HOT SPRINGS – Like the Bison boys’ team, the Hot Springs girls’ wrestlers also stayed in the Black Hills this past week and competed in both the Black Hills Conference and Black Hills Classic tournaments in Hot Springs and Hill City.
At the home Conference meet in Case Auditorium last Friday morning, the Bison girls finished fifth out of nine teams with Spearfish winning the team title. Hot Springs had just four girls competing and all of them won medals, led by freshman Sarah Rickenbach who won the 145 individual title with a pair of first period pins to finish with a 2-0 record.
Senior Serenity Schell also qualified for the finals with a 3:24 pin over Kayli Morgan in the semifinals, but she finished as the runner-up at 132 pounds following a tough 2-4 loss to Victoria Verhey of STM in the championship finals.
Other medalists included a second place medal for Bridget Lane at 152 pounds (1-1 record) and third place medal for Emma Preuss at 107 pounds (1-1 record).
In Hill City, the Hot Springs girls finished eighth out of 16 teams with Custer winning the team title. Rickenbach won another individual championship after a pair of first period pins en route to a 2-0 tournament record and a mark of 32-2 on the season.
Schell once again finished as the runner-up at 132 pounds with 2-1 record. Her only loss was another close decision versus Verhey in the championship finals, this time falling by a 2-3 decision.
Preuss also placed fourth at 107 pounds with a 2-2 record including a pair of pins over Lia Mundt of Belle Fourche (1:48) and Sage Lichtenberger of Newcastle (2:31).
“Emma is a typical first year wrestler. Tough, gritty, but still learning,” ,” said Hot Springs head coach Ray Ringstmeyer. “She had a great two days of wrestling against some pretty tough girls.”
Hot Springs’ only other wrestler competing in Hill City was seventh-grader Kadlin Humbracht who finished with a 1-2 record at 120 pounds, which included a high scoring final match versus Brie Dollick of Upton, which ended in a close 9-12 loss.
“Serenity and Emma really wrestled with pride this weekend,” Coach Ringstmeyer said. “They put in a good week of practice to improve and it shows. We still have some youth to work out of the others, but all in all it was a good weekend for them as well. Kadlin just keeps getting better each time out there and as the match goes on. She was behind big in her last match and almost pulled off the win, so that’s a performance worthy of praise.”
Coach Ringstmeyer said the youth on both the boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams is one of his program’s current strengths.
“On both teams, I am so proud of our 7th thru sophomore group,” he said. “They want to be up there so much that they forget that they are underdogs and who they are up against started right where they are. And to achieve some success is a huge testament to that, but anyone that can evaluate wrestling can see these kids have improved a ton this year and I’m excited to see how regionals goes in two weeks.”