'This is Ironman': Manchester's Jaydyn McKinney settles for second at Women of Ironman

CUYAHOGA FALLS — When the Ironman Tournament began in the 1990s, its goal was to bring the best high school wrestlers in the country to Walsh Jesuit and showcase local talent.

The Ironman also has acquired the reputation of being a minefield, even for returning state champions.

Manchester's Jaydyn McKinney found out the hard way the Women of Ironman is no different.

McKinney had to settle for the runner-up spot at 135 pounds as the inaugural Women of Ironman Tournament concluded Sunday at Walsh Jesuit.

McKinney lost her first high school match in years in the 135 final, falling 9-5 to two-time national champion Corynne McNulty of Blair Academy (NJ).

As Jaydyn's father and Manchester coach Bill McKinney put it, "This is Ironman."

"We knew it was going to be a barn burner," he said. "We were ready for her. Hats off to their coaches. The coaches slowed the match down. Jaydyn is not used to that."

McKinney barely broke a sweat in her first three matches, hitting her side headlock three times to earns pins in under a minute. McNulty mostly avoided McKinney's upper body throws, which slowed the match down. McKinney also was called for technical violations twice.

McKinney cut the lead to 6-5 with 31 seconds left with a takedown. However, when she kicked McNulty out, a reshot allowed McNulty to get the decisive takedown and ride McKinney out.

"She brought the match to her and I think that messed Jaydyn up a little bit," Bill McKinney said.

Tough as the loss was, Bill McKinney said this could be a positive for his daughter.

"She needs to learn from this loss. She needs to grow from this loss," he said. "Sometimes, I like a loss coming in because you learn from it. You don't want to feel this way again. It lights the fire."

Chippewa's Kayla Moroschan, Walsh's Bella Mbappé battle at Women of Ironman Tournament

A new rivalry may have been born in the 120-pound third-place match, which featured two local freshmen.

Chippewa's Kayla Moroschan and Walsh Jesuit's Bella Mbappé met for third place. Moroschan was able to slow the pace down, as she escaped and used a front headlock to take down Mbappé in the second period to score a 3-0 win.

"It's an honor," Moroschan said. "I'm so happy I was able I was able to compete here and that the Ironman had a girls division this year. I really enjoyed wrestling her [Mbappé]. We'll see how the season goes."

Chippewa's Gabi Gartin also placed sixth at 125 pounds.

"I feel like they went out there and gave it everything they've got," said Chippewa coach Hanna Hall. "They just had tough, tough competition, which is what we want for them. Now it's all about the mental game."

While saying Mbappé wanted to Walsh's first female Ironman champ, Warriors coach Clint Musser was far from displeased.

"I'm not unhappy at all. I'm very proud of her," Musser said. "She wrestled tough. It's a great way to start off the season. When you get to a competition like this, you get to see exactly where you are at."

Northwest's Morgan Holling finished fourth at 190 pounds, though she was pinned by Natalie Rush of Cannon-McMillan (Pa.) in her final match.

"Morgan has done a lot," said Northwest coach Josh Kallai. "Morgan is tough. She's always willing to do her best that she can. Being a new wrestler, she's not used to these kind of competitions. She can go with the best of them. She just needs to work on her mental aspect sometimes."

Harrison, which won OHSAA's inaugural girls state team title, also earned the inaugural Women of Ironman team title. The Wildcats won with 148 points, distancing themselves from Oklahoma state champion Tusla Union (130).

"It's very much like the state tournament last year: You never forget the first," said Harrison coach Chris Baird. "The sports going to continue to grow. But it's great to know that, when people look back in the media guides, the first team to do it was Harrison."

Harrison's lone individual champion was Chloe Dearwester at 100 pounds.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: High school girls wrestling gets its showcase at Women of Ironman