Uniondale girls wrestling's Keishara Tulloch pins all five opponents at Frank Giampaolo tournament

Keishara Tulloch of Uniondale raises her arm in victory after defeating her opponent in the 152-pound final of the Frank Giampaolo tournament at South Side High School in Rockville Centre on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: James Escher
It’s hard to believe that Keishara Tulloch just started wrestling in November. But it’s true.
The Uniondale sophomore already looks like a seasoned veteran on the mat.
She pinned all five of her opponents to win the 152-pound round robin in the Frank Giampaolo girls wrestling tournament at South Side High School on Monday.
Tulloch and Long Beach freshman Arianna Balsamo were each 4-0 entering the final round. Tulloch scored a four-point takedown late in the first period before securing the pin in 2:27 to take first place.
It was Tulloch’s third meeting with Balsamo this season, with Tulloch now holding a 2-1 lead in the series. Balsamo and Tulloch are currently ranked fourth and fifth on Long Island at 152 pounds, respectively.
“It gives me confidence and proof that I can be number one,” Tulloch said. “If I put in enough work and want it bad enough, I can place where I want to be in any tournament.”
Tulloch led the tournament with five pins in 4:58.
“To be able to pin every single one of my opponents just shows that I have so much potential in this sport that I just started less than three months ago,” Tulloch said.
Hicksville junior Haley Gonzales is back to her winning ways.
The Fargo national champion took third place at last weekend’s Eastern States Classic after losing to Minisink Valley’s Sara Pauls in the 126-pound semifinals.
On Monday, she defeated Minisink Valley’s Madyson Thorpe by technical superiority, 10-0, in 1:24 for the 120-pound title. All three of Gonzales’ opponents were from Minisink Valley. She pinned Adrianna Geczi in 39 seconds in the semifinals and pinned Danisha Basilis in 45 seconds in the quarterfinals.
“You can’t underestimate anyone, especially from Minisink Valley. They’re a very good team,” Gonzales said. “I just treat every match the same, like it’s the finals.”
Long Beach eighth-grader Harley Eidens won a thriller over MacArthur sophomore Sophia Lombardo in the 100-pound final.
Eidens opened up a 10-6 lead with 31 seconds left, but she was taken down with seven seconds left. The score was tied at 10 as time expired, but the referees determined that Eidens was taken down on her stomach, resulting in only two points and a 10-8 decision. Had she landed on her back, it would have been a four-point takedown for Lombardo to send the match to overtime.
“I was just telling myself, ‘It’s OK if you get taken down, as long as I don’t land on my back and give up extra points,” Eidens said. “I’m one of the youngest here, so it feels good to win.”
With the regular season nearing an end, the first official girls wrestling postseason is on the horizon. The Nassau County girls tournament is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 2 at Bethpage High School.
“It’s exciting for me because in the past, there usually weren’t enough girls to have a tournament like this,” said Eidens, who has been wrestling since sixth grade. “It’s fun wrestling with the boys because of the dual meets, but having these tournaments, it's so much fun to get to win and stand on that podium.”