SC/F lady wrestlers claim team title at Marilyn Smith Invitational

The Sedgwick County/Fleming lady wrestlers traveled to Wray on Saturday, Dec. 21, for the second annual Marilyn Smith Invitational Wrestling Tournament, where they delivered an impressive performance, culminating in a team title victory. With a combined total of 72 team points, Sedgwick County/Fleming outperformed a competitive field that included teams such as Wiggins (55 points), Yuma (53.5 points) and Wray (44.5 points). The tournament featured a number of combined weight classes, including 100-105, 110-115, 120-125, 130-135, 140-145, and 155-170, showcasing a variety of talent and skill across the board.

Several SC/F athletes placed in the top positions in their respective weight classes, contributing to the team's overall success. Here's a breakdown of the individual performances for wrestlers competing out of Fleming and Haxtun:

Autumn Volkman faced some tough opponents in the 125-pound weight class, finishing with a 0-4 season record. Despite her losses, Volkman gained valuable experience competing at the tournament level. In round one, Volkman lost by decision to Heidi Vargas of Yuma, 5-2. In round two, she lost fall to Lexie Amendt of SC/F in 2:26. She lost to Sky Richards of Liberty /Joes in round three by fall in 1:23. She closed the day with a loss by fall to Christina Lopez of SC/F in 0:57.

Annie Wilson finished in first place in the 135-pound division, securing a perfect 4-0 record during the tournament and a 11-4 season record. Wilson earned victories by fall over Makena Crownover, Kinsleigh Jerman and Lauren Gdanitz, while also claiming a medical forfeit win over Ren Richards. She defeated Crownover of Wiggins by fall in 3:27; defeated Jerman of SC/F by fall in 3:38; won by medical forfeit over Ren Richards of Liberty/Joes; and defeated Gdanitz of Wray by fall in 1:28.

Kinsleigh Jerman placed fourth in the 135-pound weight class with a solid 9-5 season record. Despite facing tough opponents, Jerman secured a win in the first round over Ren Richards but struggled against her teammates and other competitors. Jerman won by fall over Richards Liberty/Joes in 0:45. She lost to Annie Wilson of SC/F by fall in 3:38. In round three, Jerman lost by fall to Lauren Gdanitz of Wray in 6:00. She closed the day with a loss to Makena Crownover of Wiggins by fall in 3:04.

Kaiya Hall had a challenging tournament in the 145-pound division, finishing with a 4-6 season record. Hall faced two tough opponents and was unable to secure any wins in the competition. She lost to Riley Erickson of Wiggins by fall in 1:11 and Lillian Miller of SC/F by fall in 0:57.

Olivia Stone earned a fifth-place finish in the 170-pound division, finishing with a 5-6 season record. Despite some tough losses, Stone earned key points for the team and showed resilience throughout her matches. She won round one by fall over Riley Torres of SC/F in 1:09. She suffered round two and three losses to Addison Mayer of Wiggins by fall in 2:59 and Bralynn Arroyo of Wiggins by fall in 1:57. Stone took medical forfeits to Kayle Stults of Wray and Sierra Brown of Yuma in her final two events of the day.

According to info on the team's Facebook page, the girls' team is scheduled to compete in a dual at Yuma on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, they are set to compete in the Garden County Invitational at Oshkosh, Neb. with matches beginning at 9 a.m.