FRANK DIMON/For the Express Jersey Shore’s Isabella Gottschall battles Montgomery’s Georgina Leet in the 155-pound found at the District 4 girls wrestling championships.

Jersey Shore was one of the first schools in District 4 to implement a girls wrestling team. Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in Pennsylvania with more schools adding programs each year to support the growth of the wrestling community.

One significant athlete that made an impact to starting the Bulldogs journey was Isabella Gottschall. At the beginning of Gottschall’s wrestling career, she began practicing with the boys’ team and coaches. Through her commitment and dedication, she has participated in several in-season and off-season activities.

“I love that more girls felt comfortable enough to join the team, I worked so hard to get our team passed by the school board and it [is] causing so many girls to try out is amazing,” Gottschall said about more wrestlers coming out to the team.

Wanting more mat time, Gottschall went to Buffalo Valley, a high-performance wrestling club, girls Keystone tournament held at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College Pennsylvania.

Gottschall also assists with coaching the Jersey Shore Middle School girls wrestling team. This helps her stay active and focused on her own wrestling skills. Gottschall had a record season of 17-6 in her freshman year on varsity. During that postseason she placed first at districts, second at regionals, but with no placement at states.

Throughout her 2024-25 season, her phenomenal record continued going 28-7. Having a harder postseason placing second at districts and sixth at regionals, Isabella faced a setback in her sophomore year. Breaking her clavicle during the finals at the championships put a pause on her wrestling career.

With a long recovery and lots of grit, Gottschall worked her way back to have a record of 25-2 this season. At districts, Gottschall placed first earning herself a seed at states.

“Through working out all year around I try and keep my diet balanced as possible, even as a good athlete there is going to be times I eat ice cream.” Gottschall said of staying at her weight throughout the year.

When asked about who has been the most influential and supportive in her wrestling career, she mentioned her parents.

“My parents. They have gotten me a dietitian, taken me to out-of-state tournaments. They have always been by my side,” Gottschall said.

She demonstrates what it’s like every day to be a wrestler on and off the mat. Going from a team of all boys to an all-girls team, working with different dietitians and getting through the hard weight cuts has helped Gottschall set a good example.

As Gottschall’s junior year slowly winds down with regionals coming up, the community at Jersey Shore is looking forward to watching her finish out her high school wrestling career in high school.

This article was written by a local student at Jersey Shore High School as part of the Press Forward Program through the Centre Foundation