Olivia Crosby is Making History

Laurel junior Olivia Crosby earned a 23-10 major decision victory in Saturday's 106-pound title match against C.H. Flowers freshman Daemon Powell to become the first-ever African American female, and Prince George's County Tournament champion at Oxon Hill High School.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have achieved this historic moment,” said Crosby, who carries a 3.7 grade point average as a student for the Spartans. “It all started with my parents, coaches and God believing that I could do this.”

Crosby won her semifinal bout by disqualification over Amari Points of Henry Wise to reach the final, improving her record on the year to 27-3 with five of her 18 pins having come against boys.

"The semifinal match was simple. She stayed calm, disciplined and wrestled. Everything else handled itself. Her opponent in the semis locked his hands twice on top," said Marcus Jackson, the Spartans’ assistant to Devon Daniels.

"Later on, he received two misconducts for hands in the face and returning a hard collar tie. Olivia just had to stay in good position throughout the match. In the finals match, we told her to let it fly and to do what you do best here. I honestly believe once she knew she could take him down easily; the match was over."

Crosby began wrestling as an 8-year-old in Colorado for a program called, "Betterman Elite." After stepping away for two years, Crosby re-engaged in wrestling as a sophomore.

Competing with the girls last season, Crosby placed third in the regions and lost two of three bouts at the girls' state tournament. Crosby is currently ranked sixth at 100 pounds by Legacy Wrestling.

With Prince George's County simultaneously holding its inaugural girl’s county tournament, Crosby made the decision to compete against the boys, Jackson said.

"With Olivia, it’s real simple: She just always wants to wrestle someone," Jackson said. "PGCPS had its first girls tournament this year, and we asked her if she would be okay with missing the first one to try to achieve a team county championship."

Laurel finished third in the tournament standings with 173.5 points behind champion Bowie (218.5) and runner-up Suitland (196).

"Overall, we felt bad with the decision as she wouldn’t be a part of the first PG county women’s championship class," Jackson said. "But we took a gamble, and the results were worth it. Olivia Crosby is now the first girl to win the Prince George's County Coed championship. She is a living legend."

Armed with a career record of 55-10, Crosby will compete the rest of the season at the girls’ regions and states, even as she remains incredulous at her accomplishment against boys.

“I’m still in shock that it has even happened,” Crosby said. “But now I’m focused and ready to compete at regions and states this year.”

Crosby adds her name to an impressive list of pioneering high school women who have achieved success against their male counterparts, including Archbishop Spalding's Taina Fernandez, Arundel’s Nicole Woody and Jada Chaves, Magruder’s Helen Maroulis, South River’s Alexandra Szkotnicki, Smithsburg's Monica Hovermale, Western Tech's Jade Hendricks and Urbana's Anya Knappenberger.

Fernandez was third-ranked by Legacy Wrestling among 138-pound boys when she made history on President’s Day Weekend by becoming the first girl to win a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title at Gilman School of Baltimore.

There were 25 seconds left in Fernandez's 138-pound MIAA title match when her three-point takedown overcame a 4-2 deficit for a 5-4 decision over seventh-ranked Mount St. Joseph junior Ben Scheiner.

In 2007, a 103-pound Woody made history as a senior by becoming Maryland’s first girl to win an Anne Arundel County and regional title and to finish as a Class 4A-3A state runner-up.

Woody pinned South River’s Curtis Taylor in five minutes, 42 seconds for the county title and blanked Centennial’s Jack Western 2-0 in the finals of the Class 4A-3A regionals on a reversal with 1:01 left in the third period.

Hendricks became the first girl to reach the Class 2A-1A state tournament, the same year that Woody did so on the 4A-3A side. But Hendricks went 0-2.

As a Magruder junior in 2009, Maroulis became the first female to reach the finals of both the Montgomery County and Class 4A-3A East Region tournaments and placed sixth-place at states for the second time in her career.

In 2010 as a senior at Smithsburg, Hovermale (103) became the first female to place in the Class 2A-1A states and the third female to do so overall, finishing sixth.

A four-time Washington County champ, Hovermale totaled 104 career victories, becoming Maryland’s first female wrestler to surpass 100 wins. Hovermale went 2-2 as a sophomore at states, becoming the first female to win at least a match on the Class 2A-1A side.

As a freshman in 2018, Knappenberger was a Frederick County Tournament runner-up, losing a 3-2 title match decision to Oakdale's Jeremy Welch.

Szkotnicki was a senior in 2022 when she became the second-most accomplished female wrestler since Woody by placing fourth at 113 pounds while wrestling against public school boys at the Class 4A-3A state tournament.

Szkotnicki went 3-2 at states, including victories by pins in 21 and 73 seconds and by an 11-1 major decision. Her effort came two weeks after defeating Broadneck sophomore Cam Williams, 1-0, to become only the second female since Woody to win an Anne Arundel County title, and a week after having placed third at the Class 4A-3A East Region Tournament.

As a senior in 2024, Chaves placed third in the Anne Arundel County tournament at 106 pounds, joining Woody and Szkotnick as the only girls to finish within the top three of that county's tournament.

Crosby was joined on the victory podium by teammate Sammy John Bissong (175), whose record on the year is 37-2. Bissong used a 21-1 technical fall and pins in 96 seconds and 2:22 to reach the finals for a decision of 14-8 over Suitland’s Claudis Munoh.

The champion Bulldogs crowned 20th-ranked Alhajil Jalloh (190) and freshman Zacharie Coulibaly (150), who improved their records to 31-4, and 30-5 respectively.

Coulibaly registered three pins comprising those in 3:41 as well as 62 and 29 seconds, the last in his title bout with Laurel's Caldwell Ford.

Jalloh used falls in 4:53 and 2:36 to reach his championship bout, which he won by 14-0 major decision over Suitland's Michael Robinson.

Champions for the runner-up Rams were Kristofer Murray (285) and Cornillius Brown (132), whose records improved to 29-2 and 28-3.

Murray won by an injury default and pins in 22 seconds and 2:17, the second being in his finals' match with Payton Green of Henry Wise.

Brown sandwiched a 51-second pin between an 18-5 major decision and a 10-6 title bout decision over Calrb Wilson of Henry Wise.

Fourth-place Eleanor Roosevelt crowned junior Austin Hayes (113) and senior Leo Foreman (157), each of whom is third-ranked by Legacy Wrestling.

Hayes improved to 35-1 on pins in 1:43 and those in 78 and 42 seconds, the last in his title match with Potomac sophomore Oliver Ferguson.

A three-time county champion, Hayes is in pursuit of his third straight regional title and his second consecutive Class 4A-3A state title after being second as a freshman. 

A year ago, Hayes completed a 39-0 state championship-winning season after losing his state title match as a freshman by two points and finishing at 40-1.

“Finally, after a year of hard work, I have the opportunity to finish what I’ve started, which is to once again become a state champion,” Hayes said. “I’ve traveled around the United States to train so that I can become one of the best wrestlers, and I will make sure to achieve great things this year.” 

Foreman is 35-0 following consecutive technical falls of 17-1 and 17-2 and his title bout 54-second pin against Frederick Douglass senior Gerald Carter.

A winner of his second straight county title after being a runner-up as a sophomore, Foreman was second and third at last year’s regional and state tournaments.

Foreman’s 32-2 record last year included losses against Reservoir’s state runner-up Jose Lazo in the regional finals, and in the state semifinals to Northern-Calvert’s Drew Montgomery, winner of three state championships after being a runner-up as freshman.  

“All that I’ve accomplished this season just shows the many hours I’ve put in from the offseason,” Foreman said. “Since last season, every day I have had the goal in mind to become a state champion. That has kept me motivated. I have full confidence in myself that I will win a state title this year.”

Wise had a pair of title-winners in 16th-ranked sophomore Dorian Jordan (165) and junior Devyn Wilson (120), whose records are 31-0 and 18-3.

Jordan earned a 17-2 technical fall and pins in 84 and 31 seconds, the latter in his title bout with Roosevelt senior Ediz Buchin.

Wilson won by 18-1 technical fall before scoring an 11-2 major decision in the finals over Bladensburg's Jalaluddin Amani.

Other champions were 20th-ranked Flowers senior Enitan Ajayi (144), Frederick Douglas senior Braylon Pippins (138), Oxon Hill junior William Sullivan (215) and Bladensburg's  Sayed Hashemi (126).

Ajayi improved his record on the year to 28-2 with technical falls of 15-0 and 16-0 and a 90-second title match pin against Bowie's Jefrey Archer.

Pippins sandwiched a 6-5 overtime semifinal victory over Oxon Hill's senior Caleb Marshall between a fall in 2:52 and an 8-2 decision over Suitland's Rohan Singh for the title.

Sullivan won by 7-0 decision, 17-2 technical fall and 9-4 decision in his championship bout against Bowie's Bless Mbangowah.

Hashemi decked all three opponents in 30 and 50 seconds to go with the last in 4:08 of his title match with Bowie senior Jaden Barksdale.

Prince Georges County Tournament

1                      Bowie 218.5

2                      Suitland           196.0

3                      Laurel  173.5

4                      Eleanor Roosevelt       166.0

5                      Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.,            148.5

6                      Oxon Hill        126.0

7                      Bladensburg,   92.0

8                      Frederick Douglass-PG          91.0

9                      Charles H. Flowers,    74.5

10                    Potomac,         61.0

11                    Friendly,         59.0

12                    Largo,  53.0

13                    Parkdale          38.0

14                    Surrattsville    33.5

15                    Fairmont Heights        30.0

16                    Northwestern,  27.5

17                    Duval,  25.5

18                    Crossland,       15.0

19                    Gwynn Park    11.0

20                    High Point,      10.0

21                    Central,           7.0

22                    International HS at Largo,      3.0

23                    International HS at Langley Park,      0.0

Individual Results

106

1st Place Match

Olivia Crosby (Laurel) 27-3, . over Daemon Powell (Charles H. Flowers) 21-8, Fr. (MD 23-10)

3rd Place Match

Amir Jah (Eleanor Roosevelt) 20-16, So. over Amari Points (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 17-7, . (TF-1.5 3:34 (19-3))

5th Place Match

Louis Thompson (Potomac) 7-5, So. over Mustafa Rashidi (Bowie) 1-7, Fr. (For.)

113

1st Place Match

Austin Hayes (Eleanor Roosevelt) 35-1, Jr. over Oliver Ferguson (Potomac) 8-5, So. (Fall 0:42)

3rd Place Match

Christopher Thompson (Bowie) 10-3, Sr. over Nathan Henriquez (Northwestern) 18-6, Sr. (Fall 4:16)

5th Place Match

Reginald Allen (Oxon Hill) 13-11, Fr. over Bashan Jah (Laurel) 21-9, . (Fall 4:56)

120

1st Place Match

Devyn Wilson (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 18-3, . over Jalaluddin Amani (Bladensburg) 19-6, . (MD 11-2)

3rd Place Match

Michael Husseinkhel (Bowie) 23-11, . over Eric Chea (Laurel) 31-7, . (Fall 3:41)

5th Place Match

Roger Hernandez Gomez (Oxon Hill) 11-13, So. over Tate Harris (Central) 17-11, Fr. (For.)

126

1st Place Match

Sayed Hashemi (Bladensburg) 22-1, . over Jaden Barksdale (Bowie) 19-9, Sr. (Fall 4:08)

3rd Place Match

VICTOR ROMERO (Charles H. Flowers) 15-13, Jr. over Levi Thornes (Friendly) 11-10, . (Fall 3:41)

5th Place Match

Kenneth lopez (Suitland) 25-8, . over Ayden Brinson (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 18-12, . (Fall 1:53)

132

1st Place Match

Cornillius Brown (Suitland) 28-3, . over ALEXEY DORODNITSYN (Eleanor Roosevelt) 24-8, So. (Dec 10-6)

3rd Place Match

Henzel Garcia (Bladensburg) 12-3, . over Xander Dorelus (Oxon Hill) 15-12, Jr. (Fall 3:28)

5th Place Match

Calrb Wilson (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 21-11, . over Luis Carrillo (Northwestern) 15-8, Jr. (M. For.)

138

1st Place Match

Braylon Pippins (Frederick Douglass-PG) 27-4, Sr. over Rohan Singh (Suitland) 27-6, . (Dec 8-2)

3rd Place Match

Caleb Marshall (Oxon Hill) 11-2, Sr. over Cyrus Yelverton (Eleanor Roosevelt) 4-2, So. (MD 13-5)

5th Place Match

Chidi Chikaima (Bowie) 5-6, . over Bryce Fabain (Fairmont Heights) 20-8, So. (Fall 4:14)

144

1st Place Match

ENITAN AJAYI (Charles H. Flowers) 28-2, Sr. over jefrey archer (Bowie) 32-5, . (Fall 1:30)

3rd Place Match

Joshua Moreland (Laurel) 28-11, . over Memphite Navies (Frederick Douglass-PG) 12-11, Sr. (Fall 2:24)

5th Place Match

Dhulqurnayn Umuru (Largo) 17-7, . over Wilmor Moreira (Eleanor Roosevelt) 19-8, Jr. (Dec 12-9)

150

1st Place Match

Zacharie Coulibaly (Bowie) 30-5, Fr. over Caldwell Ford (Laurel) 37-4, . (Fall 0:29)

3rd Place Match

Damauriom Hackley (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 31-5, . over Jamari Myers (Fairmont Heights) 19-7, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Elijah Andrews (Suitland) 22-14, . over Harllem Lucas (Largo) 9-5, . (Fall 1:27)

157

1st Place Match

Leo Foreman (Eleanor Roosevelt) 35-0, Sr. over Gerald Carter (Frederick Douglass-PG) 24-10, Sr. (Fall 0:54)

3rd Place Match

Braden-Stone Mack (Oxon Hill) 24-9, Jr. over Ethan Edman (Laurel) 29-12, . (Dec 8-3)

5th Place Match

Lawrence Cosby (Bowie) 19-9, . over carter shedaffa (Bladensburg) 17-7, Jr. (Fall 3:29)

165

1st Place Match

Dorin Jordan (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 31-0, . over Ediz Buchin (Eleanor Roosevelt) 24-4, Sr. (Fall 0:31)

3rd Place Match

Aziel Batoua (Laurel) 33-9, . over Kevon Camp (Suitland) 21-9, . (Dec 11-8)

5th Place Match

Bryson Nelson (Oxon Hill) 26-8, Sr. over Hameedulla Qureshi (Parkdale) 24-10, Sr. (SV-1 13-10)

175

1st Place Match

Sammy John Bissong (Laurel) 37-2, . over Claudis Munoh (Suitland) 25-5, . (Dec 14-8)

3rd Place Match

Chane Shakur (Frederick Douglass-PG) 9-5, Jr. over Kennard Pollock (Surrattsville) 20-11, . (MD 11-1)

5th Place Match

Jeremiah Crawford (Largo) 18-6, . over Andrian Maynard (Crossland) 8-5, . (Fall 2:23)

190

1st Place Match

Alhajil Jalloh (Bowie) 31-4, . over Michael Robinson (Suitland) 25-4, . (MD 14-0)

3rd Place Match

Julian Reyes (Potomac) 14-1, Sr. over Noah Mayen (Laurel) 14-3, . (Dec 6-5)

5th Place Match

Douglas Garcia (Eleanor Roosevelt) 22-8, Sr. over Charles Steele (Surrattsville) 14-7, . (Fall 2:16)

215

1st Place Match

William Sullivan (Oxon Hill) 29-4, Jr. over Bless Mbangowah (Bowie) 7-1, . (Dec 9-4)

3rd Place Match

Anthony Coad (Suitland) 19-2, . over Taizay Matthews (Potomac) 11-5, Sr. (Fall 2:49)

5th Place Match

Breon Esong (Parkdale) 27-8, Sr. over Emmanuel Payen (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 2-3, . (Fall 0:37)

285

1st Place Match

Kristofer Murray (Suitland) 29-2, . over Payton Green (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 32-4, . (Fall 2:17)

3rd Place Match

Tristin Jones (Bowie) 26-11, Sr. over Ahmir Wilkerson (Friendly) 16-7, . (Fall 3:42)

5th Place Match

AKARAZAH CHE (Duval) 15-3, So. over Dorian Griffin (Laurel) 31-8, . (Fall 4:56)