Uniondale's Valeria Mejia helps secure first-ever girls wrestling Nassau dual meet title
Uniondale’s Valeria Mejia is thrilled after winning at 235 pounds in inaugural girls dual meet championships on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. Credit: Derrick Dingle
Valeria Mejia has been a manager for the Uniondale boys wrestling team since she was a freshman.
The senior etched her name in the girls wrestling history books Wednesday night at Long Beach Middle School.
The inaugural Nassau girls wrestling dual meet championship came down to the final match at 235 pounds between Mejia and Long Beach’s Kota Sorto Reyes. By the time the match was over, the Uniondale bench and support section were so loud that the referee’s whistle was inaudible.
Mejia scored a takedown and secured the pin in 48 seconds to clinch Uniondale’s 34-30 win, sending the Knights’ bench into a frenzy.
“I didn’t expect it to come down to me,” Mejia said. “Everybody did their part. The rest of the team poured their hearts into this and helped us make history. I’m so proud of all of them.”
“That was awesome,” Long Beach coach Miguel Rodriguez said. “Some of these girls just started wrestling this year. I’m so happy for all of them.”
Emily Ramos pinned Shayna Tozer in 49 seconds at 165 pounds to cut the Uniondale’s deficit to 30-24. Long Beach forfeited the next weight class, setting the stage for the winner-take-all match at 235.
“I think this is really amazing because this is my first year wrestling,” Ramos said. “I wouldn’t have expected to come this far. There were times where I really wanted to quit, but Coach [Tim] Godoy wouldn’t let me. Seeing that we’ve come this far makes me so happy.”
Earlier in the evening, Uniondale beat Roosevelt, 53-10, and Long Beach defeated MacArthur, 34-30, to advance to the finals.
Last week, all nine Nassau girls wrestling teams participated in the inaugural conference dual meet tournament, with the top two teams in each conference advancing to Wednesday’s semifinals.
As special as Wednesday night was, it was only a glimpse into the future of girls wrestling.
According to the state public schools association, there are 2,586 girl wrestlers this season, up from 1,890 last year and 1,346 in the 2023-24 season. There are 254 girls wrestlers in Nassau and 215 in Suffolk.
“The sport has grown exponentially, even from last year to this year,” Godoy said. “I think showcasing the girls in an event like this really opens up every young girl’s eyes to what could be . . . The growth is great. The level of wrestling is definitely improving. We were behind upstate and Suffolk for a little bit, but we’re closing that gap every single week and you’re seeing it in the performances the girls are putting on.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
