Starting 0-7 in duals was never an indication of the quality of wrestlers the Mount Vernon girls had.
The No. 4 team in Class 1A girls’ wrestling is good, no doubt. And Thursday, Dec. 12, they finally got a dual win, beating Clear Creek Amana 48-18 in a home dual.
“I told the girls early on with us having a few open weights, we’re not worried about dual team scores, just winning matches,” Mount Vernon Coach Trevor Trende said. “Still, it was good to come out with a victory.”
In a quick dual that was all pins and forfeits, the Mustangs got 30 points from forfeits, plus there were three additional double forfeits. Addi Whisner (145), Kate Martin (110) and Lexi Glaza (125) delivered pins for Mount Vernon.
“We didn’t really care (starting 0-7) because we had so many open weights,” Martin said. “When we did wrestle, we won most of them.”
Martin, a freshman, is part of what Trende says is a product of a strong middle school program. “We have girls coming in with experience,” Trende said.
Whisner, a junior in her second season, feels way ahead of where she was a year ago.
“The key is going in with confidence,” Whisner said. “Being aggressive right from the start. I know what I wanted to do.”
Trende was even able to get sophomore Liliana Grosse in at 135 pounds. She had just joined the team two days earlier.
“For her to step in, and go hard, that’s about all you can ask for,” Trende said.
The Mustangs started the week finishing fourth as a team at the Williamsburg Invitational on Monday, Dec. 9. Kiersten Swart (115) and Libby Dix (190) won gold, and Gracie Pinckney (170) won silver at the 10-team tournament.
“We competed at a really high level,” Trende said.
Trende saluted Dix, who beat the No. 2 wrestler at her weight, Brooklyn Graham of East Buchanan, 6-0. Four days earlier, she had beat No. 3 Leah Stewart of Charles City by pin in 3:58 at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Coralville.
“That was actually nice,” Trende said.
Swart had three pins to reach the finals, then won by technical fall over Kaelynn Roster of Vinton-Shellsburg, 16-1. Pinckney lost in the finals to Autumn Elsbury of South Tama in a third-period pin.
Mount Vernon was scheduled to compete in the Alburnett Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 14, but that was iced out.