Seven of the eight girls wrestling team state qualifiers. Photo courtesy of Ashlin George.
On Wednesday, February 19, the Adams Central and Hastings Senior High School co-op girls wrestling team officially ended their season with a state champion and third-place finisher after competing at the NSAA Girls Individual Wrestling Championship.
Finishing off the girl’s wrestling season for the co-op team is three-time state qualifier and now two-time state champion Team Captain Kayden Sipp, who took first in the 140-pound weight class, and first-time state qualifier Khloe Wiseman, who placed third in the 110-pound weight class. Sipp, a junior who had an undefeated 36-0 record in the regular season, had high ambitions of taking first place even before going into the competition.
“It felt really good tonight to be able to win my second title, and to be able to go undefeated this season felt awesome,” Sipp said on News Channel Nebraska Central.
Alongside these two are six other first-time state qualifiers: freshmen Alexa Rogers and Zeniah Baca, sophomore Emalee Poore, juniors Ashlin George, Nevaeha Sorensen, and Jennifer Lopez, and two of them, Zeniah Baca and Ashlin George, are from HHS. Sending a total of eight girls to the state competition is an accomplishment for the team because it is nearly triple the number of qualifiers the past two seasons, for only three girls made state each season in the past two years.
“I felt really good about [having over] double [the number of state qualifiers] compared to the past four years of our team. We sent more than both the boys teams. State was a great time. All the girls had fun just experiencing the feel and atmosphere of [the event]” George said.
In order to work towards qualifying for and placing at state, the team practiced consistently. At some points, a couple of the girls pushed so hard to improve they injured themselves due to overworking.
“Getting injured throughout the year and having to sit out for a couple of meets [was a struggle]… I didn’t give my body a break, and it sort of just fell apart… You need rest days too,” Poore said.
In addition to their own skill and drive, the girls attributed their progress this season to their new coach, Adams Central Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Teran Boyer.
“Oh, I love the new coach. He definitely pushes us to be our best. I love our old coach, but our new coaching system and new program is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Poore said.
The practice and training the girls did was more intense than that of previous years, which included increased conditioning during poor performance while rewarding successful wrestling meets with lighter training. Boyer’s honesty in telling what needs improvement and discipline are additional traits the girls believed helped them do better this season compared to previous years.
“He pushes us really hard at practice and at tournaments and duels. I think that’s really helped our team grow and to have eight state qualifiers like we do now,” Sipp said.
The team’s close relationship also helped the girls push each other to be the best that they can be.
“I think what pushed me the most was the fear of not reaching my full potential and all the things that I was going through and all the negative things I was being told pushed me to prove everybody wrong,” Poore said. “Some other people [told] me I wouldn’t be a good wrestler, I’m not a good wrestler, and I don’t have what it takes to be in wrestling, but a positive was my team pushing me to be the best version of myself.”
Besides state, the girls enjoyed several other parts of the season, such as their home duels and performance at districts, as well as meeting some personal goals. For first-time state qualifier Lopez, she went on a personal winning record before injuring her knee, meaning this is the highest number of wins she has had in a season throughout her entire wrestling career.
“I hurt my knee, but I made it to state… [A big accomplishment was] having a winning record 28 – 10,” Lopez said.
With having no seniors on the team, the girls plan to continue wrestling for the upcoming years and hope to make more improvements. For now, they are celebrating their victories and found the season to be great overall.
“[This season] was definitely a ten out of ten!” Poore said.
