This year's girls' wrestling team, The Western Valley Wolves, is being coached by Tim Chesnut with the help of his assistant coaches, Todd Greder and Emily Zima. Last year, they had a successful season going 3-2 in regular-season dual meets. In postseason action at the IGHSAU Regional Qualifier 2, they placed 10th out of 23 teams with 75 points.
At the IGHSAU State Championships, they placed 70th out of 157 teams with 13 points. When asked who are strong leaders coming into the new season, Coach Chesnut responded with this, “We have two experienced seniors and leaders in Kacy Miller & Sophia Schumacher. Kacy is a senior at West Monona and placed 5th in the state last season. She led the 2023 squad in almost every statistical category last season including takedowns and escapes. Sophia is a senior at MVAOCOU, a returning starter, and a winning wrestler from last year. She was also a team leader in takedowns. Both wrestlers put time and effort into wrestling during the offseason, and both were instrumental in recruiting new wrestlers to the team for this season.”
Chesnut also mentioned their returning underclassman for the year, “Another strength is our returning group of underclassmen from last year led by returning state qualifier Marlee Pittet (WM). Marlee along with Marina Guadamuz (WW), and Arianna Howard (WW), led the team with reversals last season. Montana Farrens (WM) was a winning wrestler last season and had a good offseason regarding time and effort on improvement in the sport. Other returners from last year's team include Kaylee Hinrickson (WW), Shaylee Malloy (WW), and Ashlee Cox (WW).”
Finally, Coach Chesnut rounded out this season's roster with their new additions to the team, “Team depth is another strength. We finished the year with ten wrestlers last season, but we had 22 wrestlers at our first practice this season. New wrestlers are as follows: Lakin Archer (WM), Montana Jones (Whiting), Nadia Fredrickson (Whiting), Tiegan Riley (Whiting), Asleyn Weber (MVAOCOU), Olivia Colter (Whiting), MacKinsey Hanke (MVAOCOU), Abby Fey (Whiting), Cadence Henderson (MVAOCOU), Neveah Healey (WM), Creighton Lichtenburg (WM), Hannah Griffith (WM), Brianna Howard (WW), and Joslyn Mossberger (MVAOCOU). Every team has kinks they need to work out each season. This season, the girls’ wrestling team wants to work on their mat technique and how to apply that technique during a live match.”
When asked to make a comparison between this season from last season, Coach Chesnut gave us an exciting answer, “After only one workout it was amazing to see how much more we accomplished in practice due to the returning experience on the team. We got done in one day which took two to three days at the start of last season. Therefore, we'll be improved in all areas, including our ability to compete for team championships at tournaments due to our improved numbers and depth at several weight classes. We also believe that our improved experience levels in practice will help individual wrestlers to better achieve their season's wrestling goals.”
With there being only one class in girls' wrestling (IGHSAU), there are many teams the Wolves are looking out for this year including Lewis Central, Ridge View, Spencer, Sgt. Bluff, Missouri Valley, Riverside, and LeMars. When describing his coaching philosophy, Coach Chesnut stated, “We want to build wrestlers and win matches. We strive to build the individual, so both the wrestler and her team can succeed. As coaches, we are results-oriented, yet we focus more on positive competition and daily improvement when communicating with our wrestlers. We keep the pursuit of victory in proper perspective. Winning is important, but it's not the only important thing.” The Wolves are very excited for a great season. Good luck, ladies!
Roster:
Kacy Miller SR
Sophia Schumacher SR
Marlee Pittet SO
Marina Guadamuz JR
Arianna Howard SO
Montana Farrens SO
Kaylee Hinrickson
Shaylee Malloy JR Ashlee Cox
Lakin Archer FR
Montana Jones FR
Nadia Fredrickson
Tiegan Riley JR
Ashleyn Weber SO
Olivia Colter
MacKinsey Hanke FR
Abby Fey FR
Neveah Healey FR
Creighton Lichtenburg SO
Hannah Griffith FR
Brianna Howard
Joslyn Mossberger FR
Schedule:
11-13-23 Valkyrie Open @ Nodaway Valley HS
11-18-23 West Monona Girls Wrestling @ West Monona HS
11-21-23 Girls Wrestling Quad @ Sergeant Bluff-Luton HS
12-2-23 Audubon Girls Wrestling Tournament @ Audubon HS
12-8-23 Riverside Girls Tournament @ Riverside HS
12-9-23 Wolves Tournament @ West Monona HS
12-16-23 Shenandoah Invitational @ Shenandoah HS
12-18-23 Kemper 4-man Tournament @ Kuemper Catholic HS
1-12-24 Le Mars Invitational @ Le Mars HS
1-15-24 LC @ Lewis Central HS
1-15-24 ESC Girls Wrestling Tournament @ East Sac County ES
1-20-24 SBL Lady Invite @ Sergeant Bluff- Luton ES