The lightweights did most of the heavy lifting for the Soldotna girls wrestling team, lifting the stars to a comfortable victory at the state tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center.
Soldotna champions included Jessica LeClair at 100, Valarie McAnelly at 107, Rowan Peck at 120, Kaytlin McAnelly at 132 and Daisy Hannevold at 138.
LeClair, Valarie McAnelly and Hannevold each won by pin while Peck and Kaytlin McAnelly pulled out tough decision wins.
Peck held off Newhalen’s
Pagan Lester 4-3 while McAnelly beat Bethel’s Isabel Lieb 6-4. It was the first loss for Lieb in 36 matches this year while McAnelly moved to 42-5.
Soldotna won five of the seven lightest weight classes and finished with four other podium finishers en route to racking up 212 points.
Second-place Colony was 97 points back and was the only other team to hit triple digits.
ASAA/First National Bank
Girls Top 10 Teams
212 – Soldotna
115 – Colony
82 – Redington
79 – Wasilla
75 – Palmer
68 – South
64 – Lathrop
63 – Wrangell
58 – Homer
57 – North Pole
The Homer Mariners had the second-most individual champions at two while Lathrop, Colony, Dimond, South and Barrow each had one champ.
Homer’s Saoirse Cook capped a 27-1 season at 126 after pinning Sarah Callender of Palmer in the third period. Teammate Roane Cook turned in nearly identical performance at 185, pinning Redington’s Nikayla Miller in the third period to finish a 27-1 campaign.
At 145, Colony’s Amelia Fawcett finished her season 29-0 after earning a 15-0 technical fall win over South’s Saige Morris.
At 152, Dimond’s Jahzara O’Neil earned a 9-5 decision over previously undefeated Carlie VanBuskirk of Valdez.
165, South’s Jessailah Thammavongsa pinned Colony’s Gia Jones to finish the season 28-0.
At 235, Barrow’s Manusiu Muti pinned Noelle Buck of Palmer to cap her 17-0 season.
South’s Jessailah Thammavongsa. Photo by Steven Glasheen
Individual Weight Classes
100
1st – Jessica LeClair Soldotna
2nd – Kaelynn Seidl Wasilla
3rd – Grace Loutzenhiser Colony
4th – Megan Whittom Soldotna
5th – Xiimara Salazar Kotzebue
6th – Ke`ala Lawrence North Pole
107
1st – Valarie McAnelly Soldotna
2nd – Lauren Bodeen Eagle River
3rd – Hayden VanderPool Colony
4th – Talia Jenkins Chugiak
5th – Hailey Cook Wrangell
6th – Megan Cornett Kodiak
114
1st – Megan Spencer Lathrop
2nd – Jade Sherry SWDP
3rd – Della Churchill Wrangell
4th – Nevaeh George Mt. Edgecumbe
5th – Anna Belle Valentine West Valley
6th – Angelina Chavarria Soldotna
120
1st – Rowan Peck Soldotna
2nd – Pagan Lester Newhalen
3rd – Danika Dawley North Pole
4th – Krista Howland Hoonah
5th – Taryn Wright Wasilla
6th – Nyah O`Neil Dimond
126
1st – Saoirse Cook Homer
2nd – Sarah Callender Palmer
3rd – Brynlee Lutz Wasilla
4th – Mya Campbell Redington
5th – Julia Biagi Ketchikan
6th – Farah Brady Lathrop
132
1st – Kaytlin McAnelly Soldotna
2nd – Isabel Lieb Bethel
3rd – Desiree Moore North Pole
4th – Olivia Probasco Wasilla
5th – Audrey Bahnke Mt. Edgecumbe
6th – Hailey Loose Hutchison
138
1st – Daisy Hannevold Soldotna
2nd – Annika Johnson Chugiak
3rd – Lillie Vansiegman Palmer
4th – Lacey Sherman Nome
5th – Macy Alander Hydaburg
6th – Nevaeh Copeland East
145
1st – Amelia Fawcett Colony
2nd – Saige Morris South
3rd – Malila Miller Service
4th – Abigail Patten Craig
5th – Josephine Granger Redington
6th – Lynn Fayram Unalaska
152
1st – Jahzara O’Neil Dimond
2nd – Carlie VanBuskirk Valdez
3rd – Jenna Yeoman Kenai Central
4th – Lexi Cook Metlakatla
5th – Aspen Kelly Colony
6th – Mia Wiederspohn Wrangell
165
1st – Jessailah Thammavongsa South
2nd – Gia Jones Colony
3rd – Arianna Ryan Cordova
4th – Venice Cabugao Bartlett
5th – Joy Walker Redington
6th – Alyssa McDonald Soldotna
185
1st – Roane Cook Homer
2nd – Nikayla Miller Redington
3rd – Keasiya Luedde Service
4th – Thalia Martinez Lathrop
5th – Allison Coffey South
6th – Kelsey Charlie Kwethluk
235
1st – Manusiu Muti Barrow
2nd – Noelle Buck Palmer
3rd – Meg Roberts Soldotna
4th – Honey Rexford Barrow
5th – Destiny Langston Nikiski
6th – Kimberly Tischner Houston