special,'' Valles said. ``If she wants to be out there with us, she's got to wrestle like us. ``She got this far. She deserved to be here.'' Several coaches congratulated Dye after she accepted her second-place award, and even the referee of her match came over to shake her hand. Dye finished her career with a 100-21 record. Next month, she will compete in the U.S. high school girls nationals ``and end my season on a good note, hopefully,'' she said. She also inspired the United States Girls' Wrestling Association to hold a state tournament at Wirt County in March. For now, she doesn't see herself wrestling in college, saying she is tired of nine years of nonstop competition and training, and the fact that few colleges offer women's wrestling. All season, she rarely discussed her future in order to keep her focus on the state tournament. Now, ``it's time to get onto that stuff,'' Dye said. Her impact on the sport may only grow as other girls decide to take up wrestling, many at an earlier age. ``There's a lot of girls in the last few years that have really looked up to her,'' her father said. ``It's building.'' As much as Dye's accomplishment stood out, it was equally as clear that she was accepted as legitimate. ``If it wasn't for her long hair, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference,'' said her teammate, Daniel Allen. ``She is so tough.''