Wrestlers perform well in Iowa

Six wrestlers represented Thermopolis on different Wyoming teams last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. The age divisions were all a dual format tournament. The athletes either qualified at state tournaments throughout the year or were picked by coaches. These tournaments bring teams from all over the nation to compete for team titles as well as individual All-American Status based on their performance. This is a great opportunity for athletes to compete with other wrestlers from around the state that are competition through most of the year.

In the Twin Rivers Youth Girls Division Thermopolis had two wrestlers on the Wyoming Brown Team that ended up with a 3rd place finish in the Bronze Bracket. Hayden Robinson at 62lbs went 4-4 on the weekend. Sister Hailey Robinson at 68lbs went 6-2 and earned Bronze All-American status. Coach Babie Robinson also went and helped with the team and said, "It was a great experience for everyone involved."

Alix Sorensen competed in the Twin Rivers High School Girls tournament on the Wyoming Brown team which placed 5th in the Bronze Bracket. Alix went 3-5 on the weekend and got some good experience at a national level. Alix is a freshman and ended up just out of placing in the Wyoming State Championships in February. Alix then qualified for the team by placing 2nd at Junior State the following weekend. Coach Travis Mcdermott said, "Alix had an up and down season but has shown dedication to becoming a great wrestler."

Lily Quintanilla continued her incredible year at 110lbs in the Twin Rivers High School Girls division on the Wyoming Gold team. As a team they finished in 4th place in the Silver bracket. Lily actually qualified in the middle school division but after an injury to one of the high school wrestlers she got a wrestle-off to take the spot in the high school division. Lily qualified by winning the Middle School Girls State division back in December. Lily also competed in March in the USA Wrestling Girls Folkstyle Nationals in which she placed 3rd at 106lbs. and received All-American accolades. Last weekend she continued her dominance on a national level by going 8-0 and gaining Gold All-American status. "Lily is one of the most talented wrestlers that I have seen and is going to be a force on the state, national, and potentially international levels for years to come," said McDermott.

On the boys side Cannon Boren continued his great year at the Lee Pamulak Middle School National Duals at 120lbs. Cannon also qualified by winning a State Championship at Middle School state back in December. Cannon went 5-3 at the duals and was awarded Bronze All-American status. McDermott said, "Cannon is a dedicated hard working wrestler that is going to immediately be a contender in high school."

Brody Sorensen didn't know he was going to Iowa until two days before the event. Brody had a shoulder injury that kept him out of the qualifying after high school season. We got a call that a spot was open on the team at 170lbs. Brody jumped on the chance and joined the team. Brody also had a great season this year with a High School State Runner-up finish to earn All-State honors as a sophomore. He competed with the Junior/Senior team as well as wrestling above his usual weight. He learned that he has to move and be fast with bigger and stronger opponents. "Brody has shown his dedication to wrestling and has two more years to compete at the high school level and will be a title contender," said McDermott.

Hayden, Hailey, Lily, and Cannon will compete next week at the Wyoming State Kids Championships along with the rest of the Thermopolis Wrestling Club. I can't say enough about the job that Leif Polson, Sean Boren, Babie Robinson, and the rest of the coaching staff have done with the USA program and look forward to what they do next week at State.

The Bobcat wrestling team has planned their summer camp for June 2-3 and will feature members from the Western Wyoming Wrestling team who won the National Junior College Wrestling Team Championship in March. Members include Cody Phelps of Pinedale a 3rd place national finisher and All-American this year and a 4-time Wyoming State Champion, Sefton Douglas of Lyman who is also a 4-time Wyoming State Champion and was a redshirt freshman at Western this year, and Thermopolis's own Wyatt McDermott, a 2-time State Champion and a redshirt freshman at Western.