Paste BN High School Sports Awards: Atlanta girls wrestling nominees
The Paste BN High School Sports Awards are slated to celebrate the top student-athletes in the Atlanta area.
On June 18, 2020, at 6 p.m., Paste BN will fete high school standouts with a star-studded online show available free of charge to all viewers. The show will also be available on demand after the initial live event.
Here are the 10 nominees for Atlanta Girls Wrestler of the Year.
Tiyahna Askew
School: Collins Hill High
Weight: 152 pounds
Class: 2020
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Askew needed a little over a minute to pin Carrollton’s Drina Griggs for a state title.
Heaven Byrd
School: Hiram High
Class: 2020
Weight: 162 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Byrd closed out her career when she put Francisca Lopez of Gilmer on the floor at 1:24 in the championship match.
Aki Choates
School: Duluth High
Class: 2020
Weight: 132 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Choates passed every mettle test on the mat, including an 11-7 decision over Jatiana Ford of Alexander to conclude her state campaign.
Alitza Dennard
School: Peachtree Ridge
Class: 2023
Weight: 112 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Dennard locked up her bronze medal with an 8-3 decision over Paulding County’s Savannah Lackey.
Ally Graham
School: Berkmar High (Lilburn, Ga.)
Class: 2020
Weight: 112 pounds
College: Life College
Noteworthy: A runner-up at state, Graham, the team captain and three-year letter winner, will continue to grapple at Life College next year.
Kyleigh Haney
School: Hiram High
Class: 2020
Weight: 225 pounds
College: Alabama
Noteworthy: The multisport star will play softball in college, but she walked off the wrestling mat with a victory over Teonna Bonds of Southeast Whitfield 10-2 at state for a second title.
Dianna Holmes
School: North Gwinnett High (Suwanee, Ga.)
Class: 2022
Weight: 112 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Holmes took down Berkmar High’s Ally Graham in 48 seconds to collect her second straight title at the state championship meet.
Mi’Kel Jiles
School: Meadowcreek High (Norcross, Ga.)
Class: 2021
Weight: 197 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Jiles secured a pin for her state championship, the first such title for her and only the second for a boy or girl in Mustangs history.
Amani Jones
School: Ola High (McDonough, Ga.)
Class: 2021
Weight: 122 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Jones became the first female to claim a South Metro championship and followed that up by taking home the state championship as well.
Kennedy Shropshire
School: Mountain View
Class: 2021
Weight: 102 pounds
College: Undecided
Noteworthy: Whether it was at the Cherokee Bluff Duals or finishing in first place at her sectional, Shropshire built a strong body of work that led to her qualifying for state.