It’s becoming a recurring trend in recent years that Lynbrook wrestlers save their best performances for season’s end. That was no exception this winter, with Lynbrook sending 11 wrestlers to the county championship last weekend – one of whom made Nassau County history.
Ally Fitzgerald, who two years ago as a freshman became the first female to win a weight class title at a sanctioned wrestling tournament on Long Island, reached yet another milestone on Feb. 8 by becoming the first female wrestler to qualify for the Nassau County championships.
She did so in an upset victory, pinning the third-ranked wrestler in the 120-pound weight class to finish in third place in at the D1 qualifying tournament hosted by Long Beach.
For Lynbrook coach Rich Renz, who has been training Fitzgerald for three years, it was a moment of great pride. “She was focused, determined and ready to wrestle. She went out there like a fireplug,” said Renz. “She was clicking on all cylinders. You can see the confidence, the positive aura coming out. You knew that she was ready.”
At the county championships this past weekend at Farmingdale State College, Fitzgerald drew the second-ranked wrestler in her weight class, and though she was defeated, it wasn’t without putting up a fight. “She came here and it was unbelievable. All eyes were on Ally,” said Renz. “Just to be here for a female for the first time is a massive accomplishment. I was so proud of her.”