Six Del Val wrestlers attend the Atlantic City wrestling tournament

Illy Mavraj, Reporter

April 8, 2025

Del Val wrestler, Lydia Bagley, wrestling against Warren Hills in the first girls home match at Del Val. Bagley, a freshman, and 1 of 2 female participants, wrestled in Atlantic City, and placed 7.

Aurora Shaver

Every year wrestlers have one individual goal in mind: making it to Atlantic City. This New Jersey State Championship is held every year in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Thousands of wrestlers put their diligence and dedication into competing for a spot in this tournament.

Del Val senior wrestler, Jaden Perez, wrestling against Immaculata. Perez was one of three Del Val wrestlers to place seventh in the Atlantic City Wrestling Finals. (Gianna Roberts)

It is an honor to compete with top-tier wrestlers in the state, and this year, Del Val sent six wrestlers to the championships, Lydia Bagley, Emmy Rea Hotz, Jaden Perez, Luke Sinkiewicz, Sebastian Dobak and Jackson Bush.

After a long season of blood, sweat and tears, for the final meet to be held at an amusement like Atlantic City is a pleasure. Being surrounded by supportive family and friends helps not letting the nerves get to you.

Emmy Rae Hotz, Del Val sophomore wrestler, participating in the Del Val girls first home match. Hotz was another wrestler to place 7 in the Atlantic City Wrestling Finals. (Ella Genovese)

“I received a ton of support, they’d drive me places,” Bagely said. “Like my dad taking me to lifts, or working one on one with me.”

Del Val boys wrestling had a fantastic season, going 19 – 3 and receiving there ninth NJ state title. The four boys making it this far have proved themselves and fought their hardest for a spot on the mat.

Dobak was eliminated in the first round, but placed 31 in the state; Bush was also eliminated in the first round, placing 14; Sinkiewic was eliminated in the first round, placing 15; Perez made it to Semi-finals, placing seventh in the state.

During its second year running, Del Val’s girls wresting program sent two girls to the tournament. Bagley and Hotz both placed seventh in their respective weight classes. The girls team currently consists of six girls. No matter what obstacles they had towards them, they kept on training.

“We took our bumps and bruises, but we kept coming back, to me that stands out,” Girls Wrestling coach and Del Val Counselor Joseph Toye said.

Both the girls and boys team have put nothing but hard work into improving themselves and doing what is best for the team. The wrestling team has great plans ahead to improve and come back next year even stronger.

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About the Contributors

Illy Mavraj, Reporter

Illy Mavraj is a freshman at Del Val and this is her first year reporting for The Delphi. She also does cheerleading.

Aurora Shaver, Reporter

Aurora is a first year reporter for The Delphi.

Ella Genovese, Managing Editor

Ella Genovese is a sophomore at Del Val. This is her second year writing for The Delphi. She is the Managing and Sports Editor for this year. She also is a stage manager for this year’s fall play and enjoys being involved in the theater department. In her free time, Ella likes to swim, read, write and listen to music.

Gianna Roberts, Editor-in-chief

Gianna is a junior at Del Val and this is her third year working on The Delphi, now as the Editor-in-chief. In her free time, Gianna enjoys baking, reading and listening to music, especially Taylor Swift. In addition to “The Delphi,” Gianna is apart of Quill and Scroll, Model UN, Peer Leaders, National Honors Society and Habitat for Humanity.