Emma Gruenhagen is state runner-up, Savanna Millermon takes third at Girls’ State Wrestling
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BOYCEVILLE junior Emma Gruenhagen (fourth from the left) made the medals stand at the first-ever WIAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championship held January 29 in La Crosse. Gruenhagen finished second in the 126-pound weight class with a 4-1 record. —photo submitted
LA CROSSE — Two local female wrestlers earned medals in the inaugural WIAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championships held this past Saturday, January 29 at the La Crosse Center.
Boyceville junior Emma Gruenhagen won a silver medal after finishing as the state runner-up in the 126-pound weight class in La Crosse.
Meanwhile, wrestling in the 100-pound weight bracket, Glenwood City sophomore Savanna Millermon captured third place and the bronze medal.
Both Gruenhagen and Millermon finished their tournament runs with 4-1 records.
Two other area wrestlers – Elsja Meijer of Glenwood City and Boyceville’s Makayla Schewe – also competed in the first-ever WIAA girls’ state tournament but did not place.
Boyceville
Gruenhagen began last Saturday’s state meet by pinning Mary Sus of Muskego just a 1:08 into their round one match-up. As luck of the draw would have it, Gruenhagen was awarded a bye into the quarterfinals’ round where she scored a 17-0 technical fall over Kaylee Richardson of Winnebago Lutheran Academy in just 3:51.
With that victory, the Bulldog junior earned a spot in the semifinals. There she met Beloit Turner freshman Sydney Andrews. The match went the full six minutes with Gruenhagen claiming a 9-3 decision to earn a berth in the 126-pound state championship.
Gruenhagen’s title-match opponent was nationally-ranked Sofia Brynman-Metcalf, a senior from Jefferson. After an opening-round bye, Brynman-Metcalf had earned her way to the finals with three straight pins of 20, 19, and 15 seconds. The championship match went into the second period where Brynman-Metcalf recorded her fourth fall of the tournament when she put Gruenhagen to her back at 2:40 to claim the 126-pound state gold.
“Emma was awesome Saturday!” said Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson. “She wrestled with poise and toughness and really dominated until the finals.”
“In the finals, she ran into a girl that is ranked sixth in the nation. She went toe-to-toe with her in the first period and unfortunately, we got caught in a chest crusher that was hit with some authority and we weren’t getting out of it,” he added.
The Bulldogs other state competitor was Makayla Schewe. The junior finished 3-2 in her first state tournament but did not reach the medals’ podium.
Schewe, competing at 120 pounds, pinned Anastasia Putz-Huettner of Beaver Dam/Wayland Academy 51 seconds into the opening match. Although Schewe lost to eventual state runner-up Hailey Berg of Bonduel in the next round, she came back to win a pair of consolation matches, pinning Stratford’s Cecilia DeFoe in 1:45 and Milton’s Adison Slama in 33 seconds, before being eliminated in the fourth wrestle back round on a 2:14 fall by Makenna Hanke of Lomira, who went on to finish sixth.
“Makayla went out fearless and it showed with some dominating wins,” noted Olson of Schewe’s state wrestling matches.
“The excitement she showed in her wins was so cool to see. Makayla has put the work in and it really paid off for her. Going 3-2 and just missing the placing round was really impressive with just a year of experience,” added Olson.
“Makayla also wrestled weighing in light. We had to send the entrant form in January 5th. At the time she was weighing in around 122. With all her hard work and diet, she now weighs 113. We couldn’t change to the lower weight class, unfortunately we had to wrestle eight pounds light,” he said.
Olson also added that both girls were a joy to coach this season.
MILLERMON MEDALS — Glenwood City sophomore Savanna Millermon (second from the right) stands on the awards podium after earning the bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 120-pound weight class in the first-ever WIAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championship held Saturday, January 29 in La Crosse. —photo submitted
Glenwood City
The medal-winning effort put forth by the Hilltoppers’ Savanna Millermon was quite impressive as all four of her state tournament wins were via pin falls.
Competing in the lightest of the girls’ 12 weight classes, 100 pounds, Millermon earned a first-round pin when she stuck Marinette’s Grace Holguin in 4:41. In round two, the Glenwood City sophomore delivered her fastest pin of the tournament by putting Amiya Leverance of Nekoosa/Assumption on her back in just 28 seconds. That win propelled Millermon into the quarterfinals’ round where she scored her third straight fall, a 42-second pin of Emily Perez-Alanis from Milwaukee Ronald Reagan.
Unfortunately, Millermon suffered her first and only defeat of the tournament in the semifinals where eventual state titlist Brooke Corrigan, a freshman from De Pere, won a 14-1 major decision.
Undaunted, Millermon shook off the setback and came back to win third place with her fourth pin of a day. It took her just 54 seconds to stick junior Jolette Velasquez Gonzalez, another Milwaukee Ronald Reagan grappler, to secure the state bronze medal.
The Hilltoppers’ other state representative, freshman Elsja Meijer, lost both of her state tournament matches at 107 pounds. Meijer was pinned by Lia Peterson of Amherst just 31 seconds into their opening round match and was then eliminated with a 10-1 loss to Oregon’s Raven Ringhand in the first wrestle back.
“Savanna and Elsja represented our school with great determination and pride,” stated Glenwood City head wrestling coach Shane Strong.
“We are so proud of them for showing the courage to compete in a very combative sport. They work hard, they make no excuses and they represent our school with a humble attitude,” he continued.
“I’m super excited to see them grow in our sport while setting an example for our younger generation of girls coming up through the program,” Strong said in conclusion