Sierra Ripka is a trailblazer in District 2 girls’ wrestling.
The Nanticoke Area junior puts her heart and soul into the sport, starting off on the boys’ team as a freshman and continuing to build a resume that others will be chasing for years to come.
She wrestles year around, pushing herself against the best in the country.
She’s now a two-time state place-winner, ending with a fifth-place finish this year in her junior campaign.
Perhaps, though, her biggest attribute is the way she promotes the newly-formed sport. The Nanticoke Area wrestling room is bustling with new energy from underclassmen girls who want to learn, thrive and succeed in the sport.
And there’s no one better to lead their charge than Ripka.
“It’s amazing that I get to share what I know,” she said. “We had a bunch of new girls come out this year. Being able to sit back, talk with them and watch some of their matches with them, it’s fun. I really enjoy helping them to get better in the sport. A lot of the girls are nervous, but I just try to tell them to stay calm and have fun.”
For her efforts this season, Ripka is The Citizens’ Voice Girls’ Wrestler of the Year. She joins former Lake-Lehman wrestler Alahna Morris as only the second female chosen for the award.
Ripka finished the season with a record of 35-4 with 24 pins and three majors. This was her second state-placer, ending in fourth as a sophomore. She was a Wyoming Valley Conference champ, District 2 170-pound titlist and was third at the Central Regional in Milton.
Out of her four losses, three of them were to wrestlers that placed top four or higher at states.
Ripka sat down with The Voice to reflect on her season, discuss her offseason and talk about what goals she’ll…