Girls wrestling qualifies for State

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Photo courtesy of Collin McKillip

Julia Landmesser and Rebekah Moncivaiz qualified for the IHSA State girls wrestling tournament.

Seniors Julia Landmesser and Rebekah Moncivaiz qualified for the IHSA State wrestling tournament after placing at Sectionals on Saturday, Feb. 11.

At Sectionals, Landmesser placed second and Moncivaiz placed third.

“I knew after my second match that I made State,” Landmesser said. “It was amazing.”

The State tournament is the weekend of March 24 and 25.

“(To prepare) I am continuing practicing, eating right, and taking care of my body,” Landmesser said. “And I am watching film.”

Rebekah Moncivaiz shares what she has learned from wrestling.

“I started the season not knowing anything, so being able to compete well against girls that have been doing it for years is really cool. I’ve gained a lot of discipline from wrestling with consistent hard workouts and eating better,” Moncivaiz said.

Another topic Moncivaiz addresses is why more students should join wrestling and how much of an impact it has in school.

“Growing women’s wrestling is so important,” Moncivaiz said. “Wrestling is still seen as a male-dominated sport, and that is definitely changeable. I think young girls should be able to feel like participating in wrestling is an option.”

As the season goes into postseason, Moncivaiz shares how the team has improved.

“Every girl currently competing now has put in a lot of work, and they all have improved so much skill-wise,” she said.

Landmesser also shares how the team has improved compared to last year’s season.

“For this year’s team, our biggest improvement has been in commitment and numbers,” Landmesser said. “Last year we had about three consistent girl wrestlers, and this year we have about six. While it isn’t a huge increase, it definitely has been nice to have more girls to rely on.”