A-K Valley athletes of the week: Kiski Area’s Ava Golding, Justin Tucker

By: Ted Sarneso
Saturday, February 1, 2025 | 1:22 PM

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Ava Golding

School: Kiski Area

Class: Junior

Sport: Wrestling

Claim to fame: Golding finished first in a tournament Jan. 25 at Butler, winning a 9-8 decision over Janayah Nobles of Connellsville in the 136-pound weight class. Golding began the day with a pin of Lydia Hull of Fort LeBoeuf, then won by tech fall in the quarterfinals over Ava Williams of Canon-McMillan and pinned Laurel’s Maggie Alfera in the semifinals. Golding is 21-0 with 14 pins this season.

At 21-0, what is your confidence level like entering matches?

There are still nerves going into all my matches because anything can happen. I warm up the same no matter who my opponent is, and I try and stay consistent. I try not to take anything for granted.

How many times had you faced Nobles before the championship match at Butler?

I face her just about every tournament since last year. So I’ve wrestled her eight or nine times by now. But I think it’s the fourth time I’ve wrestled her this year.

How do those matches typically go?

The match at Butler was the closest match we’ve ever had. I did not wrestle my best, but I’ll see her again Saturday in the North Allegheny Invitational. I definitely trained on the things I needed to work on from our last match. She’s gotten a lot better and closed the gap since last year when I used to win by pins or tech falls. All our matches this year were 7-0 wins for me until we wrestled at Butler.

What was that match like? What did you do well? What do you need to work on?

I needed that kind of match. People don’t talk about how hard it is to continue to win when you’re on top. Everyone expects every match to be perfect, and I just had an off match. She got a 6-1 lead in the beginning of the first period, and it was 6-5 by the end of the period. I had to build my way up with the points. It got close at the end, and I got a takedown within the last 20 seconds or so. It shows I have to keep my composure and my head in the match.

How would you assess the semifinal bout against Alfera?

I had heard of her name and thought she was doing well for her first year. I was nervous because I had never wrestled her before. She hasn’t wrestled many matches as well, so there’s not much about her. I could have done better. She scored the first takedown, but I fought back and got the pin in the third period. I’ll be more prepared the next time I wrestle her.

On Wednesday against Fox Chapel, you pinned Evelyn Owens in a 1:21 but also racked up 21 points. How were you able to get those points?

It’s hard because I never know if I should go out and go for the pins. To stay sharp, even when I have the best competition or competition on my level, I have to work the things I need to work on during my matches and put myself in successful positions and try and get as much mat time as I can. I try and go for building up as many points as I can and then get the pin to have the most points for my team. I’ll go get a takedown, let her up and grab some more points. That’s what I sort of look for.

On Jan. 11, you finished first in a tournament at IUP, pinning Lorelei Bungard of North Allegheny in 36 seconds. What was your thought process on getting a pin that quickly?

I took her down, let her back up and took her down again. The pin was just there, so I took it. She was a fairly new wrestler, and there was a lot of good wrestlers on my side of the bracket. It wasn’t seeded well. I had most of my tougher matches before that final bout in that tournament.

Do you feel better about how you are wrestling this year compared with how you wrestled last year?

I feel like I was a more defensive wrestler last year, so I worked a lot in the offseason on my feet and in neutral because that’s the only position that stays the same in freestyle as well. With college coming up and my steady dose of freestyle in the summer, neutral is the thing I can work on to make me better in both styles of wrestling. I feel I’ve gotten better, and I’m more confident with my takedowns and my shots, which has helped me this year. When I would wrestle Jordyn Fouse of Bishop McCort or Haylie Jaffe of Kennett, I just didn’t have that confidence and assumed going into the match at I was already losing. This year I have a better mindset.

How did you prepare for the North Allegheny Invitational on Saturday?

Just consistency with everything. Practicing twice a day and staying on track. It can be hard with school and managing your weight, and those two practices a day can be really hard. Staying consistent is what helps me the most. I don’t look too much at who’s at my weight and who I’m going to wrestle and study them. I go out and try to wrestle the same match every time.

What’s your assessment on how your teammates have done this year?

I’m so proud of the girls. They show up every day and are committed to it. We’re doing pretty well for having only seven girls on our varsity team. It can be hard with duals because we’ll lose in points because the other teams have full rosters. They’re all doing very well, sticking with it, growing and they seem to really like it. I try to help as much as I can. I’ve become friends with all of them, and it’s a fun time to have them all there.

What’s been the highlight of your season so far?

I had my best tournament at Powerade. That’s a fun tournament for me because I wrestle a lot of girls who I train with at my club. I wrestled Jojo Dollman of Norwin for the first time, and it was a match a lot of people were talking about. There was a lot of pressure leading up to it, and I felt I wrestled better than I thought I would leading up to it.

What were your individual goals at the start of the year?

I want to win WPIALs again and make it to finals at states. I also want to stay undefeated.

What gets you in the zone prior to a match?

I have my own warm up that I’ll go through. Then I’ll try and focus myself and get tuned in. Every time before a match, I pray with my dad.

Which opponent do you look forward to wrestling against the most?

Whoever gives me the best match or if they give me a match that forces me to improve my technique. Lately it’s been the matches with Nobles because she gives me the best match. We’re friends off the mat, which can be hard when you we’re constantly facing off in finals matches.

What are some of your favorite hobbies other than wrestling?

I like to bake, which isn’t good when I’m trying to cut weight. I like to work out and hang out with friends.

Favorite meal when you’re not cutting weight?

A good steak is my favorite food.

Favorite subject in school?

English or history.

Have you started looking at colleges yet?

Yes. I started the recruiting process earlier this year and reached out to some coaches. Some schools have reached out to me and having calls with them at tournaments. I won’t be doing any in-person visits until after the season.

Justin Tucker

School: Kiski Area

Class: Senior

Sport: Swimming

Claim to fame: At the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet Jan. 25, Tucker placed fourth along with teammates Connor Erwin, Joey Roos and Micah Thimons in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 43.66 seconds. He placed second with Erwin, Roos and Riley Yute in the 400 free relay in 3:18.44. Individually, he was second in the 200 IM in 1:55.42 and took gold in the 500 free in 4:39.85, just missing out on the meet record (4:39.24).

Were you thinking of the record when you swam the 500 freestyle?

I knew in the back of my mind I could get the record. I didn’t want to focus too much on it because when I do, I can get too nervous and not break it. I told myself to swim as hard as I could, and the time would come with it. There was one part of the swim that I knew that I was going to win, let’s get to the finish, when I probably should have kept going for the record.

Were you disappointed that you missed it by six tenths?

I will admit I was a little bit, but it didn’t bother me the most until after the cool-down laps they allow us. That’s when it dawned on me that I missed it by that much. I would love to have the record, but being a county champion in that race is amazing.

What were your thoughts and feelings when you found you shaved seven seconds off your seeded time?

Surprised, but at the same time, not too surprised. I knew where I should have been at time-wise at that meet. I wanted to be under 4:40 and my best time in the 500 is a 4:36, but I knew at this point in the season I was nowhere near that time. I was focusing in on being faster at that meet than I was last year, which meant the goal was to beat 4:40.

What are you thinking about most when you’re swimming for that long?

Usually at the beginning I’m thinking about going fast but not too fast. I’ve started to realize as I’ve gotten older that the 500 is almost like a sprint, but I still have to pace myself very well. When I’m getting into the middle of the swim, I’m thinking of when to make my move and really turn it on. That’s usually with 150 or 200 yards left to go.

Which stroke do you find the hardest to swim in the IM?

I don’t mind any of the strokes, but the hardest to swim is breaststroke. It’s the most important 50 in the IM. I know that I have to pick up the pace in my back and butterfly strokes before I hit the breast because I don’t want to rush things, I want to make sure I’m swimming the stroke correctly. If you’re swimming it incorrectly, you’re going to swim slower than you are if you try to swim it correctly.

Do you feel you’re on track to beat the times you hit in your events last year?

I find it hard to judge that sometimes, but I feel like I’m on a good track to beat the times I posted last season. I’m confident, but nervous at the same time because I want everything to go well. I’m going to keep training so that at the end of the season I know with full confidence what I can do.

Two top-five finishes in the WCCAs for your relay teams. What makes for a strong foursome?

In the past couple of years, I’ve been lucky to be a part of a group of guys that have a lot of talent. I went to states my freshman year because I was on an amazing relay team. Last year and this year, we’ve been slower than we have been in the past, but the talent and the potential is there. We all know we want it so bad. Our best event is the 400 freestyle relay. We know we can accomplish a lot more with that relay, and our goal is to make states this year.

The boys team finished fourth at WCCAs. What’s the confidence level heading down the final stretch of the season?

We were very pleased with the fourth-place finish, which let us know we are up there with teams like Latrobe, Franklin Regional and Mt. Pleasant. We know we can hang with those guys. We might not have as much depth as them, but we have just as much talent. Going into the rest of the season, it makes us more confident. During the season, it’s not something we regularly think about, but we have a force of guys that can rack up a good amount of points in the WPIALs this year.

How did you guys feel going into your next meet against section leader Franklin Regional?

We were really excited for that meet, but we knew going in we were going to lose, only because they won the county. But that didn’t mean we were going to back down. We told ourselves not to be afraid, swim every event to the very end and to swim our best. Every person is vital to the team, and every point matters.

How do you get locked in for an event?

Recently, I haven’t been listening to music before I swim. I’m paying more attention to what’s going on around me. In my head I’m psyched up, but I try to calm myself down, make sure I’m not too psyched and wasting energy. I did listen to music on the bus ride to counties just to calm myself on the long ride.

Can taper get here fast enough for you?

I really like working hard in practice and having that feeling that I put in a good workout. I wouldn’t say that the workouts are easier, but we definitely do less and I’m a guy that likes to do more to feel better. When I feel tired in the middle of the season, I have some of my best practices. I love it, it’s so much fun and relaxing just to know that you’re about to put up some good times in your next meet.

What were your goals at the start of the year?

My main focus is the 500 and I want to be under 4:30, with the ultimate goal to be somewhere around 4:20. I also want to make sure I’m having fun when I’m swimming because I find I get a good time out of those races when I’m enjoying myself.

Do you have any school records?

I’m on the board for the 200 and 400 free relays. I also have the school record for the 200 IM. The times are a 1:27.07 in the 200 relay, and a 3:10.00 in WPIALs my sophomore year. My record time in the 200 IM is a 1:53.60.

Do you know if you’re close to any others?

I’m six seconds off of the 500 record, and I know I can get that. I also want to get the 100 fly record, and I’m only 0.26 seconds off of that. I don’t swim the 200 free as often, but in the back of my mind I know I can get that record. If I get the chance to swim it, I’ll go all out for that record. I want to break my 200 IM record, get the time down. The 100 free record is a 47.20, and my best time is a 48.10.

Any hobbies outside of swimming?

I also run. I ran cross country, and I do distance running for track. I won’t be doing those when I go off to college. I like to sit around, relax and watch movies.

Favorite film?

I don’t have a favorite film, but my favorite genres are thrillers and horror films.

Do you have a favorite subject in school?

Math. I’ve always been good at it, and it helps that my mom is a math teacher.

What are your future plans?

I’m attending Lafayette College, and they’re in the Patriot League. I’ll also be studying biology.

Tags: Kiski Area