February 20, 2023 at 9:39 a.m.
Abby Swanson punches ticket to state wrestling tournament
Abby Swanson punches ticket to state wrestling tournament
The senior already made some on Saturday in Shawano, becoming a WIAA sectional champion and earning her spot into the second annual girls' state tournament which starts Thursday at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Swanson was one of three Rhinelander wrestlers - joining her younger sister, Mya, as well as junior Owen Kurtz on the boys' side - who tried to punch a ticket to state on Saturday. She was the only of the three who was able to do so.
Saturday marked the first ever WIAA sectional tournament for the girls - who wrestled at the same sectional as their respective boys' team. Abby Swanson pinned both of her opponents to earn the championship at the 185-pound weight class and, with it, an automatic berth to state - which moves from the La Crosse Center to the Kohl Center this year to be held in conjuction with the boys' state tournament.
"It feels like I earned it and it's more of a special feeling," she said afterward. "It's pretty cool. I'm excited. I didn't think it was ever going to happen while I was in high school and it's really cool to see it pan out the way it did."
Swanson (15-6) started the day strong, needing only 42 seconds to pin Green Bay Preble's Savanna Jones in the semifinals and then dropped Wausau West's Christiana Nordstrom 1:46 into the championship bout.
"I was kind of nervous about it, but I went in with a good game plan and it ended up working," she said of the first match against Jones, who she had not wrestled previously. "Then my second match, I wrestled her twice before, so I figured I might as well just beat her again. A had a good shot and had her on her back for a long time and then pinned her."
"Abby had a really good day," Hodag girls' wrestling coach Eric Gobin said. "It was a really awesome end to the day, two pins to punch her ticket to state. We were all really excited for her."
On the flip side, Kurtz experienced disappointment at sectionals for the second year in a row. In a near repeat of what happened last year, he made it to the finals only to lose the championship match at 285 and then a wrestle back for second place. Only the top two in each weight class on the boys' side advanced.
Kurtz (22-8) started his day with a first-period pin over Shawano's Brady Jones and then stopped D.C. Everest's Oscar Latendresse at 4:50 of the semifinal match to reach the finals.
Kurtz was no match for Ashwaubenon's Troy Dietzler, who needed only 30 seconds to earn the pin.
"In the finals, I just don't know if we weren't ready, but the guy we were wrestling definitely was," RHS boys' wrestling coach Scottie Arneson said. "I don't think there's ever a match that Owen's going to wrestle where I don't believe he's going to go out and win, but I'm not the one who has to believe it."
Kurtz then lost to Bay Port's Vaughn Campbell in the second-place match with a trip to state on the line. Kurtz got the first take down, but was reversed, put to his back and pinned with 20 seconds remaining in the first period.
"The Bay Port kid did something funny with his hips and Owen wanted to hang on to his leg," Arneson said. "Coach (Tyler) Figueroa and myself were saying, 'Hey, let go of the leg, give up the points, don't give up your back.' We hung on the leg a little bit too long and ended up getting turned and pinned."
For a while it appeared as if Kurtz would earn second automatically, as Latendresse led Campbell 4-0 in the first period of the third-place match. But Campbell eventually made up the deficit and pinned Latendresse in the second period. Had Latendresse won, Kurtz would have finished second and advanced to state automatically, thanks to his win over Latendresse earlier in the tournament.
"The D.C. Everest kid had him on his back and they went out of bounds, otherwise it would have been a done deal for sure," Arneson said. "There was that initial high after the loss and then we watched the kid gradually build and build and build the points back during that match. That's really deflating for a guy, especially when you work all season to make the finals and it's really deflating having that wrestle back match because you'd rather have it the easy way, not have to worry about it."
Mya Swanson (14-7), Rhinelander's third sectional wrestler, dropped her opening match to Wausau West's Madelynn Lee, getting pinned in 41 seconds. Lee went on to win the girls' 132-pound bracket to earn an automatic berth to state.
"Mya losing her first one, I know she was really disappointed," Gobin said. "She had goals to do a little better, but we still have a lot of time with her. It's nice that she gets to experience that so we can work toward (making it to state) the next three years or so."
Now the attention turns to Abby Swanson at state. She was set to learn her first-round opponent Sunday in a selection show hosted by the WIAA that concluded after press time for today's edition.
Before learning who she would face, Swanson said she already had high expectations for her final state tournament.
"I want to win it," she said. "I think I have a pretty good shot. I don't know how the seeds are going to play out but I don't think that matters. I'm just going to go in there and do what I do best."
"I know she has high goals, and that's great to see," Gobin said. "I think, toward the end of the season, it's kind of ramping up and I think she's ready and she's right where she needs to be. I'm excited to see how next week goes for her."
The tournament begins with preliminary and quarterfinal action on Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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