It was a weekend of firsts for girls across the state, as the inaugural PIAA girls wrestling tournament took place in Hershey alongside the boys tournament.

Despite the sport having an unofficial state tournament last year for the girls, this time around the experience was different for all of those involved.

Liberty came away with two medalists, as Symarah Drey (148) and Gracie Haflich (170) both came back from Hershey with hardware to make it a historic weekend for all the participants, but even more so for the girls that etched their name in history by standing on the Giant Center podium for the first time.

Both Drey and Haflich finished seventh in their respective weight classes, but after registering wins in their second round of consolations to guarantee spots on the podium, appreciation for the moment spilled over.

“I was one of the first girls on the wrestling team two years ago and just having girls out here from my team in Hershey is great,” said Drey. “Being out here my senior year and get my name on history means the world to me. Just being apart of this was a huge accomplishment.

Drey pinned Eve Kurtz of Pine Grove in 3:48 to win her consolation final, while Haflich, a junior, pinned Kendall Wagner of Central Mountain in 4:36 in the medal round.

Coming home with two state medalists in the first girls tournament in Hershey is a nice benchmark for the Liberty program that will only keep growing.

“Gracie and I are like the moms of the team and we just help with whatever we need to do,” said Drey. “Just getting to share the love of wrestling with girls from our school and seeing girls from all over the state coming together in one place and showing everything they’ve learned and sharing their experiences is amazing.”