The Sandie wrestling teams gear up for state, sending three wrestlers, Junior Myleigh Hammarbeck, Senior Arayla Archie and Junior Brice Cotherin, and two alternates, Sophomore Eli Luna and Junior Novia Castleberry, to compete on Thursday and Friday.
The wrestlers that qualified were determined at the regional meet on Feb. 9 and 10. Their performance there allowed them to advance to the top meet of the year, State.
“It’s a lot of pressure trying to make it to State,” Hammarbeck said. “Placing in Regionals released a lot of pressure, so making it to State was relieving.”
A lot of hard work and dedication goes into pre-season and training in order to go to state. The wrestlers worked all season to improve and earn their way to this meet.
“I went to the gym a lot during the pre-season,” Archie said. “I maintained weight and things like that.”
Going to state is the ultimate goal for any high school athlete, wrestling is no exception. They have worked year-round for this opportunity and hope to emerge victorious.
“It feels good to make it to state, I’ve been doing this for years and my hard work is paying off,” Cotherin said.