Waukon wrestling team has five ladies compete in the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials State Tournament
State Fourth-Place 105-pounder ... Waukon wrestling sophomore Mia Kurth wrestled to a fourth-place finish in the 105-pound weight class bracket at the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Wrestling Tournament held at the Xtream Arena in Coralville Friday and Saturday, January 21-22. Kurth won four out of her six matches at the tournament, with all four of her wins coming by fall and two of those coming in dramatic fashion to overcome third period deficits. Her lone losses at the event came to the undefeated eventual champion and the third-place finisher in her weight class.
Meridian Snitker, Mia Kurth wrestle to top-six individual placewinnings to lead Indian team effort within top 20% of 145-team scoring field
The Waukon wrestling program was well represented once again at the fourth annual Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) Girls State Wrestling Tournament held Friday and Saturday, January 21 and 22 at the Xtream Arena in Coralville. This year’s largest-ever event of nearly 700 young ladies competing from 158 high schools across the state of Iowa featured the mat Tribe’s largest-ever participation as well with five young ladies taking to the mat, with that Indian effort resulting in a pair of podium placewinnings among the top six wrestlers in their respective weight classes and a team finish within the top 20% of the meet’s 145-team scoring field.
Four of those Lady Indians were first-time high school wrestling competitors this season, including sophomore 105-pounder Mia Kurth, freshman 110-pounder Faith Cooper, freshman 155-pounder Reagan Lubahn and sophomore 170-pounder Kloe Hemmersbach. That young foursome was following the lead of senior and four-time IWCOA Girls State Tournament participant Meridian Snitker, who was competing at 140 pounds.
Kurth and Snitker wrestled to those Indian podium finishes, recording some memorable moments along the way to Kurth finishing in fourth place out of 41 wrestlers in her 105-pound bracket and Snitker placing sixth out of 45 wrestlers in the 140-pound bracket. Both wrestled their way to the semifinals on the championship side of their respective weight class brackets, where each of them had their championship hopes sidelined by undefeated freshman wrestlers who then went on to win their respective weight class championships and now have the opportunity to be four-time State Champions.
Kurth’s fourth-place venture in her first year on the high school wrestling mat saw her win four of her six matches at the tournament, with all four of those victories coming by fall and including two pins that overcame third period deficits in both her championship quarterfinals match and her consolation semifinals bout to advance her further through the tournament. She also pinned a previously unbeaten opponent in her second match of the tournament. Her two losses of the tournament came to the top-ranked and fourth-ranked 105-pound wrestlers, who ended up finishing as the champion and third-place finisher, respectively, at this year’s State Tournament event.
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