Dogie girls show growth, mental toughness at Quinlan Invite

The Newcastle girls wrestling team spent Jan. 16–17 at the Jerry Quinlan Memorial Invitational at Natrona County High School facing a demanding dual-format tournament that tested both resolve and composure. According to their coach, the team emerged with clear signs of growth and improving mental toughness.

Newcastle finished ninth overall in the event, competing in Pool A against Sturgis Brown, Pinedale, Natrona County, Thunder Basin and Moffat County before advancing to placement and crossover matches. In Pool A play, the Dogies earned a dual win over Moffat County and later defeated Douglas in placement action. They added an extra dual win over Wright and gained additional experience in a tight dual against Campbell County.

While the scoreboard reflected the difficulty of the field, head coach Halle Pillen said the weekend showed meaningful progress in how her team handled competition.

“Wrestling this weekend looked closer to the version of the sport everyone hopes for, and farther from the version where nerves do most of the wrestling,” Pillen said.

After opening pool play against a series of top-tier programs, the Dogies continued to wrestle aggressively throughout the weekend, earning key individual wins and closing that portion of the tournament with a victory over Moffat County to secure fifth place in Pool A.

Several Newcastle wrestlers finished the weekend with winning records, underscoring the progress Pillen referenced. Brylee Caster posted a 6–2 mark at 140 pounds, consistently providing points in duals. Tealah Stevenson went 5–3 at 120 pounds, while Netanya Prell finished 4–3 at 135, repeatedly delivering momentum swings for the Dogies.

“What stood out the most was that the girls looked more like themselves,” Pillen said. “Instead of letting the competition move into their heads and start making decisions, they wrestled with the kind of calm that comes from knowing what you’re doing and putting it to use.”

Several wrestlers picked up important confidence-building wins across the two days, including first wins of the season for members of the lineup.

“We picked up a couple first wins of the season, and for one of our girls it was her first ever,” Pillen said. “That led to equal parts relief, excitement and asking ourselves, ‘How did she do that?’”

Pillen said the difference was not the absence of mistakes, but how they happened.

“There were still mistakes — wrestling is generous that way — but they were honest ones, made while trying to score instead of trying not to lose,” she said.

By the end of the weekend, Pillen said the results mattered less than the manner in which they were earned.

“By the end of the weekend, it was clear the wins mattered, but not as much as the way they happened,” she said. “The girls didn’t borrow confidence from the scoreboard, they earned it by wrestling like themselves, and that’s the kind that tends to stick around.”

That growth showed up most clearly in Newcastle’s dual victories, where multiple wrestlers stepped up in key moments.

In a 36–30 win over Moffat County, Stevenson, Prell and Caster each won by fall, while Libby Nissen added a forfeit victory at 190 pounds to help seal the dual.

Newcastle followed with a 36–24 win over Douglas, highlighted by falls from Stevenson at 120, Caster at 140 and Savannah Lorenz at 130, along with Prell’s forfeit win at 135.

The Dogies closed strong with a 48–36 victory over Wright, as Stevenson, Abby Tacy, Lorenz, Prell, Caster, Natalie Dean and Nissen all recorded wins, most by fall, to give Newcastle its most complete dual performance of the weekend.

Newcastle will look to carry that mindset forward as the season continues into the heart of the winter schedule.

Jerry Quinlan Memorial Invitational 

Dual results
Natrona County 57, Newcastle 18
Pinedale 54, Newcastle 27
Sturgis Brown 72, Newcastle 11
Thunder Basin 68, Newcastle 6
Newcastle 36, Moffat County 30
Newcastle 36, Douglas 24
Campbell County 36, Newcastle 31
Newcastle 48, Wright 36

Individual results
120: Tealah Stevenson: 5–3
125: Abby Tacy: 1–6
130: Savannah Lorenz: 2–4
135: Netanya Prell: 4–3
140: Brylee Caster: 6–2
170: Natalie Dean: 3–5
190: Libby Nissen: 2–5