Lady Cat wrestler brings home third place from state

Three Lady Cats competed in the first ever Girls Wrestling State Championships in Casper last week. They started the week off on Thursday with a great event that showcased ladies wrestling only.

“The support and growth of girls wrestling was very evident with some great matches. The tremendous growth of the sport was noted as Wyoming had the highest per capita growth in the nation this year. The ladies have incredible camaraderie amongst themselves while still being very competitive against each other,” said coach Travis McDermott.

Kaitlin Barral became the first ever Lady Bobcat wrestling state placer. While her tournament started out tough with a closely contested first match with Martin of Evanston, Barral wrestled tough but eventually lost when she was rolled late in the match. Barral fought back in the consolations winning three in a row. She first beat Hepworth of Star Valley with an early second period pin. In the blood round she beat Riley of Hulett early in the second period as well.

“In the consolation-semi’s, Kaitlin got redemption from her first round loss beating Evanston’s Martin to put her in for the third place match. In her medal match, Kaitlin wrestled like a seasoned pro and controlled the match to come out with a third place finish. Kaitlin is so coachable and adjusted so well through the tournament. The adjustments that we suggested for her rematch with Martin were executed so well. I was so proud of how she took what we discussed and implemented through the tournament and to become the first placer in history is very exciting. Kaitlin has an opportunity to represent Wyoming and Thermopolis later this month on the Girls Wyoming Team in Iowa and we are very proud of her,” said coach McDermott.

Freshman Alix Sorensen started the tournament in great fashion pinning Howe of Buffalo with her patented cradle. Howe had dropped down a weight and was a formidable opponent all season but Sorensen managed the win easily. Alix dropped her quarterfinal match to Tillman of Burns in a back and forth match that ended with Tillman winning 9-6.

“I know Alix was disappointed with the match but she fought the entire time and was always in it. In the consolations Sorensen won her next match against Studie of Moorcroft with a pin in the second period. In the blood round Sorensen faced a common opponent in Kiser of Shoshoni. Kiser continued to dominate the matchup beating Alix again. As a freshman Alix put together an 18-17 record during the season and has a great future in the sport. I know Alix was disappointed with the end but she is such a talented wrestler and athlete that I know she can become a force in girls wrestling in Wyoming,” said coach McDermott.

Sophomore Tera Kraushaar finished her first ever season as a wrestler battling through emotions and physical adversity with a win in the state tournament. Tera lost her first match in the quarterfinals in a well battled match with Hunter of Campbell County. “Tera eventually lost the match but fought the entire time. Tera came back in the consolations with a great win over Cross of Campbell County by getting a great takedown to pin in the second period. Kraushaar then lost in the blood round to a good Sheridan wrestler in Pleines. Tera fought hard both physically and emotionally through the tournament and the season. I think that Tera understands and respects how hard it is to be a wrestler and will be a standout with some dedication to developing her skills,” said coach McDermott.

Coach McDermott summed up the first year of Lady Cat wrestling by saying, “High school girls wrestling in Wyoming is here to stay and will continue to grow in both numbers and competitiveness. We have to work to develop these girls and give them the skills that they need to continue to compete. As a coaching staff we realized early that there are definite differences in coaching tactics and tried to adjust to help these young ladies. We have a long way to go but appreciated the dedication of our girls to always try to learn and improve through the season. Thermopolis Lady Cat Wrestling is thankful and appreciative of the opportunity to represent Thermopolis in girls wrestling.”