Groton’s Leontine Evans to continue wrestling at Alvernia

Girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the state, so it’s only natural to see more and more wrestlers from Section IV go on to compete in college. That includes one wrestler in Tompkins County who is blazing her own trail.

Groton’s Leontine Evans will continue her career at Alvernia University, a Division III school located in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is the first female wrestler in school history to wrestle in college. There were multiple reasons why the Golden Wolves were the perfect fit for Evans.

“Because it’s college, I was looking a lot at academics, and they had a really good program for what I wanted to do, so that was a big part of it,” Evans said. “I also loved the coach. [Head] coach [Cindy] Calixto wasn’t super bearing when it came to the decision process. She’s just like, ‘You have a spot if you want it.’ And that was nice.”

Believe it or not, Evans has only been wrestling for two years. After years of saying she never wanted to wrestle and didn’t even want to watch the sport, one of her teammates got her into doing it. It’s safe to say she does not regret that decision one bit.

“I grew up doing gymnastics, and I was really like, ‘I’m doing gymnastics for the rest of my life,’” Evans said. “But I started wrestling because I started being friends with Carmen [Bishop], and I was inspired by her.”

Evans’ first year wrestling had its ups and downs, finishing with a solid 11-9 record. But her senior season saw a dramatic leap. She posted a 30-9 record at the 235-pound weight class, won the IAC championship, placed second at sectionals, and competed at the first-ever state girls wrestling tournament.

“It’s a crazy difference,” Evans said. “It’s hard to even quantify it. I won eleven matches all last year, and I got beat up all summer too, which helps. I actually wrestle now and not just try one move over and over again.”

Last month, she capped off her high school career by competing at the United States Marine Corps National Duals in Indiana. Facing incredibly tough competition, Evans more than held her own, going 7-5 across two different styles of wrestling (freestyle and Greco) in her new weight class of 207 pounds for college. After missing the previous two months with a knee injury, she clearly didn’t lose a step.

“I actually did way better than I thought I was gonna do,” Evans said. “My goal going into it was to win a match, so I think I did pretty good. I’m really excited I had that experience.”

The Bishop sisters also competed with Evans at nationals. Carmen—who will be entering her freshman year—went 6-2 against multiple nationally-ranked wrestlers, while Phoebe—who is entering eighth grade this fall—tallied four wins at the 100-pound weight class. Evans has thoroughly enjoyed wrestling alongside Carmen, Phoebe and the rest of the Red Hawks.

“I love all my teammates,” Evans said. “It was so fun getting to wrestle with them. And I’m so sad that I get that I have to leave them, but I’m so excited to have new friends.”

Evans certainly won’t have any problems gelling with her new team at Alvernia. After all, the girls wrestling scene is so tight-knit, even as it continues to expand.

“The community is just so strong,” Evans said. “If you ever go to a girls wrestling tournament, everybody is friends with each other, and everybody’s talking and getting to know each other. It’s a really great sport for it. Obviously we’re competing against each other, but on and off the mat, we talk and we have fun with each other.”

That sense of community extends to Groton. The town’s support for girls wrestling—and wrestling as a whole—has been easy to see. Case in point: this year was the first time ever the school fielded a varsity girls wrestling team.

“We had to grow our own sport, and part of that was we needed a community to back us up when we needed funding or help or [when] we were doing chicken barbecues to raise money,” Evans said. “I just love our community, and I hope that Alvernia’s is similar.”

Evans is the lone senior graduating from the Red Hawks. As she takes off for a new chapter in her career, she knows just how bright the future of the program will be. Over the next 5-10 years, expect to see more Groton wrestlers follow Evans’ path into the college ranks.

“I don’t think we’ll see a year below 14 girls for a while just because we’ve built the team up so much that we’re so close and everybody wants to be a part of a team where everyone is friends and family with each other,” Evans said.