Freshman Regan Rosseter makes history for Westside on Saturday, Jan. 30 as she brought home the gold at the Nebraska Girls State Wrestling Tournament. Rosseter used her confidence, determination, and technique to reach her goal that she set at the beginning of the season. Head girls coach Bob Mulligan expressed the determination that he’s seen from Regan this season.

“It’s unbelievable,” Mulligan said. “She has had a goal set in mind since day one that she was going to be state champ and she worked her butt off to get there and it’s just unbelievable. Going into this weekend I told her ‘it’s just four matches that’s all it is’ so she knew that’s all she had in her mind. Especially coming off the girl who just beat her in the finals just beat her last week in the finals of another tournament. It felt double special.”

After two quick wins in the first and second rounds on Friday, Rosseter went into Saturday guaranteed a spot on the podium. After taking down Selena Zamora 10-1 in the semi-finals, Regan went up against a familiar foe, Kristen Shellenburg.

Shellenburg, the number one ranked girls wrestler at the 124 class out of Scribner-Snyder, had gone up against Regan just a week prior in the championship of the Weeping Water invite and in an upset won 6-5. However, this time Regan was aware of her moves and how to get out of them. She saw an opportunity and went for it, winning 4-1 while only being on the bottom one time the entire match.

“I just had to use my technique and know what she was going to do. I know she was going to try to pop up and I just pushed through it,” Rosseter said.  

Rosseter has proven to all of the community that wrestling isn’t just a male-dominant sport. She has made a difference in the wrestling community this season by inspiring girls in the grades below her that they can accomplish their goals as well, no matter what barrier. Rosseter has been known in the wrestling community with her wins at tournaments and nationals in Oklahoma. 

“Her coming into the season at least in the girls wrestling community was already pretty established,” Mulligan said.  “She’s a little bit different than other freshmen but that doesn’t get away from the fact you still have to come out and win matches. No matter who you are, and what you’ve done in the past.” 

Rosseter proved she has many qualities that other wrestlers don’t, one of them being her huge amounts of confidence in herself. She goes out there with the mindset that she can beat whoever she is versing no matter if she is the underdog herself. 

“I’m feeling excited about being the first-ever girl to bring Westside a state title. I worked hard. She beat me last week. I just went for the finish and I got it,” Rosseter said. 

Rosseter has made history twice this weekend with being both the first girl to compete at state and then again with winning it. For coach Mulligan, the future for Regan looks bright as there is no doubt of her next goal. 

“I mean three more [state titles] hopefully,” Mulligan said. “Obviously we got the first one out of the way. First one is always the hardest so we already set that milestone of her being Westside’s first girl’s state champ. You’d love for her to be the girl’s first four-time state champ and second overall in our program history as that would be pretty awesome.”

Regan continues to break barriers and proves that wrestling isn’t just a male-dominated sport. Keep your sights set on Rosseter as she looks to continue to excel over the next few years for Westside wrestling.