Lehi Sports
Lincoln Rex, Addison Hutchison medal at state wrestling meet
The Lehi boys and girls wrestling teams finished 15th and 14th in their respective state tournaments last week and one member of each team earned a medal. Senior Lincoln Rex finished in fifth place in the 126 weight class and freshman Addison Hutchisoncame in sixth in the 140 girls bracket.
The 6A boys state tournament was Feb. 12-13 and the girls competed on Feb. 14-15, both at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center.
Rex (38-9) got his run started with a 19-3 technical fall victory over Packer Nettesheim (19-16) of Pleasant Grove. He dropped into consolation after a quarterfinal defeat to Mason Carlson (12-4) of Syracuse but he topped his next two opponents to earn his way into the medal rounds.
He pinned Xander Fenner (23-13) of Davis at 1:56 and then earned a 14-4 major decision over Andrew Jones (37-10) of Weber.
He lost in the consolation semifinal to Samuel Moody (38-9) of Riverton but finished up with a fall at 1:26 over Zack Anderson (37-12) of Syracuse to secure fifth place with 15.5 points.
Hutchison’s experience followed a similar path. She (15-11) opened by pinning Ellie Whitworth (3-5) of Layton at 3:26 but lost in the quarterfinal to Kaitlyn Worthley (31-9) of Fremont.
She went on to register falls over Aleah Butler (7-10) of Westlake at 3:57 and Jessica Mangelson (9-10) of Davis at 1:52. Hailey Harvie (19-4) of Herriman won the consolation semifinal and Hutchison finished sixth with 13.0 team points after being disqualified for a technical violation in the placement match.
“Overall we had a really good tournament,” said Coach Dan Rice. “It wasn’t exactly what they wanted but they showed improvement, and they showed resiliency.
“Lincoln Rex had a good tournament, placing in one of the toughest weight classes we have,” he continued. “Most of our other wrestlers are young. They all have things to learn and things they can improve on and they’re going to get better.
“There is a lot of hope, with a little off-season help and support I know we will make it,” the coach said.
“It’s a hard sport, and as new young wrestlers to even qualify for state is amazing.
“They made it through a whole season of tough practicing. I think they’re all accomplished, and they’ve all individually done a great job, made themselves better wrestlers and better individuals,” Rice concluded
Here’s how the other Pioneer boy qualifiers fared individually in each weight class:
• At 106, freshman Tyson Cowan (27-10) went 2-2 and scored 6.5 team points.
• At 113, sophomore Sawyer Richins (19-16) exited after two losses.
• At 120, freshman Tristen Roberts (28-9) got a pin in consolation for 3.0 team points.
• At 126, junior Kole Wootton (16-19) finished up in two appearances.
• At 132, junior Boston Richins (25-18) added 2.0 team points for a consolation major decision.
• At 138, junior Kenneth Fink (16-16) lost both of his matches.
• At 144, sophomore Cohen Mortensen (41-12) earned a 2-2 mark with 6.0 team points.
• At 157, sophomore Keamyn Hatch (14-20) lost a narrow decision in his second bout to exit the meet.
• At 165, sophomore Joshua Selph (13-17) was eliminated in two matches.
• At 175, sophomore Mason Mickiewicz (15-20) was out after two losses.
Here’s how the other Lehi girls did:
• At 130, sophomore Chloe Drew (5-18) wrestled two bouts.
• At 140, sophomore Halle Stinger (3-7) finished her day with two losses.
• At 155, senior Kristin Mecham (13-10) registered one pin in consolation.
• At 155, sophomore Elizabeth Anderegg (7-14) earned a fall in consolation to add 3.0 team points.
• At 190, sophomore Mari Traylor (9-8) bowed out after two matches.
Hutchison said, “I’m feeling good. I beat the third-place girl. I was really scared. Next time I want to be more confident because that’s how I win. It was difficult when I lost, but it’s important to remember that losses are what makes you a better wrestler.
“Just focusing on how long it takes to perfect a move, or beat someone better than you” is part of the experience, she said. “I love it because it makes me a genuinely better person. I also enjoy being around all the wrestlers on my team and at tournaments.”
Mecham added, “We’re all really excited about being here but there is also a little nervousness. We are all new girls wrestling. We’ve worked hard and learned a lot. I think we can be optimistic about the future.”
Ryann Anderegg contributed to this report.
