BERKELEY – The Central Regional High School girls’ wrestling team put a record-setting 2025-2026 season into the books.
The Golden Eagles won a program single-season record 20 matches and lost four.
“We had a great group of seniors who were in our program for four years for the most part,” coach Kyle Watson said. “Senior leadership was a constant throughout the season. Our younger girls put in the work during the summer and the preseason to become better technical wrestlers. The girls also worked extremely hard in the practice room. I pride myself on controlling the controllables and being in shape is one of the controllables.
The Golden Eagles’ success was no surprise to Jade Hahn, who starred as a senior.
“We were successful because of the bond we shared,” she said. “We were all drawn together. At the beginning of the season, we were friends. We became sisters very fast. From drills to sprints, everyone was together. We understood what everyone was going through. We pushed each other to become one of the best teams in the state. We went from nothing to something very fast.”
Central was 12-1 in 2024-2025.
“We expected our team to do well this year,” said Watson, assisted by brothers R.J. Shea and Connor Shea. “Our lone loss was to the fourth-ranked team in the state and we had no seniors on the team last year. We were briefly ranked 10th in the state by NJ.com after beating Lakewood, ranked seventh. We did not participate in the unofficial state tournament so we were pushed out of the Top 10.”
The 5-foot-5 Hahn paced the Golden Eagles. She won 15 of 15 bouts and captured the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association 185-pound title, downing 10th-seeded sophomore Aryana Osorio of St. Mary of Rutherford in the state championship bout at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The top-seeded Hahn lived up to her billing, pinning Osario with 30 seconds remaining in the first period with an armbar. It was her 12th pin of the season.
“Winning felt really good,” Hahn said. “I worked very hard to get to where I got … very hard. It was very mentally challenging. I am proud and happy for myself. I am grateful for everyone who got me where I am. It’s a great feeling. My first thought after I won was, ‘I did it!’ I was very emotional. When I won, I opened my eyes and realized I had won it.”
“I really feel that Jade is the best wrestler in the state,” Watson said. “She is strong, athletic, fast and amazing on her feet. She just has the wrestling knowledge and whereabouts from wrestling since she was a child.”
Watson said he enjoyed coaching Hahn.
“She’s the kind of athlete who keeps things fun while still getting the job done,” he said. “She never missed a chance to keep me on my toes, which brought a lot of personality and energy to the room. When it mattered most, she always stepped up. Off the mat, she was someone her teammates naturally gravitated toward – confident, supportive and willing to lead by example when it counts.”
Hahn was 26-2 as a junior, 15-5 as a freshman and 19-6 as a sophomore. She finished with 75 varsity career wins – 25 fewer than her sister, Jayla, who won state titles at Lakewood in 2021 and Southern Regional in 2023 – and 13 career losses.
“Joining my sister really feels great,” Hahn said.
Hahn suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn meniscus in her right knee January 25, 2025, at the Golden Eagle Grapple at Central. She underwent surgery last July.
“There really wasn’t much that Jade had to improve on from her junior year,” Watson said. “She was just focused on trying to get back from her knee injury from which she worked super hard to get back. She knew we were going to be patient with her return, but she also knew we needed her if we were going to make a run at a state team title.”
Performed by Dr. Ryan Plyler of Professional Orthopedics in Toms River, surgery wore on for four hours. There were hours and hours of rehabilitation. Enter physical therapist Chris DaSilva of Pro Care Rehabilitation in Bayville.
“I sent Mr. DaSilva a video,” Hahn said. “It said, ‘I am a state champion because of you.’ He said, ‘Shut up. I’m so proud of you. It’s all on you. You put in the work. You so deserve this. Enjoy every second. Way to go, champ.’
“The surgery was traumatic. I was in an emergency room three weeks after surgery with anxiety attacks. I pushed through them. I pushed through sleepless nights. I was up at 3 and 4 a.m. for several weeks straight due to phantom pain.”
The injuries forced Hahn to alter her technique.
“I had to relearn how to shoot on my dominant side as after the tear I could not shoot on my right leg, my regular side,” she said. “I had to learn how to use the left side, then I had to relearn the right side muscle memory. I had to use multiple repetitions, but I got it down pat in practice.”
Hahn owns impressive athletic genetics. And that’s putting it mildly.
Her uncle, Damion Hahn, won three state titles at Lakewood and two NCAA Division I tournament titles at the University of Minnesota where he was a four-time All-American and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion. A former Cornell University coach, Hahn coaches South Dakota State University. Throw in her sister’s greatness and the Hahns are the proud owners of six state high school championships. An aunt, DeAnne Hahn, competed in the throws in the field events at Lakewood, Brick Township and the University of Minnesota.
“We are successful because of hard work,” Jade Hahn said. “My grandfather (Miles Hahn) instilled a love of wrestling in us and pushed us. He ran his own wrestling club and coached Damion at Lakewood. I felt a lot of pressure because of my last name, but pressure is a privilege. Not too many people have the opportunity to earn pressure, but we worked hard and were disciplined. Pressure will be passed onto my little sister, JayAnna (a Central sophomore wrestler).”
Hahn, an aspiring law enforcement officer, said her uncle has played a role in her success.
“He was definitely a great influence,” she said. “I always look up to him, but I wanted to help us make something, a name – the Hahn Girls – for ourselves. When I told Damion I won the title, he said he was very proud of me.”
Watson said Hahn, who also won Region 4 and District 11 titles this season, will be missed.
“She leaves behind a legacy defined by perseverance and growth,” he said. “She set a standard for excellence. After finishing second in the state last year, she worked super hard to come back determined to help her team try to achieve a team title. She achieved her goal of becoming a state champion, showing everyone what resilience and dedication truly look like.
“Beyond her accomplishments, she helped elevate the expectations of the program and proved that success is built through hard work and belief in yourself. Future wrestlers will look at her journey as the blueprint for what’s possible.”
Central senior Liliana Alicea, a 165-pounder, posted her 100th career varsity win this season. She owns the program’s school career wins record (114). She was second in the state tournament. She won Region 4, District 11 and Shore Conference tournament titles and was second in the Queen of the East Tournament.
She was 36-3 as a senior, notching 20 pins, 33-4 as a junior, 18-10 as a freshman and 27-7 as a sophomore. She suffered 24 career losses. She and Jade Hahn were wrestling partners.
“She was on the team for four years and was the reason the team did so well over the past two years,” Watson said. “She won the state title in 2023 at 185 pounds and after her win the team exploded with girls signing up to wrestle. If it wasn’t for her championship, leadership and hard work, this team would not be where it is today. She is the most humble and hard working wrestler I’ve ever had in my 16-year coaching career. She battled in practice every single day, leading the team with her hard work and dedication.”
Chosen by Watson, Jade Hahn and Alicea captained the Golden Eagles in 2025-2026 and last season.
“They were chosen because of their experience and hard work in the practice room,” he said. “Both of them have a lot of experience in the wrestling room because they are seniors and have been successful in their careers as wrestlers. Jade has wrestled since she was young. Liliana began wrestling as a freshman. Her hard work and dedication to the sport is unmatched.”
Other contributors to Central’s success in 2025-2026 were seniors Lilliana Comstock (145-pounder, 152, 22 pins, 25-12 record), Meadow McCann (120, six pins, 9-10), Shayla Salinas-Gonzalez (126-132, four pins, 7-9) and Brooke Twohig (145-152, 16 pins, 18-15); juniors Noellia Alicea (235, seven pins, 11-10), Nazaiyah Cortes (100, seven pins, 12-12), Amelia Iremonger (107, 18 pins, 28-11), Sophie Moody (126-132, three pins, 8-12) and Evelyn Reyes (107-114, 10 pins, 14-13); sophomores Andrea Abarca-Hernandez (100, two pins, 8-7), JayAnna Hahn (29 pins, 38-7), Layla Heinze (114, 13 pins, 22-6), Anjelica Morales-Gonzalez (126, 10 pins, 15-11), Samantha Sottilare (185-235, 24 pins, 30-9), Sophia VanSplinter (138, 15 pins, 21-8); and freshmen Autumn McCann (107, two pins, 5-17), Grace Lanko (152, six pins, 7-7) Madison McInerney (132, three pins, 8-3), Mairin Richardson (114, two pins, 2-7) and Arryanne Garcia (185, 0-3).
Heinze was third in the Shore Conference Tournament. VanSplinter was third in the SCT. Comstock won the District 11 championship. Sottilare was second in District 11, Region 4 and the SCT and third at the Queen of the East Tournament. Iremonger was third in District 11, fourth in Region 4 and third in the SCT.
JayAnna Hahn was fifth in the state tournament, third in Region 4, first in District 11 and the SCT and third at the Queen of the East Tournament.
Watson is 33-10 in five seasons at Central where there were three girls on the team in his first season.
“The growth of girls’ wrestling at Central can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of the parents of each of these girls,” he said. “It’s not easy being a wrestling parent because of the dieting, weight loss and emotions that come from those two tolls on the body. Let’s not forget about the Berkeley Mat Rats’ developmental program. Those coaches volunteer their time, taking away time from their families to train some of these girls from when they were in elementary and middle school.
“I wouldn’t say I am the founder of the program. I am its first head coach, but (Central athletics director) John Scran should be given a lot of credit for putting together the resources for the school to have a program.”
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