DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – It was a historic day for Delaware Valley University Athletics on Friday night when a pair of Aggie women's wrestlers took to the mat for the first time in school history.
Sophomore Erin Murray (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown) and first-year Caira Jaynes (Hamilton, Nj./Burlington City) were pitted against one another in an exhibition bout at the Summitt 1 event presented by Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC) and Wrestlers in Business Network Philadelphia Chapter (WIBN).
Head Coach Leigh Jaynes has been building the program through recruiting and fundraising efforts for the past two years and was excited to finally coach her team in competition, even in limited capacity.
"We kind of know we're at as a program. Our girls are still green to women's wrestling and have a lot to work on, so my number one priority was safety of the athletes and with that I asked them to be mindful of the positions that they put themselves in," Jaynes explained when asked to analyze the match. "Where we might have typically fought harder through different situations in a greater competition, we did not do that on Friday night and the girls were more focused on showing off more of their skills, primarily offensively in this case."
Murray earned the programs first points just 21 seconds into the first period with a two-point takedown. Jaynes struck back 30 seconds later with an athletic takedown of her own to tie the score at 2-2 less than a minute in.
Jaynes took her first lead with 1:45 left in the first period as she pulled Murray to the mat and with a go-behind move earned another two-point takedown. With less than 30 seconds remaining in the first, Murray tied the score again as she battled her way behind Jaynes and swept her legs to make it 4-4. The score remained tied going into the second.
After the two student-athletes traded takedowns, Jaynes used an athletic hip toss for a four-point headlock and a 10-6 advantage with less than 2:30 to go.
Murray refused to go away and soon after scored four points with a high double-leg takedown to tie the match again at 10-10.
Jaynes pulled away in the final 90 seconds as she tacked on nine more points to earn the 19-10 win over Murray.
The two athletes combined for 29 points in an entertaining and hard fought inaugural bout for the DelVal women's wrestling program. However, the impact of the entire evening was far greater than the result of the match.
Jaynes commented on what it meant to the program, the school, the student-athletes, and future Aggies.
"I don't think the girls that competed that night understand the magnitude of the impact of that much just yet." She continued, "I think it proves that DelVal is committed to women's wrestling at the highest level and with the very best experience that we can offer. These girls had a chance to do something very special and that means a lot to all of us."
When asked what fans can look forward to in the future from DelVal women's wrestling Jaynes commented, "You can see from both of these wrestlers that there is a lot of strength involved in this sport and these women can pull off high level throws and techniques and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch."
The Aggie women's wrestlers will continue to train throughout the season with plans of hosting an intrasquad showcase at home. The date and time of the showcase is to be determined.
