Wawasee’s Iron Seven girls wrestlers had a stake in the biggest tourney it has seen in the short history of the program.

The Al Smith Invite at Mishawaka High School starts Thursday morning for the boys, but for the girls they were just down the road Wednesday at Penn High School for the Sarah Hildebrandt Invite.

With representation from 56 teams from all over the Hoosier State, the Hildebrandt was essentially a pre-test for any girl who wants to make a run in the state tournament series, which starts next Friday at Penn.

Wawasee had a trio wrestling in the championship brackets after the first two rounds were completed, and nearly had a champion.

Kenidi Nine continued her exceptional season by scoring a pair of pins to move through the 145 A bracket. In the matchup against Lake Central’s Elly Janovsky, Nine found herself down 4-0 midway through the second period. Nearing the end of the period, Janovsky got Nine flat and got the pin just two seconds before the buzzer for the pin. That sent Nine to the third/fourth place match against Penn’s Sophie Atwood, the Kingsman getting the pin at the 4-minute mark to leave Nine in fourth overall in the huge weight class.

Nine scored a pair of first period pins over Naomi Leffers of Central Noble and Izah Garcia of Merrillville to start her day.

Semi-final losses for Brooke Catron and Deserae Vetor ended their runs for championships, and both would wind up fourth in their respective brackets. At 132, Catron won her first two matches against Angola’s Mia Walker and Hobart’s Adriana Arauz, but couldn’t solve Indian Creek’s Phoebe Dowty in a first-period pin. Catron would succumb to Cowan’s Emma Jones in the third-place match. Vetor needed just a win in the quarters over Glenn’s Carlie Martin to make the final four, but was pinned by Columbia City’s Felice Mullinax. Vetor lost to Blackford’s Addison Flores in the third-place match.

“That was by far the toughest tournament that our Lady Warriors wrestled,” stated Wawasee girls head coach Miguel Rodriguez. “The ladies were a little nervous going in, but we held confidence in ourselves and our abilities. We came out and wrestled hard. Had some really great wins and took some tough losses.”

Ciarra Rodriguez won three matches, but lost at the wrong time in the bracket. Rodriguez lost in the 120 quarters to East Noble’s Danika Handshoe but would win two of the next three to finish seventh place after a 3-2 day.

Alex Garcia also lost in the 160 quarters to Amiria Galburth of Merrillville, but would win her next three matches – all by pin – to take honors of the consolation bracket. Garcia started and ended her day with pins of Andrean’s Jackson Grubbs, the second one at 3:43 to cap her impressive 4-1 day.

Olivia Hill would get a pin at 225 to finish her day 1-2 and Rylin Vanlaningham went 0-2 to conclude Wawasee’s action at Penn.

Penn, the defending girls team state champion, won the team title to surprise of no one, scoring 203 points. Columbia City was second at 118 and Merrillville was third at 105. Wawasee and Lake Central both finished with 80 points to finish tied for eighth overall. The tournament is named for the decorated Penn alum, a 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist and Pan American world champion.

The state series begins next Friday, Jan. 6, back at the Palace with the regional round. Advancers will head to Mooresville on Jan. 13 for the state finals.

“At the end of the day, we now know what we need to work on and improve in the practice room,” Rodriguez said. “The ladies are now even more confident in their wrestling and looking forward to next Friday at regional when we travel back to Penn.”

Sarah Hildebrandt Invitational Results for Wawasee

Girls 120 B

Ciarra Rodriguez’s place is 7th and has scored 11.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) won by fall over Gwen Foreman (Illiana Christian) (Fall 3:13)
• Quarterfinal – Danika Handshoe (East Noble) won by fall over Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) (Fall 2:00)
• Cons. Round 2 – Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) won by fall over Karis Johnson (South Bend Riley) (Fall 0:51)
• Cons. Semi – Rylee Sheldon (Tri-County) won by fall over Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) (Fall 3:26)
• 7th Place Match – Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) won by fall over Tiana Slusser (Bremen) (Fall 2:28)

Girls 132 A

Brooke Catron’s place is 4th and has scored 14.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brooke Catron (Wawasee) won by major decision over Mia Walker (Angola) (Maj 22-9)
• Quarterfinal – Brooke Catron (Wawasee) won by fall over Adriana Arauz (Hobart) (Fall 2:30)
• Semifinal – Pheobe Dowty (Indian Creek) won by fall over Brooke Catron (Wawasee) (Fall 0:30)
• 3rd Place Match – Emma Jones (Cowan) won by fall over Brooke Catron (Wawasee) (Fall 1:50)

Girls 138 B

Deserae Vetor’s place is 4th and has scored 13.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Deserae Vetor (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Deserae Vetor (Wawasee) won by fall over Carlie Martin (Glenn) (Fall 4:26)
• Semifinal – Felice Mullinax (Columbia City) won by fall over Deserae Vetor (Wawasee) (Fall 1:16)
• 3rd Place Match – Addison Flores (Blackford) won by fall over Deserae Vetor (Wawasee) (Fall 0:52)

Girls 145 A

Kenidi Nine’s place is 4th and has scored 22.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) won by fall over Naomi Leffers (Central Noble) (Fall 1:18)
• Semifinal – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) won by fall over Izah Garcia (Merrillville) (Fall 0:58)
• 1st Place Match – Elly Janovsky (Lake Central) won by fall over Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) (Fall 3:58)
• 3rd/4th Place Match – Sophie Atwood (Penn) won by fall over Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) (Fall 4:00)

Girls 152

Rylin Vanlaningham’s place is unknown and has scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Alexandra Collins (Taylor) won by fall over Rylin Vanlaningham (Wawasee) (Fall 1:29)
• Cons. Round 1 – Maddy Reed (Greenfield Central) won by fall over Rylin Vanlaningham (Wawasee) (Fall 2:17)

Girls 160

Alexandra Garcia’s place is 6th and has scored 13.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Jackson Grubbs (Andrean) (Fall 1:37)
• Quarterfinal – Amiria Galburth (Merrillville) won by fall over Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) (Fall 1:20)
• Cons. Round 2 – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Amelia Collins (Taylor) (Fall 4:18)
• Cons. Semi – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Lilly Spane (Taylor) (Fall 1:28)
• 5th Place Match – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Jackson Grubbs (Andrean) (Fall 3:43)

Girls 220-285

Olivia Hill’s place is unknown and has scored 3.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Jezel Guerrero (Penn) won by fall over Olivia Hill (Wawasee) (Fall 1:01)
• Cons. Round 1 – Olivia Hill (Wawasee) won by fall over Tyler Houoho (Maconaquah) (Fall 0:21)
• Cons. Round 2 – Chloe Linn (Western) won by fall over Olivia Hill (Wawasee) (Fall 3:21)