The Warrior girls wrestling team went up to Norfolk to compete in the Nebraska state duals and placed third in the class A division. They went 3-1 in the tournament and came home with lots of undefeated meet athletes.
The Warriors had a successful trip bringing back the third place title along with seven undefeated athletes for state duals. The overall performance from the team showed how dedicated these athletes are to their program. They consistently show up and battle throughout meets showing they won’t give up until they are state champions. Head coach Bob Mulligan shared his feelings about the girls’ performance.
“I truly believe we showed the state that we are a force to be reckoned with and will be very tough to beat down the stretch,” Mulligan said.
One athlete who showed up for her team was junior Lucy Wing. She had a very strong performance ending with a 3-1 record at duals. Wing has wrestled for the Warriors her entire high school career and continues to improve every year. She consistently proves that she is one of the best in the state and won’t stop until she’s on top. Wing discussed her goals for the rest of the season going forward.
“My goal for the rest of the season as we go into districts and state is to continue to battle on the mat and just place as high as I can,” Wing said.
Wrestling is a sport where the mental part is just as important as the physical part. Getting in your head is one of the worst things that can happen for an athlete during a match and it can be hard to get back on track. Having that mental toughness you need to be an athlete really shows up during these tough times. Coach Mulligan explained how the Warriors respond to adversity and tough situations.
“We faced some adversity, originally winning our semi final dual but ended up losing because of a technicality of a rule,” Mulligan said. “We responded by keeping our heads high and continuing to compete and finished in 3rd place.”
Freshman Karmah Johnson had an impressive run with a record of 4-0. Johnson is new to the sport but she is a very promising athlete for the Westside program. She was added to the varsity roster later in the season but she always proves that she is deserving of her position on the team. She embodies what it means to be a Warrior and keeps improving every day. Johnson talked about her game plan going into the meet.
“My game plan at that tournament was to dominate and I did and I showed them how it’s done at Westside,” Johnson said.
The Warriors will compete next on Tuesday, February 3rd for a home dual against Omaha Central starting at 6:00 pm.
