The Hinton girls wrestling team claimed the team championship at their regional tournament in Council Bluffs on Friday and qualified seven wrestlers to this week’s state tournament.
Hinton got things started with their 105-pounder Joslyn Swanson winning the championship and qualifying for state as a freshman. Head coach Joel Bertrand says despite her freshman status, she has a lot of experience that will pay off this week.
Allison Hoefling was Hinton’s next champion at 115 pounds winning the regional title. She really just felt like getting her matches over with as soon as possible. Three pins in a combined time of about four minutes was all it took for her to get to state. Coach Bertrand says she is peaking at the right time.
Abby Kueffer won the championship for Hinton at 130 pounds to advance to the state tournament. She has been a great dual wrestler but had struggled in tournaments at times this season. Coach Bertrand says she is proving that she has improved as the season has gone along.
Hinton’s final championship came at 170 pounds with Ashley Chasteen. She was the biggest question mark going into the tournament considering she had been dealing with a sickness for the entire week leading up to the tournament. Coach Bertrand says in spite of that, she fought through to get to state this week.
Hinton also qualified three runner-up wrestlers in Annalesee Sachau at 110 pounds, Viviane Pettigrew at 130 pounds, and Halle Mosaquites at 145 pounds. Coach Bertrand says this week will be focused on touching things up and allowing some of these younger wrestlers to enjoy the moment in the spotlight.
The state tournament begins at 10:00 AM on Thursday, February 6 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
