The Manhattan High Girls Wrestling team competed at State in Olathe on Feb. 28 and March 1, finishing in eighth place.
The girls had a strong season, with multiple top placements and even some wins against Great Bend, a strong showing at the tough Grand Island meet before Christmas Break before coming back for the Tournament of Champions in Newton and a tournament in Council Grove.
“I loved how we pushed each other to do well,” junior Eva Lucios said. “We all try to calm each other’s nerves and our coaches are like, ‘whatever happens, it doesn’t matter, take each match one at a time and have fun.’”
A season highlight was the Centennial League win, the first in program history. The next week, they placed fourth at Regionals in Wichita, getting a preview of their opponents at the State tournament.
“After my rough matches at Regionals, I talked to the coaches, especially Coach Bammes, and that was the first time I had an in-depth heart-to-heart with him,” Lucios said, “and that was what got me ready for State.”
After two tough days of battling at State, the team was pleased with an eighth place finish, a stellar finish to an already amazing season.
“I believe that we perform very well as a team. It was a big improvement from last year,” sophomore Sophia Hoeme said. “Last year, we had seven [State] qualifiers, and this year we had 12. We had three State placers last year, and this year we had six.”
Junior Alayna Slifer even took home the title as individual champion in the 135-pound division, something she has worked so hard for.
“It went really well. I wrestled really free,” Slifer said. “Some of my favorite moments were honestly probably times I did lose, and that’s because that’s when I learned the most, and I can connect with my team more because we really do support each other.”
Along with Slifer, many of the State qualifiers placed in their divisions. In the 100-pound division, Lucios placed fourth, followed by a sixth place from junior Evelyn Thornburg in the 125-pound division, fourth place from sophomore Eleanor Radi in the 130-pound division, sixth place from sophomore Tierra Young in the 140 pound division, and fifth place from Hoeme in the 145-pound division.
“I was very excited,” Hoeme said. “I had lost to this girl before, so I just went out there and let it fly and I tried to wrestle my best and then ended up beating her.”
“Last year, I dislocated my arm at Newton. It was my first and last match of the day, and my season was over,” Lucios said. “Coming back this year is when I kind of got my redemption. So, this year was a lot better than last year. I got to achieve a lot of goals I wanted to achieve last year.”
After Lucios’ untimely end to the season last year, she was excited to get the chance to show her strengths on the mat again this season.
“I think on paper, I wasn’t even supposed to place or even get on the podium,” Lucios said. “But I’m glad I was able to do it.”
While this season is over, the squad can’t wait to utilize their strengths to succeed in next year’s season.
“I think we’re already really good at teaching the right kind of technique and our coaches have really good practice plans,” Slifer said. “They prepare us well physically, and this year we touched on the mindset more, and I think that’s what really pushed through.”
