Olivia Kearns captures 5th in PIAA wrestling

HERSHEY — Shippensburg freshman Olivia Kearns was 1-1 on Saturday in the PIAA Girls Wrestling Championships at Giant Center and placed fifth at 112 pounds.

In a consolation semifinal bout, Kearns fell 8-4 to Tamara Humphries of Brashear. They had met in the first round, with Humphries winning 14-6. This time, the score was 8-4 in her favor.

Humphries scored a takedown in the first period and Kearns escaped. Another takedown in the second put Humphries ahead 6-1. With 45 seconds left, Kearns was able to take her opponent down and get to within 6-4. But Humphries reversed when Kearns tried for back points to win 8-4.

In the bout for fifth place, against Grace Nesbitt of Neshaminy, Kearns got on the board quickly with a takedown. In the second, she was able to put Nesbitt on her back for a 4-point nearfall for a 7-0 lead, and she added another takedown in the third for a 10-0 major decision.

Kearns finishes the season with a 36-3 record, including 5-2 at states.