Nason, Rathbun Lead Athens To Second-Place Finish At Coal Cracker Invite
By: Tim Birney | NTL Sports | January 18, 2026 | Photo courtesy Casey Wilburn
JIM THORPE, Pa. - Led by seniors Leah Nason and Hanna Rathbun, Athens sent four wrestlers to the podium and finished second in the team standings at the rugged Coal Cracker Girls Wrestling Invite.
Nason placed third and Rathbun placed fourth, while freshman Evelyn Cummings and junior Abigail Wagner both finished fifth.
Sophomore Memphis Paul won three matches Saturday, losing one round shy of the podium, and freshman Chelsey Renninger posted two wins Saturday in the consolation bracket.
Northern York won the team title, edging out Athens by 5 points.
Read full coverage of the the Lady Wildcats' Coal Cracker Invite on Valley Sports Report.
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes five sites in "The Sports Reports" family that cover 24 school districts in five counties: Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020); Northern Tier West Sports Report (March 15, 2021) Southern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 16, 2021).
