Ladies qualify six for state tourney
Six Lady Dogie wrestlers finished in the top eight at last weekend’s All-Class East Regional Wrestling tournament in Cheyenne. Head coach Shaide Bowthorpe’s crew finished 13th out of 25 teams, and, in the process, doubled the number of girls who made it to state from last year, as well as placed two, which is something that did not happen at regionals in 2024.
“We were hoping to qualify a few more, but some matches just don’t go the way you want them to and the All-Class format is tough,” Bowthorpe said. “It leaves very little room for any errors throughout the tournament, so it was great to see our girls battle, and for a couple to place.”
Sage Lichtenberger and Netanya Prell each brought home hardware by finishing fourth at the tournament in their respective weight classes. As such, the two will enjoy the advantage of seeding at the state tournament, and not leave their prospective first opponent up to chance.
Lichtenberger, wrestling in the 100-pound weight class, won her quarter-final round with a 6-0 decision before falling to Campbell County in the semi-finals. From there she defeated fellow teammate Harmony Sullivan in the consolation semis, but fell to Cheyenne South in the third-place match.
“Sage had to wrestle a gal that she had lost to twice in the quarter-finals, so I think she was out for a little redemption,” Bowthorpe said, with a grin. “She has worked hard in the off season, and she is so detailed and drills so well in practice, and all of that really paid off for her this weekend.”
Lichtenberger also hit a milestone in her career by picking up her 20th career win.
“I was really excited after I got by my first round, and
then I was able to beat a Moorcroft girl that I lost to twice this season. That was really exciting,” Lichtenberger said. “After that match I knew I was going to state so that was fun, too.”
Prell (130) pinned her way through the quarter-finals before falling to Sheridan in a hard fought semi-final match. She bounced back to pin Campbell County in the consolations semis before succumbing to Cheyenne East by major decision (13-0) in the third-place match.
“In the consolation semis, Netanya was up against a gal she had lost to at Ron Thon, and we needed to get past her to get to the placing round,” Bowthorpe said. “She got it done and it was a really great match for her. That girl
wasn’t going to stand in her way at all.”
Harmony Sullivan (100), Courtney Matthews (120), Brylee Caster (140), and Adelyn Bergstrom (145) also punched their ticket to the Big Dance by finishing in the top eight. Only the top four finishers will get seeded for the state tournament, however, so
these Lady Dogies will wait to see who they draw in the opening round, and just hope for the best.
“Harmony did a great job getting qualified, and Courtney did great as well, especially given she has been really sick for over a week,” Bowthorpe said.
The All-Class State Tournament will take place Thursday through Saturday at the Ford Center in Casper.
